The Puella Magi Madoka Magica meme subculture stems from the anime's dark subversion of the traditional magical girl genre. Early 2011 discussions on 4chan birthed the 'Meduka Meguca' MS Paint style parodies, emphasizing the tragic and surreal nature of the show. Central to these memes is Kyubey, whose emotionless requests for 'contracts' became a symbol for predatory deals or inevitable doom. Other popular tropes include 'Mami-ing' and the catchphrase 'being meguca is suffering,' which fans use to describe the emotional weight and unexpected plot twists of the series.