The internet’s greatest troll paradise has been without a leader since its founder, Christopher “Moot” Poole resigned in January. Today 4chan announced it’s been purchased by Japanese internet star and businessman Hiroyuki Nishimura.

The deal (for an undisclosed sum) makes great sense, in so far as it’s sensible that anyone would want to actually own 4chan. Nishimura is the original founder of 2channel, a large anonymous Japanese online community, and 4chan’s inspiration. So this isn’t so much of an acquisition as it is a spiritual homecoming. It also means 4chan’s laissez-fair, let’s-all-cum-on-anime-figurines-and-phone-in-bomb-threats-to-high-schools ethos probably won’t change—in a 2008 profile in Wired, Nishimura appeared as committed as Moot to letting bad shit happen on his website:

Nishimura has lost about 50 lawsuits and owes millions of dollars in penalties, which he has no intention of paying. “If the verdict mandates deleting things, I’ll do it,” he says. “I just haven’t complied with demands to pay money. Would a cell phone carrier feel responsible when somebody receives a threatening phone call?”

4channers seem unusually pleased with the news, and the use of racial slurs against Nishimura is so far minimal: “This is the best thing that could have happened honestly,” commented one user. “At least it’s someone we know has experience.” Another asked “are we honorary japs now?”

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.
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