The Story of Yaki Risu

Introduction to Vtubing and the Underlying Problem

• Vtubing: Popular content creation genre, especially boosted by Cover Corporation and Hololive Productions’ English expansion.
• Issue: A sea of anime avatars can allow bad actors to blend in inconspicuously.
• Subject: The horrifying case of Yaki Risu, a vtuber and cosplayer, exposed for manipulative and abusive behavior.

Rise and Fall of Yaki Risu

• Career: Gained popularity in 2019 through Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube.
• Network: Built connections with popular creators like Alpharad.
• Hiatus: Experienced a sudden halt in growth due to a pause in content creation.
• Return: Came back in 2022 as a PNGtuber and later debuted as a full vtuber.
• Downfall: Allegations surfaced in May 2023 leading to a massive backlash.

Key Allegations and Witnesses

Ultima Shadow X

• Friend/Editor: Lived with Yaki and faced financial and emotional abuse.
• Abuse Instances: Verbal abuse, financial exploitation, mistreatment of pets.
• Evidence: Screenshots of abusive messages, testimony of friends/supporters.

Deputy Aru

• Friend/Stream Peer: Manipulated by Yaki to turn against mutual friends.
• Exclusion: Isolated from social events and bullied during a LA trip.
• Confrontation: Yaki denied accusations but continued behavior.

Hazel

• Ex-Partner: Lived together and faced severe verbal and physical abuse.
• Financial Burden: Hazel shouldered almost all expenses while studying and working.
• Escape: Attempted suicide, then moved out due to abuse and neglect.

Rat Barf/Jake

• Former Friend: Experienced emotional bullying and public defamation after a breakup.
• Abusive Relationships: Witnessed abusive interactions between Yaki and her partners.

Modo

• Freelance Editor: Worked on a highlight video; faced unprofessional and abusive behavior.
• Underpayment: Grossly underpaid for extensive editing work.

Yaki's Response and Erosion

Yaki's Response

• Initial: Hasty response denying all allegations, tried shifting blame.
• Focus: Heavily criticized for being defensive and dismissive.
• Counter-Evidence: Failed to effectively refute claims, leading to further backlash.

Fidel and Ruby

• Fidel: Former friend, corroborated experiences of other victims; spoke out against Yaki.
• Ruby: Yaki’s partner, defended her but caused skepticism due to bias.

Other Testimonies and Manipulative Behaviors

Frosty Klondike

• Fan Supporter: Subscribed to Yaki’s Patreon, didn’t receive promised rewards.
• Moderator Role Issue: Demoted unfairly after paying to be a Discord and Twitch mod.

N Super Gamer Guy/Nathan

• Financial Supporter: Sent thousands of dollars to Yaki under false pretenses.
• Exploitation: Money misused, lied about financial need.

Shah/At Hima

• Artist with Checkered Past: Early mutual, faced public and private defamation by Yaki.
• Burner Accounts: Yaki used secret accounts to harass; excessive personal document documentation.

Conclusion and Repercussions

• Massive Backlash: Flood of Google Docs and public outrage leading to tarnished reputation.
• Alpharad Response: Disavowed collaboration with Yaki, effectively ending her career.
• Account Deactivation: Yaki deactivated her social media accounts, signaling her end in the vtubing community.

Lessons Learned

• Transparency: Importance of exposing truth in the content creation community.
• Accountability: Holding creators responsible for their actions to foster a safer environment.