Malaya Ruiz
The pseudonymous Shiba Inu project lead Shytoshi Kusama captivated the Shib Army in Japan during his first public appearance at the IVS Conference in Kyoto. Photos and videos of Kusama taken by Shib Army members quickly went viral within the Shiba Inu community.
Just as Kusama revealed in his tweet on Thursday, he showed up at the Shiba Inu booth and interacted with the Shib Army and other crypto enthusiasts, albeit still not revealing his identity. The mysterious Shiba Inu leader appeared in what resembles a black haori samurai ensemble and a Batman-style mask.
Shiba Inu marketing lead Lucie shared her delight about this defining moment for the Shib Army, thanking the Japanese community of the Shib Army for their enthusiasm. “Our humble king BatBoshi @ShytoshiKusama. Happy to see all the excitement of japanese community,” she tweeted. In a comment below the tweet, the marketing lead revealed that the other person in the photo is a Japanese politician.
Kuro, an active Shib Army member from the Japanese community, shared videos obtained from a user with the X handle @riri_shibarmy, showing Kusama entertaining participants who visited the Shiba Inu booth.
WeCreate3, a student community of Web3 enthusiasts in Japan, also shared footage of their encounter with Kusama, saying they are hopeful for a future partnership with Shiba Inu.
Another video of Kusama shaking hands with and signing a participant’s cap was shared on X, while a Shib Army member with the username @Sand_ShibArmy reposted the picture of Kusama and the Japanese politician bowing to each other, expressing that they are “two beautiful souls, so different, so equal.”
Despite some skepticism surrounding Shytoshi Kusama’s first ever in-person meet and greet, with doubts arising about whether it was truly him under the costume, the Shib Army continues to show unwavering loyalty to him. They eagerly anticipate future developments in the Shiba Inu project and positive contributions to the wider crypto ecosystem.
