Japanese Pen Containing Live Parasite Goes Viral, Catching the Attention of Resident Evil Fans Who Know How This Goes

If you’ve checked societal media today, you whitethorn person stumbled crossed a see-through ballpoint pen with existent parasites swimming astir wrong it (and possibly dismissed it arsenic AI slop). Prompting grossed-out reactions and comparisons to Resident Evil, the pen is really a existent souvenir from Japan’s Kochi Prefecture.

Earlier this year, Japan’s Asahi News fished retired the origins of this unusual penning implement. Even though the pen looks similar thing you’d find connected Wesker’s desk, it’s a existent merchandise purchasable from a fishmongers’ store successful Susaki city, Kochi Prefecture. The transparent conception of the pen contains surviving Anisakis, a benignant of fish-dwelling parasite, suspended successful a wide liquid. The parasite tin origin nutrient poisoning if you devour earthy oregon uncooked food containing it. Lovely.

The benignant of crap a Resident Evil villain carries astir and stabs themselves with earlier transforming into a elephantine meatblob with tons of eyes to sprout at. https://t.co/JzaueojAjL

— Johnny (@JohnnyMonke) April 8, 2026

The institution down the pen is not Umbrella Corporation but section institution Tada Suisan. According to institution president Takuhiro Tada, the inspiration came from an acquaintance connected societal media backmost successful 2021 who “was putting Anisakis extracted from his ain tummy into ballpoint pens.” In his archetypal video post, pen creator FUNA84 quipped that, “If you usage it erstwhile signing the consent signifier for Anisakis extraction country astatine the hospital, you tin amusement them you’re an Anisakis master!”

アニサキス入りボールペンできた。
良くある「ひょっとして、この虫アニサキスかな？」って時に比較できるし、病院でアニサキス摘出手術の同意書記入時に使えばアニサキスマスターをアピールできるぞ。 pic.twitter.com/vLLh8xKXjS

— FUNA⚡︎ (@FUNA84) March 6, 2021

Inspired by FUNA84’s post, Tada tried making an Anisakis pen for amusive but “it got specified a large reaction, that I decided to merchantability them astatine the store.”

The Anisakis are extracted from caught food (specifically skipjack/bonito), and truthful the fig of pens made by the institution each week depends connected the catch. “Sometimes we marque astir 20 pens a day, portion astatine different times we mightiness not marque immoderate for a week,” Tada explained.

The pens person antecedently created waves connected Japanese quality and societal media backmost successful 2024 but this time, they person caught the attraction of users extracurricular Japan — particularly players of a definite Capcom endurance fearfulness series. Resident Evil fans person been quipping that it's an “Umbrella Corporation 5-year enactment day present.” Even Resident Evil’s Community and Social Media Manager for Europe noted that the pen sounds similar thing that would popular up successful an ominous in-game diary entry…

— Katastrophe (@ImKatastrophe) April 8, 2026

Posting connected April 8, Tada himself reacted to the pens going viral, saying that helium understood wherefore the merchandise was causing a disturbance but noted that the contented had been shared by unauthorized reposter accounts. He besides mentioned that determination person been immoderate threatening comments.

The Anisakis pens person besides stirred up ethical debates online, with immoderate suggesting that they are pointless cruelty to surviving things. It surely looks similar the benignant of pen Umbrella scientists would person utilized erstwhile taking notes connected the latest mutant experiment.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.