A jaw-dropping post recently drew attention on Japan’s X platform. According to the poster, his mother discovered that he apparently had no friends at his current university and decided his constant gaming was to blame.
In a fit of anger, she dunked his ¥360,000 gaming PC and Nintendo Switch 2 in the bathtub. He believes his mother may have reacted so drastically because she was deeply worried about his social life. Fortunately, he had already backed up his computer, but whether either device can be restored to working order remains unknown. The incident left many online stunned that a mother-son conflict could escalate this far.
The poster explained on X that his mother appeared to realize he had no friends at university. She then angrily shouted, “It’s because all you ever do is play games!” before placing his ¥360,000 gaming PC and Nintendo Switch 2 in the bathtub.
Faced with the sudden outburst, he said his mother continued screaming and criticizing his social skills, leaving him to admit, “I seriously want to cry.”
The poster later added that the PC and Switch 2 had been submerged for at least 50 minutes. Since neither device is waterproof, he believes they are likely damaged and did not attempt to turn them on.
However, he had fully backed up his computer to an external hard drive in August. He also appears to subscribe to a paid Windows cloud service costing around ¥2,000 per month. Even if the PC cannot be repaired, there is still a chance that his important data has survived.
As for the hardware, commenters advised him not to power on the PC if it had remained off, but instead to wait until its internal components were completely dry before assessing whether it might still work.
Others warned that water-damaged electronics can develop short circuits or corroded components, meaning that simply leaving them to dry does not guarantee a successful recovery. They recommended taking the devices to an experienced repair technician rather than powering them on and potentially causing further damage.
The poster also clarified that when he said he had “no friends,” he meant he had no friends at his current university—not that he had no social circle at all. He still has friends from middle school and high school, as well as people he met at a university he previously attended.
He also revealed that he has a girlfriend but has not told his parents, which was why he had said he had no friends at the time. He believes his mother may simply have been so worried about his social life that she reacted in such an extreme way.
The incident quickly attracted widespread attention, with many commenters stunned by what had happened to him.
After learning that his gaming equipment had been destroyed, some users said the situation was serious enough for him to consider legal action. The poster responded that his annual university tuition is an eye-watering ¥6 million and is paid by his grandparents, making it difficult for him to openly express his frustration with his family. He also said that his home is a considerable distance from the university and that he is now considering moving out and living alone.
Beyond the possibility that both devices are beyond repair, there is another troubling reality: even replacing the PC and Switch 2 would not guarantee that the same thing would not happen again. For now, the poster says he has no choice but to live without either device. Following advice from commenters, he plans to clean up the PC, leave it untouched for a month, and then see whether it can be salvaged.
The incident left many online in disbelief. What began as a mother worrying about her son’s social life at university ultimately turned into hundreds of thousands of yen worth of electronics being submerged in a bathtub. Whether the conflict between the poster and his mother can be resolved—and whether the PC can still be repaired—remains to be seen.