Origin

Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken) is a manga and anime series by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson that was popular in Japan during the mid-80s. It is notable for its violent death scenes, which usually involve people exploding, screaming in pain. One of the most memorable side villains, Mr. Heart, is known for screaming "Hidebu!" as he explodes.

Usage

In Japanese internet sites, Hidebu, and its variations Abeshi, Tawaba, and Uwaraba (also from Fist of the North Star), are used as comical expressions of pain or violent death, in a similar vein to "pwned." Though often connected to Fist of the North Star, it is not necessarily related.

The phrase is also a common feature in several Japanese blog posts. In one notable variety, the post includes several pictures of action figures fighting strung together with captions to create a narrative, with "Hidebu" and "Abeshi" as screams of pain. Some examples are listed below:
http://ameblo.jp/transform123/theme5-10008366741.html
http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/171018/blog/10184975/
http://haijinfestival.blog93.fc2.com/blog-entry-311.html
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tokusatunyannko/6454450.html