Shenmue was released by Sega for the Dreamcast in 1999, following teenager Ryo Hazuki in 1980s Yokosuka after the murder of his father. Early in the story Ryo visits bars in Dobuita looking for sailors who might know about a black car seen that day, so he asks the same question to many characters. Because players heard the line repeatedly, the sailors search became one of the game's most quoted running jokes and later spread in gaming videos and remixes as shorthand for Ryo's single-minded investigation.