ATEEZ San Dance Craze Sparks Racism Row in Japan

As of August 23, 2026, a Japanese YouTuber imitating ATEEZ member San's viral dance is under fire for pulling his eyes back in a widely recognized racist gesture. The influencer, known as Gamix and followed by more than a million subscribers, deleted the clip but never apologized — instead posting a follow-up video defending the shape of Asian eyes. Criticism has only grown since he skipped the topic entirely during a subsequent livestream.

1.12 millionGamix's YouTube subscriber count

2.16 millionGamix's Instagram follower count

No. 1 on Billboard 200US Billboard ranking for ATEEZ's latest mini album

August 9Date San performed the choreography at the ceremonial first kick

Key points

San performed part of his group's choreography during a ceremonial first-kick appearance at a soccer match on August 9, and the clip went viral online as a dance challenge.
Japanese YouTuber Gamix wore a matching jersey while recreating the choreography on August 20, then pulled his eyes back with his hands — a gesture widely condemned as mocking East Asian features.
As backlash grew, Gamix deleted the video but posted an English-language clip claiming his eyes simply look that way, deepening the controversy instead of resolving it.
In a roughly 50-minute livestream that followed, he addressed past comments about a soccer player and another YouTuber but stayed silent on San or the controversy itself.

A dance move ATEEZ member San performed at a soccer match has snowballed into an unexpected racism controversy. San served as a ceremonial first-kicker at a match on August 9, showing up in a team jersey and running through part of his group's hit-song choreography for the cameras. The short clip instantly kicked off a copycat challenge online, drawing fans and influencers from multiple countries — including a Japanese YouTuber who tracked down a matching jersey to recreate the moves.

The trouble started when that YouTuber, mid-routine, suddenly reached up with both hands and pulled the corners of his eyes outward. The gesture is a long-recognized racist trope in the West, used to caricature and mock East Asian eye shapes. As the clip spread rapidly across domestic and international communities and social media, it drew both confusion and sharp criticism — made sharper by the fact that the person doing it was himself East Asian.

As the backlash intensified, the YouTuber quickly deleted the video. But rather than issuing a direct apology, he posted a new English-language clip claiming his eyes simply look that way when he wakes up in the morning — a move that only fanned the controversy further. He later went live on YouTube in what appeared to be an attempt at damage control, but the only people he addressed by name were a well-known soccer star and another globally famous YouTuber. San and the controversy itself went unmentioned.

The YouTuber, born in 2007, is a major influencer with a combined audience in the millions across platforms. He drew attention back in June, during the soccer World Cup, when cameras caught him in tears in the stands after his national team's elimination — a moment that led to a meet-up with the world's most-subscribed YouTuber and a ticket to the final. He'd already drawn some criticism during the tournament, however, over posts that appeared to target a specific player.

Meanwhile, San's group is riding a wave of global momentum: the title track off their summer mini album climbed domestic music charts, and the album itself hit No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. The controversy has drawn extra attention precisely because it grew out of the dance-challenge craze fueled by that popularity.

In Korea right nowDomestic fans and online communities have reacted with a mix of shock and disappointment that someone from the same East Asian cultural sphere would make such a gesture. As K-pop content reaches global audiences, many are calling for zero tolerance toward racist behavior tied to it, regardless of the offender's nationality — with criticism mounting further over the lack of a genuine apology.

FAQ

Why is the 'eye-pulling' gesture considered racist?

It involves using the hands to pull the corners of the eyes outward to narrow them — a gesture with a long history in the West of mocking East Asian facial features.

Who is San, and how did the controversy start?

San is a member of ATEEZ. His performance of part of his group's choreography at a ceremonial first kick on August 9 went viral as an online dance challenge, which a Japanese YouTuber then imitated — making the offending gesture in the process.

Did the YouTuber apologize after the backlash?

He deleted the video but never issued a direct apology, instead posting a video about the shape of Asian eyes. He also did not address the issue during a livestream held afterward.