Kitana is a long-running character from the Mortal Kombat fighting series, and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is the 2005 action-adventure game following Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Her scream comes from that game's vocal effects, where female fighters react to attacks with sharp, dramatic cries. Fans later clipped the sound for edits, reaction videos and gaming montages because it is instantly recognisable and needs no dialogue. It remains in use as a quick way to signal shock, pain or surprise in Mortal Kombat content and wider meme edits.