"This has gotta be bait": Viewers react to Shroud claiming anime has no emotion because "it's not real"

On May 15, a clip of Twitch streamer and former professional CS:GO champion Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek sharing his thoughts on anime went viral on X user Jake Lucky's page. In the past, the streamer claimed that watching "stuff that's not real," like anime, wasn't quite up his alley. In the clip Lucky shared, Grzesiek stated that Japanese animation has "no emotion" and compared it to Disney films.

This discussion came after a viewer in Shroud's chatbox called him out for having "a real-life lightsaber" while finding anime cringeworthy:

"(Reading chat) 'You have a real-life lightsaber but you won't watch anime 'cuz it's cringe?', Dude, I have three lightsabers, you watch your f**king mouth. I can't watch stuff that's not real, it's not real, there's no emotion. That's like watching a Disney Pixar f**king movie, and being like 'Oh...,' like bro, it's not real."

Fans reacted to the post, with some like @ShadyShiba saying the streamer had to be kidding around:

"This has gotta be bait."

@onlyexsy claimed Grzesiek was being contradictory for liking Star Wars while having a distaste for anime:

"'I have 3 Lightsabers,' 'I can't watch stuff that's not real, there is no emotion,' As much as I love Shroud, that's a MASSIVE L."

User @ChrisCovent seemed to be caught off guard, not expecting to see such a controversial opinion from the streamer:

"Damn.. didn’t think I’d see a shroud L take in my lifetime."

@Aserback called shroud a "moron" for his 'lack of knowledge':

"Besides his good aim this dude is a moron. He knows nothing about PCs or software. Imagine that, sitting 24/7 in front of your PC and being a total idiot about anything related to it."

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Shroud announces a "gauntlet style" Marvel Rivals tournament on May 17, 2025

On May 15, 2025, Shroud revealed that he'd be hosting a $50,000 Marvel Rivals tournament titled The Shroud Gauntlet.

This B-Tier event will feature eight professional teams competing in a gauntlet-style format for a share of the prize pool. In addition to being the host, Grzesiek will also serve as one of the tournament's commentators.

The team rosters are to be announced on Friday, May 16. Although the game's format hasn't been announced yet, a gauntlet-style tournament typically involves teams facing off in a series of consecutive matches, where the winner advances to challenge the next opponent.

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This tournament follows Grzesiek's formation of Shroud-X, a professional Marvel Rivals esports team. The team recently hit a significant milestone after achieving their first major victory at the Marvel Rivals Fight Night #10.