Originating from the 1994 fighting game Killer Instinct, the term 'Combo Breaker' was shouted by the announcer whenever a player successfully performed a move that interrupted their opponent's string of attacks. In the early 2000s, the phrase transitioned into internet culture, specifically on forums like 4chan, where it was used to disrupt 'vertical' threads or 'C-P-S' chains. When users would attempt to spell out a word or post a series of identical images, an outsider would post the 'C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!' graphic to ruin the sequence. Today, it remains a legendary symbol of disruption, used whenever a predictable pattern or repetitive social media behavior is intentionally cut short.