Keyboard Crusher
Keyboard Crusher refers to a German boy (then 14 years old) who destroyed keyboards in anger.
His real name is Leopold Norman (more on that later). He is also known by the abbreviations KBC, Kibokura, Kikura, Crusher, etc.
He is not the same child who appeared in the Gates series during his childhood. (Just to be clear.)
Overview
He gained recognition through videos reposted from YouTube and the MAD videos created using them. He is utilized as a human-powered Vocaloid and is also referred to as the German Vocaloid.
When he first appeared online, he was called “Unreal Gamer” because he was playing the PC FPS game ‘Unreal Tournament’. Later, when the game was imported to Japan, he became known as “Unreal Boy”. As video sharing sites like pya! emerged, his current name became established. In English-speaking regions, he is known as the “Angry German Kid” (AGK for short). Other names include “Der echte Gangster,” “Slikk,” and parts of his real name like “Leopold.”
He frequently loses his temper over things like slow loading times, but he claims it's all acting. Whether he suffered from FPS syndrome or was simply a noob back then remains a mystery.
The oldest extant Keyboard Crusher video is numbered sm167, marking a long history on NicoNico. His image was also used as the banner for the YouTube board on 2ch, which handles streaming sites.
In 2014, TBS TV featured Keyboard Crusher videos as an example of internet addiction. However, Leopold was not internet-addicted, so he was merely caught in the crossfire.
And now...
Currently active as a rapper and musician under the name “Hercules Beatz,” he uploaded a video of himself watching his old “Keyboard Crusher” footage on his YouTube channel in 2018. He showed a lively side, smiling wryly throughout at his 14-year-old self.
According to him, the events following “Keyboard Crusher” were as follows: ・After posting the video, he became the target of teasing from the entire school and stopped uploading videos. ・Around this time, he started dyeing his hair and ditching his glasses to make himself unrecognizable at first glance. ・However, even after entering high school, classmates continued to tease him relentlessly. To appear intimidating, he began working out and adopted a neo-Nazi-inspired fashion style. His height also shot up dramatically during this period. ・When I jokingly threatened classmates who still teased me, a teacher reported it to the police, resulting in my expulsion (I later graduated from another high school). ・During job hunting, my reputation had spread throughout Germany. I went to interviews but was rejected everywhere (one company even bluntly said, “We don't want you smashing our keyboards”). This forced me into three years of part-time work (working only a few hours a week, earning a meager 150 euros a month). He spent his abundant free time relentlessly training his body. ・After three years of hardship, he landed his current job and now enjoys a smooth-sailing life blessed with his beloved car and girlfriend. ・Around 2013, he started a YouTube channel, initially posting bodybuilding videos. However, suspicions arose even then that he was a keyboard smasher. He repeatedly denied the question “Are you a keyboard smasher?” and deleted the videos, creating a cat-and-mouse game. Recently, though, volunteers uploaded verification videos, leading him to give up, saying “I can't deny it any longer,” and he began posting keyboard smashing videos. ・He embraced his dark past and released a rap recounting his life since that infamous video. It was featured in numerous magazines and garnered 600,000 views. ・Initially, he only wanted to produce music, but since he couldn't find a rapper, he started rapping himself. ・He now focuses primarily on music production while also creating “goofy videos” as fan service. After learning of his popularity in Japan, he began making videos specifically for Japanese audiences.
That's the gist.
In his self-introduction, he stated that he is now 2 meters tall, weighs 100 kg, and can deadlift 250 kg, possessing such high-spec physical abilities that it can no longer be dismissed as mere keyboard destruction. He is being given new nicknames such as “Keyboard Destroyer” and “Second Big Brother” (due to his muscular physique, his appeal to Japan, and perhaps because it is after Billy Herrington's death).
Furthermore, an exclusive interview with Japan has been released, in which he confessed the following: ・His real name is Leopold Normand. ・He was not originally a gamer and had never even tried PC games (however, he did like racing games). ・He had been composing music even before posting keyboard crusher videos. ・He was influenced by Japanese culture and, after becoming famous in Japan, began adding Japanese translations to his works.
Soramimi
They're supposed to be speaking German, but since much of what they say sounds like Japanese, numerous misheard translations have been created.
“Manmanfu♡ra” “Do you know multiples? Did Okubo die? Is it delicious?” “Tornado spin in Israel” “The guy who went to Israel, pgya!” “Tapioca bread” “Pampers yet?” “My ♡ is so embarrassing——” “Greasy copper” “Your girlfriend's none of my business” “I'm not a virgin!” “When are we going to buy bread?” “Mr. Matsushita (Chief Matsushita)” “Sensei, I might like Daisuke...” “Ah, the mushroom fell off” “Sports Day Protein Power” “Breakfast was just sausage...” He also screams “Long live His Majesty the Emperor!!” and, despite being German, is a huge Japanophile who deeply respects the Emperor.
Note: “Tapioca bread” means “I killed him” in German, so it's not recommended for use overseas.
NG Recommended Words
Recently, comments related to KBC, such as “Kikushima,” have been appearing everywhere. When viewing KBC-related videos, I recommend setting the following words as blocked terms. For video creators, setting up filters will be helpful.
Hunter Kikushima Kikushima Kikushima Kiku☆shima K■ku■shi■ma (■ = space)
More information about Keyboard Crusher
See Japanese Keyboard Crusher wiki: https://w.atwiki.jp/bananathinking/
