Tsubame Gaeshi comes from the legend of Japanese swordsman Sasaki Kojiro, who was said to have developed a technique fast enough to cut a swallow out of the air. The move entered modern anime culture through Fate/stay night, where Kojiro appears as Assassin and performs it as a near-unavoidable triple slash. Clips of the attack have since circulated among Fate fans and anime editors, who reuse the sound to signal speed, skill and a fight that is already decided before the opponent can react.