A Canadian Yu-Gi-Oh player says he was “discriminated” against after trying to attend a tournament in Japan.
Yu-Gi-Oh remains one of the most popular trading card games in the world, so YouTuber ‘Squiddy’ figured he’d have no problem participating in a Japanese event – only to be told otherwise.
In a post spreading throughout X, the player claimed that he was told by event staff that he couldn’t play because he couldn’t speak the language, even after buying cards and spending an hour to get there by train.
Photos documenting his struggles show a staff member using Google translate on a phone. A screenshot of the translated text reads: “Only Japanese people are allowed in. Foreigners will cause trouble to other customers and staff.”
if you're planning to go to japan to play yugioh i'll tell you right now that isn't going to happen. they straight up told me i wasn't allowed to play locals because i don't speak japanese. after i bought ocg cards so i could play & spent an hour to get there on the train (1/2) pic.twitter.com/lbz28jZhNn
— Squiddy (@Squiddytastic) June 8, 2024
According to Squiddy, following this, he went to another store and began to inquire about tournaments. After the staff chatted to themselves, they claimed they don’t host competitions, despite there being a whole floor with tables and people playing Yu-Gi-Oh.
“Now imagine if a Japanese player came to America and went to locals, we tell them, ‘No you can’t play because you don’t speak English.’ That sh*t would not fly,” he frustratedly remarked. “It’s straight-up discrimination.”
The player did, however, add that there were nice players in the community and that he was able to play some casual games with them, but the fact he wasn’t allowed in tournaments sparked a heated discussion online.
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then i go to a second store and ask about tournaments on google translate, they chat among themselves before telling me they don't have yugioh tournaments. despite having an entire floor selling yugioh cards and tables with people literally playing yugioh 🤦🏻 (2/3) pic.twitter.com/lxjXFGtB4j
— Squiddy (@Squiddytastic) June 8, 2024
“Thank Johnny Somali and all the nuisance YouTubers,” one said, referring to the controversial Kick streamer. “The yen is extremely cheap right now, so foreigners are flocking to Japan trashing places, harassing locals and causing problems. Perception of foreigners are at an all-time low right now.”
Johnny Somali certainly caused a lot of trouble during his trip to Japan, where he ended up being criminally charged for streaming loudly in a restaurant. His drama even resulted in Cabinet Secretary Matsuno urging streamers to refrain from “invading privacy and causing nuisance.”
“To be fair, it makes sense. It just makes things far more complicated if you need to be translating everything to your opponent. If you could read and speak Japanese, you might have been able to get a pass in this case,” another chimed in.
Others shared their own tournament experiences and how they were allowed to compete without any issues.
“I’ve participated in several local tournaments in Tokyo, I have a Japanese Konami ID, never had any issues. And I’m as foreigner-looking as I can be,” wrote TokyoRobb.
This isn’t the only weird incident to happen at a Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh tournament and go viral on X. Earlier in 2024, a female player made waves after quitting because her opponents smelled bad.