Some people on the internet clearly don’t know how to behave. What was supposed to be a weekend full of music and fun at the Machi Asobi vol. 31 festival in Tokushima city turned into a moment of total tension, after organizers received serious bomb and murder threats specifically targeting the live shows by the VTuber agency Hakonect and the virtual creator Tammy.

The alert came a day before the scheduled performances at Ryogoku Bridge West Park. Given the imminent danger and after consulting with local police, the organizing team decided to cancel the outdoor concerts and urgently move the performances to the indoor Awagin Hall. The measure affected not only the location but also the event schedules to allow for a heavy security operation, including baggage inspection, access restrictions, on-site patrols, and a ban on certain personal items.

The problem is that the decision came when the outdoor screens and stages were already fully set up. To make matters worse, the technical team warned that the indoor venue might not be fully compatible with the infrastructure prepared for the show. This particularly affects Tammy’s performance, a very complex show combining live singing, virtual expression, synchronized video, and animation sections adapted for the original outdoor stage, meaning last-minute cancellation is possible if the technology fails.

Tammy is the virtual character of the renowned voice actress Tamiyasu Tomoe, who debuted in the streaming world in December 2018. The talented seiyuu is widely loved in the animation industry for voicing iconic characters like Rin Natsume in the visual novel and anime Little Busters!, as well as Makina Irisu in the acclaimed Grisaia franchise. Meanwhile, Hakonect is a Japanese VTuber agency operating since June 2021 under Analog Inc., managing various generations of talents with a focus on original content and live events.

The Machi Asobi festival is one of Japan’s largest anime and gaming events, bringing together tens of thousands of attendees in Tokushima with over a hundred simultaneous activities.

What do you think about threats like these continuing to ruin VTuber and voice actor performances at public events?