Brazilian Rainbow Six Siege esports player Lucas Dias is in hot water following his now-deleted X post featuring a GIF of the Hiroshima bombing. The post was made after Dias’s Team Liquid lost to Cyclops Athlete Gaming (CAG) Osaka, a Japanese esports team, at a Rainbow Six Siege LAN event held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
In the deleted post, Dias talks about his team winning against FaZe Clan and ultimately losing to CAG Osaka. The controversial GIF features footage from a re-enactment of the Hiroshima bombing in a BBC documentary.
Following the deletion of the original post, Dias made two follow-up apology posts (one in English and another in Portuguese) stating his improper use of the GIF and how it was never his intention to offend anyone, especially Japanese Rainbow Six Siege fans living in Brazil and Japan. According to the post, he has also apologized directly to the members of CAG Osaka (all of whom are Japanese) and will reflect on his mistake so it won’t happen again.
Despite Dias’s posts, many Japanese people aren’t accepting his apology. Some are accusing Dias of intentionally using the GIF despite knowing its storied history, as he allegedly would have had to type the word “Hiroshima” for the GIF to appear in the search. Others want Dias removed from Team Liquid or for Honda to drop the team’s sponsorship, as they see it as the only ways to clear the team’s name. The story has also been picked up by Japanese news outlets.
Speaking of Honda, American Honda Motor Company, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer Honda Motor Co., Ltd., is a sponsor for Team Liquid. When asked about the issue, Honda’s public relations department said they “protested strongly to the team and players,” which prompted the deletion of the original post, the issuance of an apology, and Team Liquid taking measures to prevent future recurrences (source: J-CAST News). With the inclusion of a letter of apology received as a result of the protest, Honda isn’t planning to terminate Team Liquid’s sponsorship anytime soon.
