The 'Mario and Luigi Kissing' meme belongs to the 'cursed image' subculture, featuring various fan-made and 3D-rendered illustrations of the iconic Nintendo brothers in an absurdly romantic embrace. While it originated in niche fan-art circles and shock-humor forums, it exploded in popularity as a surrealist reaction image on Twitter and TikTok. Users typically employ this template to satirize extreme bromances, intense gaming partnerships, or simply to elicit a shock response through the subversion of wholesome childhood characters. Its enduring popularity stems from the pure absurdity of seeing two of the most recognizable video game protagonists in such an unexpected and dramatic scenario.