ABSTRACT
Many subcultures flourish on the internet without ever making it to the mainstream media conversation. Yet, many of them provide compelling reflections on how we normalise, but also dictate the ways in which media should be consumed. Gyaku Ryona is a voyeuristic subgenre that involves the beating up of one male character by another. Several channels have emerged on YouTube and garnered respectable attention, by using fighting games as their main platform. These channels compile videos of virtual and erotic one-sided fights between two characters, which are in turn watched and requested by viewers. Dissecting Gyaku Ryona videos, their content and “game” mechanics, this chapter underlines the fragility of the platforms on which this subculture thrives. Gyaku Ryona revolves around the promotion of failure through diverse angles – the victim and the torturer. Both “roles” fail to meet the standards of how fighting games are supposed to be played. Through active passivity, Gyaku Ryona queers are fighting game culture, but also celebrating deviant desires and they embrace homoeroticism on a platform that is publicly available. Ultimately, Gyaku Ryona triggers broader conversations about rewriting fighting games as a kinky platform explorinng the limits of digital sex.
