Man Who Went Into Debt for Super Chats Reveals His Emotional Struggles

On March 11, a tragic incident occurred on the streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo, where a female live streamer was fatally stabbed while broadcasting. The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, claimed that he had lent the victim 2.5 million yen and that it was because there was no prospect of repayment. In response to this incident, the live streaming industry has been raising awareness about ensuring the safety of streamers, such as taking care not to show backgrounds that could reveal their locations.

Whether called YouTubers, streamers, or live streamers, these individuals primarily earn income through advertising revenue, corporate work, subscription fees, and tips. Among these, the tipping culture has been a source of concern. Tipping allows viewers to send money directly to the streamer during broadcasts, sometimes in the form of purchasing items.

For viewers, receiving a reaction from the streamer through a tip is often a moment of bliss. However, this can escalate, and tipping has frequently been a topic of debate. What is the psychology behind people who tip large sums, even going into debt to do so? I spoke with a man, S, who once accumulated over 2 million yen in debt through tipping.

It filled the loneliness of not being able to see people

S said he does not regret the tipping he has done. Now 29 years old, despite having lost his savings and accumulating debt over three and a half years of oshi activity, he stands by his actions.

“In 2021, due to COVID, my work became remote, and I spent a lot of time staying in my room and watching YouTube. That’s when I came across streamers. Some of them streamed for over 12 hours, so I started listening to them like a radio station while working or eating. Their talks were interesting, so I became more and more immersed in the streaming world, and it became the center of my life. I think it helped fill the loneliness of not being able to meet people at that time.” (S, hereafter the same)

After exploring many streamers, he eventually found a female streamer named T. She was affiliated with a live streaming agency and streamed as her job. Her main activity was chatting streams, where viewers could comment, and she would talk about them in a casual conversation.

“There were many other viewers besides me, so it was rare for a comment to be read. However, I still remember her picking up a random comment of mine and saying, ‘That’s funny.’ I realized that by using the Super Chat feature, which is a way to tip to make comments stand out, my comments were more likely to be read.

At first, I started with 500 yen, then 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen and the amount kept increasing. I even started tipping 1,000 yen just when she sneezed, saying, ‘Your sneeze saved me.'”

 

He borrowed 200,000 yen to send a special Super Chat

T’s streaming frequency was five days a week. S would spend over 5,000 yen daily on Super Chats, totaling around 150,000 yen per month. Reflecting on that time, S said, “I wanted attention from T, whom I was supporting.” He also felt that, among the viewers, he was in a higher position compared to those who were just watching for free. The 3 million yen in savings S had accumulated since he started working as a new graduate was drained in about 1 year and 9 months, and by the end of 2022, he had to borrow money from a consumer finance company.

“There was an anniversary stream, and I wanted to send a large Super Chat, but I didn’t have any savings. At first, I was hesitant about borrowing money, but since I thought I could pay back 200,000 yen in one lump sum with my bonus, I called the consumer finance company and decided to borrow the money. It was the anniversary of my oshi, and it was a chance to call myself a long-time fan. I wanted to stand out from other fans by throwing a large sum, and I really needed the money.”

“If I didn’t have money, I thought I could just borrow it,” and his debt kept increasing. By the end of 2023, the total amount of debt exceeded 2 million yen. He still struggles with repayment and continues to borrow and repay. There was a time when he could only pay the interest.

S, who still supports the same streamer, says, “Now, I support the whole agency’s streamers rather than just T herself, as I’m now a box fan.”

The reason he stopped sending large Super Chats

“I used to borrow nearly 2 million yen from three companies, but I’ve repaid one, and the remaining debt is about 1.2 million yen. I’m still happy that my favorite is working hard, and I feel a sense of accomplishment for supporting the same person for three years. To me, they feel like close friends.

However, when I saw a streamer from the same agency retire, I decided to stop sending large Super Chats. I realized that no matter how much money I spent, it wouldn’t leave me with anything. It would be sad if my favorite retired and I was left with nothing. While my passion for supporting them hasn’t cooled, the intensity is no longer the same as before.”

There’s another reason I stopped sending large Super Chats.

“More and more streamers have become money-driven. They’re only focused on getting money from viewers and beg them with statements like, ‘I can’t do what I want to do unless I get donations.’ When viewers stop donating, they complain during their streams to try to gain sympathy. Watching such streamers made me lose interest.

With remote work ending and my environment changing, I now only watch streams during dinner time after work. Moving forward, I’ll continue supporting streamers’ activities while paying off my debts.

Supporting someone’s activities is a wonderful thing, but cases like mine, where I realized there’s nothing left afterward, can happen. It’s questionable to go into debt just to support someone. While it’s a personal issue, excessive tipping is likely to create new problems in the future.”

 

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