TwitchCon 2025, the biggest annual event for streamers, was rocked by a serious incident when Emiru, a globally famous streamer and cosplayer, was suddenly harassed by a man who jumped the barriers and tried to kiss her during a fan meet-and-greet. What made the situation worse was not just the incident itself but also how TwitchCon’s organizers handled it, sparking outrage online.
Emiru, whose real name is Emily Schunk, is one of Twitch’s most prominent creators. She has over 1.9 million followers on Twitch, 1.1 million on Instagram, and 800,000 on X. Known for her friendly and natural style, Emiru is also famous for her fresh, anime-inspired look with big round eyes and fashion that fans often call “real-life anime girl.”
As a professional cosplayer, Emiru often appears in detailed costumes from popular games like League of Legends, Genshin Impact, and Re:Zero. She’s also part of OTK (One True King), one of the most influential streamer groups in the US. With her cute yet approachable image, Emiru has become a symbol of the “streamer cosplayer” scene, blending entertainment with visual art.
Unfortunately, TwitchCon turned into a nightmare for Emiru. During her meet-and-greet, a man suddenly broke through multiple security barriers, approached her, and tried to kiss her in front of a crowd.
She shared on X the next morning:
“The man who attacked me was allowed to get past multiple barriers and even stood right in front of another creator’s meet-and-greet area to touch my face and try to kiss me. Luckily, he didn’t succeed, but it could have been much worse.”
According to Emiru, her own security team was the first to react, not TwitchCon’s official guards. What shocked her even more was that 3 to 4 TwitchCon security staff nearby just stood by and did nothing, even letting the attacker walk away freely.
After the incident, Twitch claimed the “suspect was immediately detained and did not harm anyone.” Emiru strongly denied this, calling it “a blatant lie”: “I didn’t hear about him being arrested until hours later, and only after my manager kept pushing. Meanwhile, TwitchCon security backstage were joking and laughing as if nothing happened.”
Emiru expressed deep disappointment in Twitch after 10 years of streaming, saying this would be her last TwitchCon: “I didn’t feel protected, even with my own security team. I can’t imagine what it’s like for creators who don’t have that kind of support. This will definitely be my last TwitchCon.”
After Emiru’s post went viral, hundreds of thousands of comments poured in expressing anger at TwitchCon’s security. Many fans said it was “extremely dangerous” that a stranger could bypass multiple layers of control to get close to a famous streamer, especially as harassment of female streamers is becoming more common.
Some even recalled a previous incident where Emiru’s close bodyguard was banned from TwitchCon just for holding back a stalker to hand him over to police. This raised questions about who Twitch is really protecting, the streamers or the harassers?
Emiru’s incident has sparked a major debate about safety at Twitch events. While she vows never to return, many other creators are considering boycotting TwitchCon until the platform implements real protections for attendees.
This incident is not just a wake-up call about the safety of female content creators but also highlights the huge gap between Twitch’s “friendly and fun” image and the harsh reality of event management.
As Emiru wrote in her final post: “It pains me to say this, but please be careful out there. I hope no one else has to go through what I did.”
