Osaka-based esports team Cyclops Athlete Gaming has fired yet another player. Yesterday, it cancelled the contract of Tekken player Tanukana after a history of abusive comments, the last being about men under a certain height. Today, following revelations about some really unpleasant tweets, it let go the organization’s Call of Duty manager, Kbaton.
The team made the announcement via Twitter, writing, “As of February 18, 2022, Cyclops Athlete Gaming has cancelled its team contract with Kbaton.” The same announcement was also posted on Cyclops Athlete Gaming’s official site.
No reason was given for the dismissal, and the team’s management and owners have yet to speak publicly about the decision, but it’s assumed it’s to do with some very nasty tweets the streamer has previously sent. Kotaku has reached out to Cyclops Athlete Gaming for comment and clarification, and will update this article should the team respond.
Website Hanayakana Life reports that Kbaton made a number of tweets with homophobic and ableist slurs on repeated occasions. In Japan, the types of ableist slurs he used have been directed at disabled children as well as people with mental disabilities. He also used the slur ホモ (homo), which, as Buzzfeed Japan previously reported, Fuji TV got called out for allowing on a Beat Takeshi comedy show back in 2017.
Screenshots of these tweets began circulating in the wake of the Tanukana’s comments, in which she said men under 170 cm don’t have human rights. The team was asked why Tanukana was let go and Kbaton wasn’t.
Following Tanukana’s initial height-comment controversy, which has since become national news in Japan, Kbaton tweeted, “I didn’t think this would turn out to be such a big deal. The internet is terrifying.” He added in a separate tweet, “The team I belong to, LOL.”
Kbaton has since deleted his Twitter account. His team profile on the official Cyclops Athlete Gaming site has also been removed.