Japanese esports player Sho Hasegawa, known as BlackRay, who was detained in July on suspicion of kidnapping and severely beating a man, has announced the prosecutor's decision.
On August 29, 2025, he wrote on X that as of August 27, the charges against him had been dropped, and there would be no prosecution. However, this does not mean an acquittal.
BlackRay played in Rainbow Six Siege and was a player for the CAG OSAKA team. After his arrest, the organization announced its withdrawal from the APAC North 2025 playoffs and terminated the contract with the player.
In July, Hasegawa was arrested along with six other people. They were suspected of holding a man against his will for three months and subjecting him to violence. The materials mentioned beatings, stabbings, burns, and scalding with boiling water.
The extent of BlackRay's involvement was not reported at the time. On August 7, he wrote that he had been released the day before, but the case against him was still under consideration: "I have nothing to report at this time regarding admitting or denying the charges." Three weeks later, he stated that the charges had been dropped and apologized "for the inconvenience caused."
