Recently, a Japanese cosplayer known as Chizu (@ChizuCheese8) found herself under scrutiny from online communities following a controversial incident involving streamer Darren “IShowSpeed.”This situation garnered attention after an incident during IShowSpeed’s live stream in Chengdu on March 31, 2025, where an individual referred to as a “stream sniper”made deeply inappropriate remarks, including describing herself as a “n***r killer.”
The individual involved seemed to be cosplaying a character from the popular role-playing game Blue Archive, leading some viewers to mistakenly associate her with Chizu. In light of these accusations, Chizu released a statement to clarify the misunderstanding and emphasize her innocence in the matter:
“I have never met IShowSpeed, and I’ve never been to China. I’m a Japanese cosplayer living in Japan. I do not know who the person in the stream is and we do not look similar at all.”
IShowSpeed’s Stream Incident: What Transpired in Chengdu?
IShowSpeed has been actively engaging with fans during his IRL tour across China, which included streams in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. The Chengdu stream on March 31 took an unexpected turn when he encountered a stream sniper who made blatant racist comments.
At roughly the 2-hour and 50-minute mark of his broadcast, the female stream sniper approached and stated:
“I am racist. I am a n****r killer, I’m so sorry about that. I love your girlfriend because your girlfriend is white people. I love her.”
IShowSpeed’s reaction was one of disbelief as he grappled with the shocking statement:
“What? Wait, I don’t think you understand what you are saying. Do you speak English? (She replied, ‘Yes, I am racist.’) What? What the f**k? Bro, hell no, what the f**k? What is she saying? What!”
Despite the blatant inappropriateness of the comments, some internet users pointed out that the stream sniper was cosplaying as a character from Blue Archive, specifically Saiba Momoi, who is known to use racially charged language in the game. This sparked discussions on platforms like r/LivestreamFail, with users sharing their thoughts on the situation:
Comment by u/KaleidoscopeLeft3503 from discussion in LivestreamFail
While most viewers remained captivated by the entertainment aspect of IShowSpeed’s tour, some broadcasts were marred by instances of racism from the local audience. During the same Chengdu stream, a fan handed him a banana while others made monkey noises, highlighting a disturbing trend where racist gestures have appeared in other streams as well.
IShowSpeed’s vlogs and interactions with fans have been overshadowed by these negative incidents, bringing to light the need for greater awareness and sensitivity in online and streaming communities.