The Rape Horse meme originated from a panel in Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy manga series, Berserk, specifically in the 'Conviction' arc. In the scene, a horse becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit, resulting in a terrifyingly human-like and predatory facial expression. The image first gained notoriety on imageboards like 4chan and other anime forums in the mid-2000s, where it was used as a shock image or a reaction to something creepy or lecherous. Despite its controversial name, the meme is primarily used in internet subcultures to represent a sudden, unsettling realization or to parody the extreme darkness and shock value of the source material.