- Professional “Tekken” player Kana “Tanukana” Tani reportedly said in a Feb. 15 livestream that “men who are under 170 centimeters (approximately 5 feet 7 inches) don’t have human rights.” She added that those who fall under in height should consider bone-lengthening surgery.
- The statement was met with severe backlash in Japan and resulted in the termination of her contract with her company, Cyclops Athletic Gaming, just two days after the incident.
- This was not the first time Tanukana had made controversial remarks. She reportedly told another person during a different livestream to go “kill themselves” and that they were “the trashiest trash of society.”
- Tanukana released a statement in which she “deeply” apologized for “the pain and trouble” she may have caused and expressed her “regret” for “betraying” her fans.
Kana “Tanukana” Tani, one of the most prominent female figures in esports fighting, had her contract with Cyclops Athletic Gaming terminated after she made controversial remarks.
In an esports world dominated by male players, Tanukana stands out with her impressive records and placings on “Tekken.” On Thursday, however, her livestream comments where she stated short men under 5 feet 7 inches did not have “human rights,” adding that those who fall under in height should consider bone-lengthening surgery.
This resulted in her firing from Japanese esports company Cyclops Athletic Gaming, whose main sponsors are Red Bull and Alienware.
Tanukana is not new to controversy. In 2020, she reportedly told someone watching her stream to “kill themselves” and that they were “the trashiest trash of society,” according to Kotaku.
As Kotaku points out, the Japanese word for “human rights,” or “jinken” (人権), can take on a different meaning in the gaming world. There is discussion as to whether the gamer meant something altogether different in her livestream.
Since the incident, Tanukana gave a series of apologies, but many criticized her for a perceived lack of sincerity. In an archived tweet, she stated that she had merely “poorly expressed her love of tall people” in response to the criticism surrounding her comments about short men and human rights.
Cyclops Athletic Gaming released a statement saying that it had “decided to cut ties with Miss Tanukana,” as the company “does not believe in discrimination or insults.” Tanukana published several apologies expressing her regret over Twitter afterward. Since then, the stream recordings have been deleted.
プロeスポーツ選手として、また社会人としてあるまじき発言をしたことについて深く反省し、皆様を裏切ってしまったことについて、深くお詫び申し上げます。
— たぬかな (@kana_xiao) February 16, 2022
The average height of a man in Japan is 5 feet 7 inches, according to a 2018 study.
Featured Image via SpaghettiRip
Support our Journalism with a Contribution
Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.
Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.
However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.
We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community.
Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for everyone’s support. We love you all and can’t appreciate you guys enough.
