Illustrator Hews revealed that he was saved from getting caught up in a potential toxic environment thanks to an unexpected hero, or rather heroine Makima, the Chainsaw Man character, amid a new wave of drama in the popular but sometimes problematic American VTuber scene. A curious anecdote came to light and caught the attention of the entire community of anime and digital art fans, as the controversy surrounding VTuber Sinder and her crew exploded on social media, Hews shared that a simple decision prevented him from ending up caught up in one of the problems.
How a Chainsaw Man drawing saved an artist from falling into a toxic trap
Over the past few days, the US VTuber community has been in the eye of the storm following a series of public accusations made by artist Nanoless. According to her testimony, popular VTuber Sinder and her manager were pressuring her to avoid collaborating with other creators such as VTuber Bao, suggesting that such collaborations would reduce the value of her art. More worryingly, Nanoless claimed that a blacklist was brewing where other VTubers, including well-known figures such as Shylily, were being badmouthed in order to isolate certain talents and control their professional circle.
Initially trying to resolve the situation privately, Nanoless finally decided to make its evidence public, with screenshots showing members of Sinder’s entourage making negative comments about other creators. The community’s reaction was immediate, and although Sinder issued a public apology and claimed that it was all the fault of his manager, whom he claimed to have fired, much of the public was skeptical, considering that the responsibility also lay with the VTuber herself for allowing such behavior.
In the midst of this digital storm, Hews, a renowned artist known for his detailed illustrations of anime characters and VTubers, shared on his Twitter/X account a reflection in which, without directly pointing at Sinder or his team, he hinted at having received an offer that could have linked him to this same network of problems. In doing so, he hinted that, had he accepted to collaborate, he could have been dragged into an environment of manipulation and emotional exhaustion.
I don’t want to get involved in the Twitter drama, but let me say one thing and end it right here:
My career here would have been very different if I had taken that offer. And thank God I wasn’t checking my DMs…I’ve always been too busy. Even until now.
I look forward to the speedy recovery of the parties involved.
But what makes this story particularly memorable is why Hews never responded to that proposal. And that is because at that very moment, he was engrossed in drawing an illustration of Makima, a character from Chainsaw Man, known for both her beauty and her controlling and manipulative nature. Within the series, in a later post, Hews joked, “OH, OH, I was busy drawing Makima at the time. Makima inadvertently saved me from that timeline.”
The irony did not go unnoticed by his followers. While Makima, within his own Chainsaw Man universe, represents absolute control and manipulation, in the real world he ended up being the reason why the artist known as Hews avoided falling into a potential situation with either constant problems or psychological abuse within the VTuber world.
Furthermore, this situation highlights a latent problem in the community, the growing behind-the-scenes pressure that many artists and creators face, where loyalty or exclusivity is demanded without offering real backing or fair conditions, and where the fear of being vetoed or excluded from the right circle can condition entire careers.
Sometimes small decisions or even simple coincidences make the difference between a healthy trajectory and years of toxicity, for Hews, being focused on capturing the greatness of Makima from Chainsaw Man meant not only the creation of a new piece of art, but also the preservation of his personal and professional integrity. An anecdote that reminds us that, in the world of digital art and online entertainment, talent and authentic passion remain the best compasses for navigating through drama and adversity.
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