VTuber Fandom in Crisis Mode After Discovery Fictional Tuber Rushia May Not Be Single
Some fans of the Hololive VTuber Rushia are in a purportedly violent state after coming to suspect that the fictional 3D anime streamer might have a boyfriend.
During a February stream recently, YouTuber and singer mafumafu messaged Rushia on stream stating he was "heading home, roommate-chan." This led fans to jump to the conclusion that Rushia and mafumafu were romantically involved, and the conclusion resulted in some viewers harassing both Rushia and mafumafu online.
The rumor led to some extreme reactions, as some of her followers posted about how incredibly hurt they were at the thought the real person behind Rushia might have a relationship with another human being. Some users suggested violence and doxxing, though it's unclear if they meant their tweets in jest or not.
Following the drama and harassment, mamafufu denied the allegations in a tweet, saying the pair were just friends and did not live together.
In a deleted post, Rushia is reported to have said, "I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I have trouble walking, there are so many terrible falsehoods that I want to die right now." She later posted again, saying, "I’m sorry I couldn’t send out a message sooner… I’m so sorry for causing you all so much worry and trouble. Once I’ve calmed down physically and mentally, I’ll send out a proper message. Sorry."
Cover Corp, the company managing Rushia, wrote in a statement, "We, as Cover, do not interfere with our talents' private lives." It also stated it will take action against "slander and defamation" that has been directed towards Rushia, stating that she and other Hololive talents "have suffered harsh emotional stress."
"There has been an outburst of misleading information to third parties, as well as a leakage of information including those of fellow business correspondents," the company wrote. "[We ask the public to] refrain from further misinformation and harassment."