Sonya Blade debuted in the original Mortal Kombat in 1992 as a Special Forces soldier and became one of the series' most recognisable fighters. Fatalities, the games' graphic finishing moves, have defined the franchise since that first release. Mortal Kombat 1, the 2023 reboot from NetherRealm Studios, reintroduced classic fighters in new roles, with Sonya appearing as a Kameo fighter who can be called in during matches. Short clips of her fire fatality effect spread through gaming soundboards and edit communities because the blast is instant, unmistakable and easy to reuse out of context.