Liu Kang is a long-running Mortal Kombat hero, a Shaolin monk known for his fire-based attacks and tournament victories, and Mortal Kombat 9, released in 2011, rebooted the series with a retelling of its first three games. His scream comes from that game's intense combat, where voice work was designed to sell every blow and special move. Clips from fighting games travel easily because they are short, recognisable and emotionally clear, and this scream has continued to circulate on soundboards and in edited gameplay videos as a shorthand for effort, pain and dramatic defeat.