Person arrested for harassing Nijisanji VTuber and sending threats to ANYCOLOR 

Japanese entertainment start-up ANYCOLOR, known for its Nijisanji VTuber agency, has announced that an individual was arrested on December 3 for obstruction of business. The suspect in question is alleged to have posted numerous messages threatening ANYCOLOR and one of their affiliated VTubers, as reported by ITMedia. 

According the official statement from ANYCOLOR, the suspect had repeatedly submitted threatening messages on anonymous internet message boards and through ANYCOLOR’s inquiry form. ANYCOLOR explains that in these messages, the suspect expressed a personal grudge against one of their affiliated VTubers , threatening to harm both the VTuber and ANYCOLOR. Upon learning of these incidents, ANYCOLOR contacted the police and relevant authorities, filing both civil and criminal complaints against the suspect. 

In their statement, the company declared that “We are taking resolute action towards pursuing legal accountability from the suspect, while creating an environment in which all of our fans can safely enjoy ANYCOLOR’s content.” ANYCOLOR thanked the users who had contacted them to provide information related to the case through the report form. However, they strongly urge people to refrain from contacting livestreamers about this incident (including on social media and in YouTube comments). They also firmly discourage the spreading of rumors about the case and the identity of its victim. 

Online harassment of VTubers continues to be a significant issue. Back in May 2024, ANYCOLOR and numerous other VTuber/influencer-related companies in Japan formed a subcommittee to tackle cyberbullying. However, VTubers, unlike regular influencers and content creators, face an extra hurdle when attempting to take their harassers to court. In defamation cases, VTuber’s avatars can be perceived as fictional characters, which means that the defense can argue that malicious comments and threats are directed towards the avatar and not the real person behind it (More about that here). 

In their October 31 report on the first meeting of their anti-cyberbullying subcommittee, ANYCOLOR reiterated that they will use a variety of legal approaches to identify and pursue legal accountability against individuals who slander, harass and threaten VTubers. In the current case, they seem to be taking legal action on the grounds of “obstruction of business.”