The meme originates from a poignant yet visually jarring panel in the manga series Baki-Dou, following the character Retsu Kaioh's fatal duel with the prehistoric man, Pickle. While the source material depicts a somber farewell to a legendary martial artist, the internet repurposed the image of his severed head resting on a hospital pillow as a symbol of absurd resilience or absolute devastation. It is typically used to represent a person, project, or idea that has been completely destroyed or 'killed off' but is still technically present or being discussed. The meme's popularity thrives on the juxtaposition of the high-stakes drama inherent to the Baki universe and the surreal, almost comedic nature of the specific medical imagery.