Hashinshin responds to accusations of grooming a minor

Olivia Richman Published 18/07/2020

The League of Legends community is calling for streamer Robert “Hashinshin” Brotz to be canceled after the highly ranked LoL player and popular streamer was accused of grooming a minor.

Pro player Maya “Caltys” Henckel came forward today with allegations against Hashinshin, telling her followers that he had groomed her when she was 15-years-old. She hesitated about coming forward with her story for fear of being known primarily for “being groomed by a popular streamer” but felt she should share what happened to her when she realized Hashinshin had also groomed other girls. Caltys stated that she hopes this will prevent him from hurting other girls in the future.

I was groomed by Hashinshin when I was 15 years old.https://t.co/zXwVHMEEBi
— Caltys (@Caltyss) July 17, 2020

“I don’t think I should need to defend myself. I was a stupid 15 year old child who liked the attention from an older famous guy. I’m really embarrassed of how I let this happen but I’m also proud of myself for saying no,” Caltys said.

According to Caltys, neither of them had exchanged dirty photos. That was one thing that made her feel it was “okay” at the time, although he did ask for her photos multiple times.

Caltys provided countless screenshots over Discord and Twitter that showed Hashinshin sexualizing her, talking about her body, and flirting with her. He also kept calling himself “big bro” and allegedly had a “little sister” fantasy. The screenshots also showed proof of Hashinshin acknowledging her age multiple times.

Hashinshin grooming minor

Hashinshin responds to minor grooming allegations

Soon after Caltys took to Twitter with her allegations, Hashinshin uploaded a YouTube video where he accused Caltys of using false information to make him look like a pedophile.

“People have used fake, doctored, and outright falsified information to unfairly label me a pedophile. In addition to that, they have withheld evidence in direct and intentional ways to continue to unfairly label me a pedophile,” Hashinshin said in the video, which already has over 60,000 views.

The video goes on to bring up allegations from multiple sources, claiming that the screenshots are either altered or from 2020, when the girls were no longer teenagers.

The comment section immediately flooded with support for Hashinshin, damning “cancel culture” and saying that he was being wrongly attacked.

Then, later in the day, Hashinshin posted a TwitLonger to Twitter with the caption, “I’m sorry.” This time, he didn’t deny the allegations and instead claimed he “didn’t remember” any of the things he’d done.

“This is the first time I can’t disprove something and it’s a super fucked up situation, no? Boy I feel like shit. I don’t know how I did that. I don’t know WHY I did that. I don’t know man why did I do that? Who knows. I was lonely,” Hashinshin said.

The streamer then claimed to have consumed 500g of melatonin and a six-pack of beer.

While he still attempted to deny some of the accusations he brought up in his video, he wasn’t able to do the same with Caltys allegations after seeing all of the evidence she had presented. Hashinshin said he “can’t disprove it” and supposes he probably did it, although he still states that he doesn’t truly know.

“At either rate I can’t say I didn’t! That one girl though, that story seems plausible. I can’t disprove that. At least I don’t think I can now at any rate. Man it really makes me hate myself. […] One story being potentially right doesn’t make them all right,” Hashinshin wrote.

He then pointed to borderline personality disorder making him feel lonely.

I’m not addressing any more. Honestly this is three times in 2 weeks. It takes ALL my mental energy to do this. It ruins my stream. It doesn’t make me guilty it makes me human :/
— the redeemed (@Hashinshin) July 17, 2020

In the end, Hashinshin apologized for anyone he had hurt, but continued to describe himself as the victim. He noted that he doesn’t have enough money to stop streaming for more than one year and then said he doesn’t want his future “taken away” from him because of the past. Hashinshin then said it “hurts so bad” to be him but that he is “doing his best.”

“I’m trying to do my best here. I’m sorry for anyone I hurt. I never asked to be in this body. I’m doing my best to make up for it. Haven’t I done pretty good? I never showed my dick to a minor, I never asked a minor for nudes, I never did those things. I did something bad. Maybe. I don’t know. Why would want to be that person? I wouldn’t want to be that person,” Hashinshin said.

Despite his cryptic TwitLonger that essentially admitted to potentially grooming a minor, Hashinshin’s followers continued to stand their ground that the streamer was innocent. Many also worried about his mental state after hearing about his battle with mental illness.

Later in the night, Hashinshin tweeted that he was “getting checked in.” He didn’t say where, but it would seem he was claiming to be checking into a hospital or mental institution.

Some on Twitter said he should instead be checking into prison for what he had done.

Guys stop worrying, I’m just getting checked in.
— the redeemed (@Hashinshin) July 18, 2020

IWillDominate calls for Hashinshin to be banned

Even though many in the streaming and League of Legends community were quick to shut down earlier allegations against Hashinshin, it seems that not everyone is convinced of his innocence now that Caltys has come forward with her evidence. It has also made the other allegations seem more plausible, since they all involved similar themes, like asking for photos and using sexually charged language in conversations with minors.

League of Legends streamer Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera even asked for Hashinshin to be banned from Twitch permanently. He said it was “crazy” that it hasn’t happened yet since there’s been not only multiple women coming forward, but one with proof of the interactions Hashinshin had with her on Twitter, Discord, and even directly through Twitch.

“The most fucked up part about it, from Twitch’s perspective, is that he’s grooming girls through Twitch messages. He’s using his platform and status within your community to groom girls. Using your own fucking platform. That is so crazy, dude. You have to step in,” IWillDominate said.

For the time being, Hashinshin’s Twitch channel is still up. Twitch has been slow to react to well over 200 accusations against streamers on their platform. The company’s lack of action has been heavily criticized throughout the gaming and esports industries. Many have even asked for the CEO to step down because of his allegedly nonchalant attitude towards victims and their stories.

Update 7/22/20:

As more women have come forward with stories of alleged grooming performed by Hashinshin, many prominent figures in the LoL streaming community has come forward to support those making claims. This includes Moe “Yassuo” Abdalrhman and Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahan.

Despite his already having released a TwitLonger that admitted to some wrongdoings, Hashinshin later tweeted that he had never groomed any of the women who came forward with accusations. He then said he was going to delete his Twitter entirely.

I just want to affirm I’ve done nothing illegal, just been a shitty human. I can’t reply any further because this issue has peaked peak misinformation and I’m going to try to delete twitter and log off.

I deny grooming. That is a crime.
— hashinshin (@Hashinshin) July 22, 2020

“What bothers me now is that I can’t even apologize because you guys are saying if I apologize I’m apologizing for what you’re accusing me of, not what I’m apologizing for,” Hashinshin then said. “If you want to see me taken down legally or go to jail, I promise you I will not go to jail.”

Many of his followers continued to support Hashinshin, saying that cancel culture has gone “too far.”

Hashinshin then made a video in response to Voyboy, where he continued to say that the “rumors” are “not true.” He claimed that the ongoing accusations had made him suicidal and that he was taken to the ER.

Read here for more information about how Hashinshin claims he is innocent.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile