Twitch streamer attacked by Tokyo man as Japan grows frustrated with influencers

A Russian Twitch streamer was confronted by an angry Japanese local after filming the man during her trip through the country in an incident that’s going viral.

Japan is becoming an increasingly popular travel destination for content creators as more and more influencers flock to the country to film themselves shopping, clubbing, and seeing the sights.

However, several high-profile broadcasters have come under fire due to their behavior during their travels there. For example, popular Twitch streamer Mizkif faced backlash after doing pull-ups on the branch of a Sakura cherry blossom tree — a culturally important flora in Japan.

Now, another creator is stirring up debate after filming a bystander while walking in Japan… and he wasn’t too happy about being recorded.

Russian Twitch streamer assaulted after filming man in Tokyo broadcast

In April 2025, Russian Twitch streamer ‘Gilticus’ was broadcasting her walk through Tokyo when she came upon a parking garage, where an older man was standing outside.

The man, noticing she was filming, crossed his arms together in an ‘x’ and approached her, asking what she was doing and saying he’d call the police.

He continued to aggressively walk toward the streamer, forcing her out onto the sidewalk.. After attempting to flee the situation, the man grabbed her bag, resulting in a scuffle that moved them out into traffic.

Luckily, a pair of bystanders saw the confrontation and swooped in to mediate, with one noticing that the man had damaged her bag. After scolding him, the group phoned the police, who asked that the two apologize to each other and urged the streamer to move on.

Japan’s laws regarding filming and photographing in public are markedly different than Western countries; while filming in public is generally considered legally safe, publishing someone’s image without consent could violate portrait and privacy rights.

This is just the latest viral incident to happen to an influencer in Japan after notorious nuisance streamer Johnny Somali was jailed and fined for his antics in the country. A number of similar instances have also taken place across Asia, with Twitch streamer Vitaly facing years behind bars for harassing locals in the Philippines.