Mortal Kombat began as an arcade fighting game released by Midway in 1992 and quickly stood out for its digitised fighters, martial arts combat and graphic Fatality finishing moves. Clips and effects from the series moved from arcades to consoles, forums and early video sites, then into modern meme edits and short form video. Its aggressive sound design and dramatic pacing became a shorthand for an over the top fight, so creators still borrow the audio whenever a scene needs instant combat energy.