Man wed to digital icon Hatsune Miku in real life causes uproar when he admits he mostly married her just because he could

GamesMan wed to digital icon Hatsune Miku in real life causes uproar when he admits he mostly married her just because he couldWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Hatsune Miku, surrounded by flowers

There are times, dear reader, when I write a headline that starts pushing on the fringes of my psyche, as Cthulhu’s dreams might erode the sanity of the waking world—this is one of those times.

In 2018, Akihiko Kondo decided he’d marry digital icon Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid performer with enough of a following to sing her way intovideogames,DLC for videogames, and uh,Magic: The Gathering. Miku’s dulcet tones have reached the ears of millions over the years, but aside from being a living and breathing thoughtform tucked into our collective imaginations, she is undeniably, well, a fictional creation. At least until the singularity happens, anyway.

To make things clear, I’m not particularly interested in ragging on anyone for living in ways that might seem strange to outsiders—as a rule, I think trying to understand and connect with people like this is more fascinating than simply pointing and laughing. Kondo’s story gave a brief window into a subsection of people who do exist and, for whatever reason, derive comfort from their perceived relationships to fictional characters.

I’m more of a mind to criticise hischoiceof partner based on the fact that she’s canonically 16, but that’s a whole can of worms, and she’s also been 16 for 13 years. Did Miku start to age in Kondo’s mind when he married her? I’ve already peered into one void today and I’m not about to peer into another.

“I’m sure I’ll get backlash however I write this, but I try to do things within the bounds of what’s not illegal. This is why I held a wedding ceremony with Hatsune Miku at my house, it’s why I went to university while working as a local government employee and it’s why I tried to go to Tokyo Disneyland”—that last bit’s referring to a time when he wasn’t allowed to go toDisneyland with his wife, which seems a little hypocritical given the entire point of Disneyland is mascot kayfabe. Are we supposed to believe Mickey Mouse is real, but not Hatsune Miku? Preposterous.

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“Many people felt inconvenienced or uncomfortable when I married Hatsune Miku,” Kondo continues, “the education board put up a resistance and involved the union and management when I went to university, and (although nothing happened in the end) Tokyo Disneyland caused a big fuss. However, none of these things were illegal. That’s why I tried doing them.”

Social norm-breaking aside, though, this reveal’s genuinely upset Miku-heads. The following quotes are machine-translated, but the sentiment carries through loud and clear: “He doesn’t really care about Hatsune Miku and is just a nuisance, and an old man who enjoys playing a game of chicken,” writesone fan. “This world doesn’t revolve around you. It’ll only make Miku sad, seriously. If you had a sense of self, you’d be divorced and abandoned,“another writes.

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