Collectible toymaker Good Smile has secretly financed 4chan for years

polygon.com:

Japanese toymaker Good Smile Company has been financing the controversial, often hate-filled message board 4chan, according to new documents uncovered by Wired.

The toy company, which has business in the United States, is best known for its anime and gaming figurines. Its Nendoroid and Figma lines in particular are popular with collectors for their licensed figures: Good Smile has toy lines for games like Overwatch, League of Legends, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Cyberpunk 2077. Both Nintendo and Sega have licensed their characters for toys based on franchises like Kirby, Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic, and Animal Crossing. The Walt Disney Company is also a major partner, with dozens of Nendoroid toys for its different franchises, including Marvel and Star Wars.

Good Smile was required to file documents with the New York attorney general’s office during an investigation into 4chan’s role in the 2022 racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people were killed and three were injured. These documents outline how 4chan owner Hiroyuki Nishimura acquired the message board, inspired by Japanese message board 2channel that Nishimura founded, from 4chan creator Christopher Poole in 2015. Nishimura put up most of the money for 4chan; Good Smile Company purchased a 30% share in a $2.4 million investment, Wired reported, and has been quietly involved in the website for years.

A Good Smile representative confirmed to Polygon in 2021 that the toy company was a “passive investor” in 4chan, but did not share the scope of the deal. News of the Japanese company’s investment was first alleged in lawsuit filings obtained by Polygon; Good Smile and two of its former employees counter-sued each other over a contract dispute related