The Sudden End of “Rental Scary Person” — Specialists Highlight Hidden Legal Pitfalls

Ambassadors: OniKoe Tomahawk

At the end of August, a service called “Rental Scary Person”, which suddenly appeared on social media and drew attention, announced on August 31 that it was shutting down.

On its website, the phrase “We lend out scary people” was displayed. Although their photos were blurred, the staff list showed intimidating-looking men covered with tattoos from shoulder to arm. One might wonder what the point of renting a scary person would be, but the service description stated:

“Please use us for resolving bullying or interpersonal troubles. Even if it’s not a conflict, we can respond to requests such as ‘I just want someone to stay by my side.’”

It claimed to handle cases such as workplace or child bullying, neighborhood disputes like noise problems, relationship troubles like affairs or cheating, and financial disputes.

The notes clarified:

“Our service and staff have no ties whatsoever to antisocial groups. If we determine that the service is being used for illegal acts such as threats, we will terminate service.”

They thus emphasized legitimate operation.

Rates were listed as 20,000 yen for 30 minutes, 50,000 yen for three hours, plus actual transportation expenses, and available nationwide. Since they said most cases are resolved within 30 minutes, they must have had some track record.

Indeed, for civil disputes where the police cannot intervene, simply having a scary person nearby might be enough to quickly resolve matters.

They were also recruiting staff via X (now closed), posting:

“We’re looking for people who want to work as a ‘scary person’ with Rental Scary Person. Please send by DM or LINE a photo that shows your face/appearance, a brief résumé, and your location. As a guideline: just looking a little intimidating is not enough. Please refer to the staff list on our website.”

Celebrities quickly reacted to this unusual service. The comedy duo OniKoe Tomahawk, known for their tough looks, posted a photo of themselves with a yakuza-like vibe on X, writing:

“Hello, we’re Rental Scary Person.”

The official Rental Scary Person account immediately replied:

“We appoint you as ambassadors of Rental Scary Person. Congratulations.”

Exchanges like these became a hot topic online, and the service quickly drew attention.

No Contact Information, Company Profile, or Responsible Person Listed

However, concerns about “Rental Scary Person” had already been raised before. In fact, the staff recruitment posts on X were tagged with Community Notes—a feature that allows users to add supplemental information when a post could be misleading.

One note read:

“The official website for this service does not provide basic information such as company overview, business address, or contact details, nor does it include the legally required disclosure under the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions. In particular, service providers are obligated to clearly state the business operator’s name, address, contact information, service conditions, as well as policies for returns and cancellations. Failure to disclose these may constitute a legal violation and pose a serious risk to users.”

It also included a link to the Consumer Affairs Agency’s “Guide to the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions.”

Indeed, the website listed no contact details, company profile, or even the name of a responsible person. If someone had paid a hefty fee of 50,000 yen for three hours and the provider disappeared without delivering the service, the loss would be devastating.

Given that the service suddenly announced its termination, it seems likely that such operational issues became problematic. We asked lawyer Kenta Morizane of Morizane Law Office for his thoughts.

“Since this appears to fall under the scope of the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions as a mail-order business, in principle, the business operator is required to display their name, address, phone number, and so on. If they fail to comply, administrative actions such as guidance, public disclosure of the business name, or suspension of operations could be imposed.

While their website states they will not engage in illegal acts such as threats, depending on the behavior of staff, crimes such as extortion could still apply. In civil matters as well, declarations of intent made under duress could potentially be invalidated.”

Appearing suddenly like a comet, gaining attention online, and then vanishing just as quickly Rental Scary Person. One wonders just how much demand there truly was for such a service