The sound comes from Neon Genesis Evangelion, the 1995 anime series created by Hideaki Anno at Gainax. In the series the giant Evangelion units normally run on external power delivered through an umbilical cable, so a disconnect forces them onto a short internal battery reserve. That limitation became a key source of tension in battles against the Angels. Clips of the cockpit warnings later spread through anime forums, AMVs and meme edits, where the disconnect alert is now reused as a serious sounding shutdown and failure cue.