Popular Japanese independent VTuber Mikeneko (みけねこ) held an unscheduled YouTube livestream on November 4, announcing that police had informed her of the arrest of Tamogami Nagi (太母神ナギ), against whom she had filed a criminal complaint. According to Mikeneko, the suspected offenses are defamation and obstruction of business by deception.
During the stream, Mikeneko explained that she had retained a lawyer in May 2025 to pursue criminal complaints and had spent more than ¥800,000, approximately NT$160,000, on the matter. On November 4, she finally received word from investigators that Nagi had been arrested on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business by deception, prompting her to share the development with viewers. She also firmly denied allegations that she had committed domestic violence, abused pets, or maliciously disparaged VTubers from other agencies, describing those claims as fabricated rumors. Mikeneko thanked the detectives who had worked on the investigation. After the stream, she posted a summary on X, again expressing her gratitude to police and to the fans who had continued to believe in and support her.
▼ Archive of Mikeneko’s November 4 livestream
▼ During the stream, Mikeneko showed posts she described as defamatory from “なんでも風刺Nagisama,” an account linked to Nagi
▼ Mikeneko’s X post after the livestream
Tamogami Nagi has long been controversial within VTuber communities. Critics have compared Nagi’s self-styled exposés to those of another contentious VTuber, Narukami Sabaki, accusing both of repeatedly spreading unfounded claims. Fans have linked Nagi to an alleged harassment campaign against Mikeneko dating back to 2024, involving rumors about her private life, manipulated photographs, multiple accounts used to sway public opinion, fabricated conversations, misleading edits, and attempts to connect unrelated VTuber activity to Mikeneko to portray her as bullying others in the industry. In 2025, fans also alleged that Nagi was behind an account using the name Nekomiya Runa (猫宮るな). That account used an avatar closely resembling the now-inactive Uruha Rushia and was accused of trying to pass itself off as Rushia’s performer, drawing both Mikeneko and a separate creator also named Nekomiya Runa into the controversy.
▼ The “Nekomiya Runa” account that fans have linked to Nagi, alongside reposts of allegations from Nagi’s main account
Beyond the alleged harassment of Mikeneko, fans have accused Nagi of targeting numerous agency-affiliated VTubers, including members of hololive and NIJISANJI. Those accusations include spreading false rumors, creating accounts that impersonate performers behind former VTuber identities, and using voice changers in streams to profit from the impersonation. Nagi reportedly even topped the anonymous voting site SukiKirai.com’s “most disliked VTubers” rankings earlier this year. The reported arrest has prompted hopes that it could disrupt what critics describe as a network of accounts spreading misinformation, while generating discussion across Japanese, Korean, and Western VTuber communities.
▼ Users reacting to Mikeneko’s announcement through quote posts
▼ A fan-compiled overview of accounts allegedly linked to Nagi and the tactics attributed to them
The announcement also prompted debate about why hololive and NIJISANJI, despite repeatedly pledging to protect their performers, had not announced a similar outcome involving Nagi. Some users accused the companies of doing nothing. Others speculated that Mikeneko’s appearances on camera, alongside her virtual avatar, and the alleged use of her photographs in the offending posts may have helped her pursue criminal action. That explanation remains unconfirmed: appearing on camera does not, by itself, determine whether criminal proceedings are available, and agency-affiliated VTubers are not limited to civil remedies. Nevertheless, many fans viewed the reported arrest as a significant development in efforts to address harassment within the VTuber community, and a reminder that people can be held accountable for what they say and do online.
▼ Some of the stronger reactions from Western and Japanese viewers
▼ A Japanese user discussing the distinction between civil and criminal proceedings
▼ Another user describing the development as a potential turning point
via： X@95rn16