The phrase comes from Nico Yazawa, a member of the idol group μ's in Love Live! School Idol Project, where she uses Nico Nico Nii as her trademark introduction, often striking a pose while saying it. Fans clipped the line from the anime and shared it across YouTube, TikTok and soundboards, turning it into shorthand for Nico herself and for cute confidence in general. It remains popular because the sound is immediately familiar even to viewers who have not watched the series, and because it fits short edits, reactions and meme compilations perfectly.