Japanese YouTuber Vanbi, known for his fast-growing “Spider-Man” persona channel, has been released from custody after his arrest earlier this month and posted an apology on X (formerly Twitter) on October 20. The apology follows reports that he was arrested on suspicion of violating Tokyo’s public nuisance ordinance for touching a female staff member’s lower body at a club in Roppongi.
In his statement, Vanbi, whose real name is Shirai Tatsuki (白井竜樹), said the incident was the result of “my one-sided conduct” and stressed that neither the woman nor the club bore any responsibility. He said he has apologized directly to the woman and that the two parties have reached a settlement resolving the matter. He also asked the public and media to refrain from trying to identify or contact the woman or the venue, citing her privacy, and said he does not plan to make any further public statements about the case.
Commenters online noted that the case appears to have been resolved through an out-of-court settlement rather than ongoing prosecution, drawing comparisons to the different outcomes other entertainers have faced in similar situations.
Who is Vanbi?
Vanbi is a Japanese YouTuber best known for appearing in a full Spider-Man costume, a gimmick his entire channel identity is built around. According to past reporting, he grew his subscriber count past 10 million faster than any other Japanese creator. In May, he opened “HERO’ZZ university,” a school teaching social media strategy, and he gave a guest lecture at Human Academy in August as part of that venture.
Reaction to his apology on X has been mixed but leans critical. Some users expressed sympathy and said they would keep supporting him, but many others pushed back on the wording of his statement, arguing that phrases emphasizing he was “solely” at fault could still read as implying the other party shared some blame. Several commenters urged him to retire the Spider-Man costume altogether, saying it now hurts the character’s image, while others argued he owed his longtime subscribers a direct video explanation rather than a brief written statement. It remains unclear whether Vanbi plans to address the incident on his channel or how the controversy will affect his other business ventures.
Author’s Comment
Nothing says ‘I take full responsibility’ quite like an apology that also comes with a please-stop-asking-questions clause, honey. I get it, settlements are how Japan quietly tidies these things up, but asking fans to stop ‘poking around’ while you’re still cashing checks in a Spider-Man suit is a tough sell. The Japanese internet’s reaction tells you everything: people aren’t reading the ‘it was all me’ framing as humility, they’re reading it as a script written by a lawyer. If Vanbi wants that webslinger costume to mean anything again, he owes the people who made him famous an actual conversation, not a legal disclaimer with a bow on top.
