This individual has faced a high level of criticism from detractors due to the controversial remarks mentioned later. The Japanese version of this article was created shortly after the revelation of these controversial statements, raising the possibility of malicious postings. To prevent unnecessary editing conflicts and maintain a neutral article, please refrain from making posts that include defamation or slander.
| Real Name | Kana Tani |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | November 21, 1992 |
| Place of Birth | Takamatsu, Tokushima, Japan |
| Height | 150cm |
| Affiliation | CYCLOPS athlete gaming・Team GRAPHT→Freelance |
| Education | Graduated from Tokushima High School of Science and Technology |
She grew up in a family of five, including her parents, an older sister who is 2 years older, and a younger brother who is 2 years younger. Originally, she had a fondness for games, observing her father playing games like "Biohazard" (Resident Evil) and playing Super Famicom software herself. However, it was during high school that she got into the "Tekken" series after going to a game center with classmates. At that time, there were few female players, and she became a topic of discussion on some bulletin boards because she played with two female friends while still in their school uniforms.
After graduating from high school, she initially worked as a general company employee in architecture. However, the company went bankrupt after about a year, leading her to work part-time before transitioning to a job in the apparel industry. Even after starting her professional career, she continued to participate in competitions, with her apparel company supporting her activities, allowing her to join tournaments on weekends and participate in matches outside of Tokushima Prefecture.
In November 2016, she applied for and successfully joined the e-sports team CYCLOPS athlete gaming. Initially intending to continue part-time, the team's operating company suggested she become a full-time professional gamer, offering a monthly salary. She accepted the offer, resigning from her job to become an independent professional gamer. She became the second female professional gamer in Japan, following ChocoBlanka.
She moved to Osaka and began her full-fledged career as a professional gamer. In March 2017, she also joined Team GRAPHT (contract ended in March 2020). Starting from 2018, Red Bull became one of her sponsors. In addition to participating in tournaments, she actively appeared on television shows and events, contributing to media exposure. She also focused on online streaming activities to promote e-sports. In 2019, she relocated to the Kanto region.
Around 2020, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a drastic reduction in tournaments, she shifted her focus towards streaming activities on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Mildom.
In February 2022, she faced contract termination from CYCLOPS athlete gaming and Red Bull due to an incident, as mentioned later. Subsequently, her video posts on streaming platforms were also deleted. Following a hiatus from all activities, she made a comeback in January 2023 by resuming live streaming.
On February 15, 2022, during a live stream on Mildom, she mentioned an incident where she used UberEats at her home. According to her, a male delivery driver asked for her contact information, leaving her feeling perplexed and fearful since he also knew her address. She expressed her lack of interest in him due to his height of around 165cm and made comments like, "165cm is short. It's not acceptable. Honestly, there are no human rights below 170. If you're under 170, live thinking, 'I don't have human rights.' Consider leg-lengthening surgery. Look it up, please. If you're 170, human rights will be properly born." When a viewer pointed out the inappropriate nature of her comments, she responded with, "Seriously, there's no human right for a really short guy like you. Don't get ahead of yourself."
In her stream, she also made remarks about women, saying, "A-cup has no human rights." It's worth noting that she has demonstrated confidence in her own physique by streaming in tank tops and sharing swimsuit photos on Twitter.
Originally, among gamers, the term "human rights" is metaphorically used to refer to fundamental rights that everyone is born with, comparing them to powerful in-game items, characters, or equipment. However, in this context, it seems she used the term more in line with the gamer terminology, expressing her personal disinterest in men under 170cm.
Nevertheless, using the term "human rights" in this manner is inappropriate, and as a prominent professional gamer and streamer, her behavior was criticized for lacking a sense of responsibility both professionally and as a member of society.
On the same day, she posted an apology on Twitter, acknowledging that her comments were perceived as hate speech and expressing regret for causing discomfort. However, her apology seemed insincere, and the situation escalated further.
Prior to this incident, she had made remarks encouraging suicide towards anti-fans during a stream, as well as insulting comments towards unemployed or low-income individuals. Additionally, there were instances where her photos were used on aggregation sites in a way that could lead to misunderstandings, causing annoyance to other female players, including Yuuyuu, known for using Xiaoyu, who sent a message expressing her frustration.
On February 16, CYCLOPS athlete gaming announced that her statements lacked awareness and responsibility as a professional player and that they were considering disciplinary action. She also posted an official apology on Twitter. On February 17, CYCLOPS declared that inappropriate statements and attitudes during streams were unacceptable, leading to the termination of her contract. Although Red Bull did not make an official announcement, her page was removed from their site.
Amidst this controversy, Kbaton, the manager for CYCLOPS, was also subject to contract termination on February 18 due to past discriminatory remarks and insulting behavior on Twitter.
Notably, Tanukana had previously incorporated provocative behavior in her online presence, even mentioning that she would be fired around 80 times for controversial statements. Umebura, also known as Umehara, joked about forming the "Five Gods of Game Haters," where Tanukana was humorously crowned as the "sole god with a bad mouth" a day before her problematic stream. Some argue that CYCLOPS' handling of her past behaviors might also be a factor in the current situation.