Japanese pro Tekken player fired for saying short men “don’t have human rights”

Japanese pro Tekken player Tanukana has been fired from Osaka-based esports team Cyclops Athlete Gaming for saying something extremely offensive about short men on a recent livestream.

According to Kotaku, 29-year-old Tanukana, which is an anagram of her real name Kana Tani, said in a February 15 livestream on Japanese streaming site Mildom, “Men who are under 170 cm (5 feet 6.9 inches) don’t have human rights.” She even went as far as to add that they should undergo a bone-lengthening surgery, even though the average height for men in Japan is 170.8 cm (5 feet 7.2 inches, according to Healthline).

Her remarks sparked a debate online in Japan over whether Tanukana used the slang term jinken (人権) to offend men of short stature. Jinken does actually translate to “human rights” from Japanese. However, in gaming terms, jinken refers to an item or character that players need to have in an online game.

Tanukana wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “It was pointed out to me that my stream contained hate speech,” explaining that it wasn’t her intention, but her efforts in clearing the air fell short when she expressed her love for tall people. She issued an apology in a Twitter thread saying, “I take it seriously that my remarks during the delivery are unacceptable and that my lack of awareness has led to it. There is no excuse for disappointing you in this matter. As a professional esports player and as a member of society, I deeply regret and apologize for betraying you.”

Cyclops Athlete Gaming also issued an apology saying in part, “We’ve confirmed that on February 15, Tanukana, who is a member of Cyclops Athlete Gaming, made an improper remark on a stream. Regarding this matter, we would like to offer a deep apology to fans, sponsors, and everyone else who supports us.” The team later announced it had terminated her contract.

Meanwhile, Red Bull and Alienware revoked their sponsorships for Tanukana and had their names scrubbed from her Cyclops page. All other sponsors withdrew their sponsorships as well to avoid further controversy.