Girugamesh takes its name from girugämesh, a Japanese visual kei metal band formed in 2003. The shout became a meme after a Sakura-Con 2009 promotional video circulated online, where a fan's enthusiastic mention of the band stood out from the rest of the clip. The moment was clipped, reposted and turned into a standalone reaction sound on forums and video edits. Its appeal has lasted because the single word needs no explanation, sounding like an inside joke that viewers can drop into almost any fandom context.