On July 17, 2022, the streamer Arab posted a clip from TwitchCon, where a cosplayer reported that an employee had broken her sword. The clip quickly went viral, but many discovered inconsistencies in the story. Now the affected person has spoken out.
The background of the story:
- Arab reported to his followers live from TwitchCon EU when he recognized the German streamer Nikachu, with whom he had spoken the day before
- When asked why she wasn’t in costume this time, she said, an employee had broken her sword.
- The clip went viral, but alongside sympathy, doubts about the authenticity of the story also arose
- Now Nikachu published a statement on her Instagram and Twitch channels to clarify a few things
Nikachu enjoys streaming the game The Witcher 3 and had dressed up as one of the characters, Ciri. In Poland, one could even be trained as a Witcher.
Discussions about the truthfulness
Why would someone do something like this? Anyone who has dealt with cosplay knows how much work and heart go into such a costume. Accordingly, many were shocked by the seemingly deliberate destruction.
But doubts about the story quickly arose. The cosplayer’s calm reaction was not believable, and there was no trace of the mentioned anger and sadness in the video.
Moreover, some found it hard to believe that an employee would destroy a guest’s property without reason and thereby risk their job. After all, Arab himself had expressed during the stream that those responsible should be fired.
When users also pointed out apparent contradictions in the cosplayer’s statements, doubts increased, prompting the affected person to clarify.
This is how the streamer reacts
In response to the viral clip, Nikachu started a stream on July 18, 2022, where viewers were to learn the whole story. This was later supplemented by a post on Instagram.
This is Nikachu’s version of the incident
What kind of sword is that? The sword is actually just a wooden sword sheath. Attached to it was a sword handle made from a 3D printer. Thus, Nikachu was able to bypass the weapon ban at TwitchCon for her Ciri cosplay.
This sword was approved and inspected by security at the entrance. The employees also tested it. So the handle couldn’t have come off that easily.
How was it broken? When the streamer wanted to fill her water bottle in the toilet, another part of the costume caused her problems: The sensors of the faucets did not respond due to her leather gloves.
She then set the sword down to ask another woman for help. Meanwhile, two cleaning staff also entered the washroom, but she did not pay them any further attention.
When she glanced in the mirror while filling her bottle, she saw the employees handling her sword. She then shouted to them that it was her sword and to stop.
Nikachu is not yet among the most successful streamers, but those who are can be seen in our video:
Although the employees quickly left the room, it was already too late. The cosplayer found her sword in two pieces and could not catch up with the culprits due to her costume.
She immediately informed security afterward. The relevant employees were identified, but they only half-heartedly apologized and claimed that the sword had already been broken.
She just wanted to vent her feelings
The streamer reacts emotionally: This made her angry and disappointed, as she had hoped for an apology and an admission of guilt. In the stream, she also mentioned that she hopes the responsible employee will keep his hands off other people’s things in the future.
When she was recognized by Arab the next day and approached again, she had no idea how many people would see the stream. She watched the video on the way home on the train and could hardly believe it. (via Twitch)
Just a misunderstanding?
What is controversial? One of the most common criticisms of Nikachu’s initial depiction was the term “staff member” she used. This simply means “Mitarbeiter” in German, but suggested to many that it was directly an employee of Twitch.
However, it was supposed to be just a misunderstanding. The streamer says she simply does not speak English well and was also quite nervous.
However, during the conversation with Arab, the impression also arose that the sword was deliberately destroyed. When asked whether it was an accident, she replied, “No – I said ‘Stop, that’s not yours!’ and then […]” and imitated the motion with which the sword was broken.
Whether this explanation is enough to assuage the growing skepticism of viewers will remain to be seen.
What do you think of the whole story? Who do you believe? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO.
Outside of TwitchCon, the streaming service is currently facing some issues. More and more content creators are switching to the competition from YouTube Gaming.
