Probably, few have heard of the Nevada-tan meme. The meme is more common in Japan itself and the United States. However, this meme has a grim history.
Below is the story of the meme "Nevada-tan":
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The story behind the meme
Nevada-tan is a meme that emerged in 2004 that became popular on the Japanese imageboard 2chan. The meme features a character named Nevada-tan, who was based on Natsumi Tsuji.
Natsumi, an 11-year-old girl (at the time) who had murdered her classmate, Satomi Mitarai. The homicide occurred on June 1, 2004, at the school where Natsumi studied. Natsumi murdered Satomi with a cutter when she was alone with her.
After murdering Satomi, Natsumi returned to her classroom in her bloodstained clothes. The school where the tragedy occurred was a Sasebo Elementary School in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Reaction to murder and identity disclosure
The event received coverage from the global press quickly. The first part of the international coverage appeared on June 3, 2004, when the article from BBC News was published about the incident.
According to Japanese legal procedures that prohibit the identification of juvenile offenders, the girl's real name was not disclosed and the Japanese police referred to her as "ガール A".
Despite efforts to protect the girl's identity, her real name was revealed a few days after the incident. Fuji TV accidentally discovered her real name while showing some of her drawings on national television.
The kanji shown in some of the photos (辻菜摘) belongs to the girl who signed her own drawings. When the kanji is romanized, it reads: Natsumi Tsuji. Thus, the identity of the murderer was discovered.
When in custody, Natsumi confessed to the crime. The basis of the murder revolved around a website created by her. The content is based around a flash game called The Red Room.
There was also a fanfiction about the popular Japanese movie Battle Royale. Satomi would have left derogatory comments about Natsumi's physical appearance on her website.
Natsumi was sent to the Nagasaki Family Court after unsuccessful attempts to judge her as an adult and debates about age and criminal responsibility. She was then sent to be institutionalized in a youth hall of Tochigi Prefecture. Natsumi was released in 2013. She was 20 years old at the time of her release.
2chan appeal and origin of "Nevada-tan"
There is no real evidence as to whether or not 2chan s tried to reveal the girl's identity. Even so, she still became an internet phenomenon and a cult symbol.
s of 2chan eventually nicknamed her "Nevada-tan". "Nevada" because of the sweatshirt with "Nevada" that she wore during the homicide. And "-tan" being the way a child would pronounce the honorific "-chan".
Subsequently, the media drew attention to the unusual nature of one child killing another child. Many articles also had numerous observations about Natsumi's site and the themes surrounding sangue and morte.
Eventually, an impressive amount of fanarts was made, mostly showing a cute or moe illustration resembling Natsumi. However, she is always illustrated with blood on her and a knife in hand. These illustrations are listed on various sites dedicated to information about the meme.
Popularity of "Nevada-tan" outside Japan
The trend of creating fanart was not limited to the Japanese web. Later, after the incident, countless sites began to talk about the girl. They paid some kind of tribute to Natsumi.
In June 2005, the online store that sold the hooded sweatshirt from University of Nevada (which Natsumi is seen wearing in photos and fanarts) reported that it was the item best seller on the site. A few weeks later, the University removed the sweatshirt from its catalog.
