The World Cup is where the best of football teams duke it out on the field, but that’s not the only face-off happening for this year’s tournament. In an unexpected crossover, Hatsune Miku has become the target of what’s endearingly referred to as a “custody battle” between countries after an online meme went viral, bringing together the anime and sporting communities.
Dating back to Japan’s clash with Brazil in the Round of 16 on 29 June, the running gag came about when fans joked that the winner would get to keep the Vocaloid fan-favourite. It would later turn out to be Brazil, which defeated the Blue Samurai underdogs 2-1 despite the latter putting up a valiant fight, sparking a slew of fan art on social media that dressed Miku up in Brazil-inspired looks. The virtual singer’s connection to the nation has even older roots, with the “Brazilian Miku” meme originating from her teal hair that comes close to the stylings of Brazil’s green-and-yellow football kit, so turning her into the unofficial mascot for the team is now a World Cup tradition.
The trend gained more traction when a photo showed a Miku plush in Brazil’s colours sitting on the bench next to a player, but her time with the South American country unfortunately didn’t last long. The team was eliminated by Norway following two goals from ace striker Erling Haaland, making the latter the new owner of the Miku torch. In light of Norway’s victory, one of the most popular edits floating around shows Haaland mid-shout with a Viking Miku plushie resting on his shoulders, decked out in the national team jersey, a Viking hat, and the number ‘9’.
Next in the running for Miku’s custody is England, who will face Norway on 11 July after sending off Mexico with a 3-2 victory, and the Internet is eagerly waiting to see how it all pans out. The collision of pop culture and World Cup fever is a pleasant surprise, proving that sometimes, two vastly different communities can connect in the most random of ways, albeit rarely — the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is one such example, where SPYAIR’s “Imagination,” the first opening theme song for the Haikyu!! anime, played during the Japan and Venezuela match.
Let the third round of custody action begin.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
