Interest

Japan's Twitter Users Have Fun With 2025 World Expo Osaka Logo

The unveiling of the official logo for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka has triggered a deluge of memes, parodies and fanart from Japan's Twitter users.

The logo is the brainchild of graphic designer Tamotsu Shimada and his team, TEAM INARI. Comprised of irregular red spheres connected in the shape of a ring, its design is meant to embody the theme of “the brilliance of life”, with the red spheres representing cells of different shapes while the blue and white circles within them being a symbolic nod to the logo of the 1970 World Expo.

Yet, the logo also gives off an unshakeable impression of a googly-eyed eldritch creature, which amused Twitter users and inspired plenty of memes and parodies accompanied with the affectionate hashtags #いのちの輝きくん (Inochi no Kagayaki-kun, or “Mr. Brilliance of Life”) and, perhaps more fittingly, #コロシテくん (Koroshite-kun, or “Mr. Kill Me Now”). Below is a selection of offerings from this Twitter trend.

Some emphasized the potentially grotesque, body-horror aspects of the logo...

…while others chose to see its cute and endearing side.

Of course, there is no shortage of anime references too. Koroshite-kun wouldn't be out of place as Nadeko's scrunchie in the Monogatari franchise...

...a fairy in Yuki Yuna Is a Hero...

...or even an angel in Neon Genesis Evangelion

Finally, perhaps due to its likeliness to pon de ring donuts, the logo has also inspired some culinary creations

Sources: Nikkei, Expo 2025 official Twitter account