Editing Smasher:Etika

{{Infobox Smasher
| name       = Etika
| alias      = Etika Desmond
| alias2     = Iceman Etika
| alias3     = EtikaWorldNetwork
| image      = Etika.jpg
| mainssbu   = Ridley
| mainssb4   = Robin
| realname   = {{iw|wikipedia|Desmond Daniel Amofah}}
| birthyear  = 1990
| birthmonth = 5
| birthday   = 12
| deathage   = 29
| location   = Brooklyn, New York
| country    = USA
}} 

'''Etika''' (May 12th, 1990 &ndash; c. June 19th, 2019) was a YouTuber and ''[[Smash 4]]'' {{SSB4|Robin}} player from Brooklyn, New York, though he was best known for his [[YouTube]] videos and [[Twitch]] streams, particularly his highly energetic reactions to ''Smash'' character reveals.

Etika disappeared on June 19th, 2019, after having uploaded a video entitled "I'm sorry" where he admitted to being suicidal.<ref>[https://youtube.com/shorts/MzhZCD6LTJQ?si=ntMO6_KHGLvy117z "I'm sorry" Reupload]</ref> His body was discovered on June 24th in the East River, with the determined cause of death being suicide by drowning.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2019/06/26/youtube-star-etikas-death-ruled-suicide-by-drowning/ Etika's death ruled a suicide]</ref>

==History==
Etika's internet history dates back to 2006, where he was known as "Iceman Etika" and had a small YouTube channel that peaked at 130,000 subscribers. He participated in two Grind Time Now rap battles during 2008, one in March<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh4_0aCq-34&ab_channel=GrindTimeNow March 2008 Rap Battle]</ref> and one in December.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgXoxK_NchQ&ab_channel=GrindTimeNow December 2008 Rap Battle]</ref> The former, as of September 2023, has over 250,000 views. During 2011 to 2015, he also had a modelling career.

In 2012, Etika opened the "Etika World Network", a YouTube channel meant to host a variety of content creators, though such content never materialized, mainly consisting of Pokémon battles before he went viral. Etika's content at his peak consisted primarily of him reacting to the then newly formed [[Nintendo Direct]] presentations, where he would frequently experience disproportionate reactions compared to his peers, ranging from shouting to throwing objects around. Though critics often derided him for overexaggerating his reactions, Etika insisted they were genuine, for he had grown into hype culture.

Etika began gaining notoriety in the ''Smash'' community during the prerelease of ''Smash 4'', during which every newcomer would receive an introduction trailer meant to generate hype and publicity. With the increasing popularity of watching reactions and reaction compilations to these trailers, Etika's screaming and wild movements quickly became recognizable among viewers. This included Japanese audiences, who called him "Guile-kun" due to the similarities between his hairstyle and [[Guile]]'s. His reaction to the reveal of [[Mewtwo]] as a DLC fighter in the game, during which he excitedly screams "Mewtwo!" several times, merely from seeing its feet, became one of the most notorious reaction videos in the history of the community and was even retweeted by series creator [[Masahiro Sakurai]].<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/2k7h9r/sakurai_retweeted_etikas_mewtwo_reveal_reaction/ Sakurai retweets Etika's Mewtwo reaction]</ref>

This publicity led to Etika becoming one of the most popular streamers in the ''Smash'' community, with him having a subscriber count of over 800,000 between his Twitch and YouTube accounts before the closure of both and a viewership of over 1,000,000. Besides his reactions to Nintendo Directs and other gaming-related media, Etika's streams consisted of him chatting to his viewers and playing a variety of video games. Besides ''Super Smash Bros.''-related content, Etika occasionally uploaded either a livestream for playing other video games, talks about his personal life, or explore the internet accompanied by a chat group, or news videos related to Nintendo. He was not a competitive player, but he had active contact with a number of names in the community, such as {{Sm|ZeRo}} and {{Sm|Alpharad}}, and frequently discussed matters relating to tournament play, such as the events that led {{Trn|Apex 2015}} to lose its first day.

His steady growth in popularity resulted in the creation of a fanbase that consisted of uploading clips of his livestreams on YouTube, creating memes featuring him and users from other social media, and sending donations towards other streamers with mentions of Etika. One such happened with singer and voice actress [[List of voice actors#B|Skye Bennett]], known for dubbing [[Pyra]] and [[Mythra]] in English, with a meme involving Etika's playthrough of {{uv|Minecraft}} in the past.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_RlqpgDfYQ Etika Reacts To Voice Actor Of Pyra/Mythra Say "Etika Loves Minecraft"]</ref>

Even as his channel grew, his reactions remained his most notorious content, with [[List of Super Smash Bros. 4 character trailers#Cloud|the reveal trailer for Cloud in ''SSB4'']] involving him tossing around a string of paper towels, and the [[List of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character trailers#Veterans|"Everyone is here" trailer for ''Ultimate'']] involving him breaking his shelf. He was notably given the "Best Reaction" award at Super Smash Con's 2018 and 2019 iterations.
==Disappearance and death==
[[File:Etika3SJ.jpg|thumb|200px|One of multiple notable murals painted following Etika's death, located at 1280 Myrtle Ave. in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Painted by BKFoxx, kestaadm, and JMZWalls.]]

[[File:etika2web.jpg|thumb|200px|A sequel mural painted by BKFoxx, located 323 Scholes St Brooklyn NY.]]

Etika displayed erratic behavior in the months prior to his suicide. On April 16th, 2019, he posted on [[Twitter]] stating that he was going to kill himself with a pistol he purchased in Long Island, leading to his arrest and hospitalization; his ex-girlfriend Christine Cardona later confirmed his well-being. A few days later, Etika again posted a photoshopped picture of himself holding a gun. On April 29th, he tweeted a quantity of cryptic messages, including racial slurs, and blocked his close friends, such as {{Sm|Sky}}. Later that day, he livestreamed himself being detained by police on Instagram after a concerned fan notified police of his alarming behavior on stream. In an interview with Keemstar on the YouTube channel "DramaAlert", Etika would make other disturbing remarks, such as stating that he wanted to "purge all life".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfTKaWf0uVw Keemstar's Etika interview]</ref>

On June 19th, a video titled "I'm sorry" was uploaded on Etika's old "TR1Iceman" YouTube channel. In the video, Etika admitted to suffering from mental health issues and apologized for pushing his loved ones away from him; the video description also contained a suicide note. The same day, his personal belongings were found on the pedestrian walkway of the Manhattan Bridge, and he was reported missing to the New York Police Department. Between June 24th and June 25th, his body was discovered and recovered down the East River; the Office of Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be drowning, after likely having jumped off the Manhattan Bridge.

===Reactions===
Following Etika's passing, a Change.org petition asked for Etika to be buried at YouTube Headquarters, which was one of his last wishes. It reached over 200,000 signatures, but allegedly could not be fulfilled due to legal issues.<ref>[https://www.change.org/p/youtube-have-etika-be-buried-at-youtube-s-hq Burial Change.org Petition]</ref> Another Change.org petition was made asking for his YouTube Channels to be reinstated and memorialized following their disabling,<ref>[https://www.insider.com/etika-youtubers-are-calling-for-final-video-to-be-restored-2019-6 Change.org article]</ref> but as of September 2023, they remain such. However, multiple archival channels have dedicated themselves to reuploading Etika's content, most notably [https://www.youtube.com/@LibraryofEtika/about Library of Etika], which has over 30,000 subscribers and a large community seeking out the remaining lost media. His Instagram posts from September 2018 to June 2019 have also been documented on a channel called [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsRm-Ml07So JoyConBoyz].

Multiple murals were painted in Brooklyn mere days following Etika's suicide, with one notably being part of an ~$11,000 USD fundraiser for the National Alliance of Mental Illness hosted on Etika's old website.<ref>[https://kotaku.com/fans-honor-deceased-youtuber-etika-with-a-stunning-mura-1839725766 Etika mural & Fundraiser]</ref> In Februrary 2020, said mural notably became a Pokemon GO Spot.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51635241 Mural that became a Pokemon GO Spot]</ref> {{iw|wikipedia|PewDiePie}} and actor {{iw|wikipedia|Jack Black}} also collectively raised ~$40,000 USD for the National Alliance of Mental Illness.<ref>[https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/570485-pewdiepie-etika-mental-health-jack-black-minecraft PewDiePie & Jack Black fundraisers]</ref> In 2022, another mural was painted by BKFoxx, following the previous one's removal.<ref>[https://www.gofundme.com/f/etika-mural-part-2-joyconboyzforever]</ref> It is located at 323 Scholes St, Brooklyn, NY and a short film accompanied its creation.<ref>[https://twitter.com/DoubleA_Charged/status/1532103181764898816 BKFoxx's second Etika mural]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/doublea_charged/status/1578144866428604416?s=46&t=zN5ze_ouX5TqXt9VEkR7mQ]</ref> The new mural continues to see steady visitors every year, especially on the anniversary of Etika's death. 

Many YouTubers mourned Etika's death, from close friends like [https://www.youtube.com/@lucbomber6372 Lucbomber], [https://www.youtube.com/@ARORAyt Arora], and [https://www.youtube.com/@Mightykeef MightyKeef], to his ex-girlfriend, [https://www.youtube.com/@AlicePika Alice Pika]. On August 16, 2019, [https://www.youtube.com/@JoeBroo JoeBro], a contributor to the YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@SiIvaGunner SiIvaGunner], held a collaboration featuring numerous [[wikipedia:YouTube poop|YTPMVs]], skits, and a original composition for Etika, of which one of the latter's friends, [https://www.youtube.com/@EtikaClips im salt], reacted positively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SqUtB4A7N4 |title=Etika: Joycon Boyz 4 Life |date=August 16, 2019 |author=JoeBro |publisher=YouTube }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/imsaltYT/status/1162492299860799488 |title=im salt on Twitter |date=August 17, 2019 |publisher=Twitter }}</ref> In the same year, SiIvaGunner uploaded a legacy track, "Lifelight", on December 25, 2019, as part of the "King for Another Day Tournament".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=domi1RZ-ydA Lifelight - SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day]</ref> It was themed after "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa, one of Etika's favorite songs, frequently used in his videos, and part of his famous "JOYCONBOYZ" meme. This follows two other songs featured the previous year.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7uqdxF0K6k Etika Smash! - SiIvaGunner: King for a Day Tournament], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJadxR-OEMg Victory! Etika - SiIvaGunner: King for a Day Tournament]</ref> As of February 2024, Lifelight has garnered over 450,000 views.

The BBC listed Etika's death as one of the biggest tech stories of 2019,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50809562 Tech 2019: Our biggest technology stories]</ref> and NBC News's Rod Breslau believed Etika would go down in history as one of the greatest video game entertainers.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/etika-was-larger-life-youtube-star-researchers-are-unsure-how-n1022271 NBC News Reaction]</ref> YouTube Creators also posted a tweet mourning his death.<ref>[https://twitter.com/YouTubeCreators/status/1143582543528075265 YouTube Creators reaction]</ref>

===Later events===
[[File:EtikaRPlaceMural.png|thumb|200px|Etika mural created on r/place in 2022.]]
Soon after his death, controversies happened on YouTube with people exploiting his death for money. YouTubers such as {{Sm|Cr1TiKaL}} and [https://www.youtube.com/@Pyrocynical Pyrocynical] exposed channels doing such acts, of which the accused had their videos or channels taken down later.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QB1Ghekfb0 Jaystation Is The Biggest Douchebag]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JGPcxARukI let etika rest]</ref>

In August 2019, at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}'s 3rd annual "Smashies Awards", a tribute was held in honor of Etika, who was meant to receive the "Best Reaction" award.<ref>[https://youtu.be/FXe9etTIy8A?si=UrTCYh56agQwYVuM&t=3730 Smashies Award "Best Reaction" tribute to Etika]</ref> Various famous reactions were showcased, including the reveals of Mewtwo in ''Smash 4'', ''Ultimate'', and [[Joker]], [[Ridley]], [[Ken]], and [[Incineroar]]'s reveals for ''Ultimate''. {{Sm|Coney}}, {{Sm|D1}}, and {{Sm|Austy}} gave commentary, and in lieu of Etika, his friends accepted the award instead.

In January 2022, AntilaHQ launched an "EtikaPunks" line of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on Rarible, branded after the "CryptoPunks" line of NFTs and Etika's likeness, allegedly in his memory.<ref>[https://buidlbee.com/etika-nft/ NFT analysis]</ref> This led to large-scale derision from Smashers, pointing out its distastefulness, the poor artistic quality, and the racism featured in some of the designs, such as one holding a banana.<ref>[https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/etika-nfts-under-fire-for-capitalizing-on-late-youtubers-likeness-1733998/]</ref> In February, both the AntilaHQ and EtikaPunks accounts were suspended. Following backlash, the creator claimed that they made the NFTs to make back money lost through a gambling addiction. The NFTs have been removed from Rarible's public view.<ref>[https://rarible.com/etikapunks/created]</ref>

In April 2022, after three days of struggle, fans of Etika managed to create a mural on r/place.<ref>[https://2022.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me/#//1592/321/1.563 r/place 2022 atlas]</ref> Two were made in the following year, with one featuring Pyra and Mythra, characters Etika enjoyed.<ref>r/place 2023 atlas; [https://2023.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me/#5334//-839/876/3.939 first memorial] & [https://2023.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me/#1429 second memorial]</ref>

==Tournament placings==
==={{forwiiu}}===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[https://challonge.com/NebSmash19WIIU Nebulous Smash Weekly 19 Wii U]||December 21st, 2014||33rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://challonge.com/NebulousWiiU20 Nebulous Smash Weekly 20 Wii U]||December 28th, 2014||33rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://challonge.com/SubHype1 Twitch Sub Event #1] {{OnlineIcon}}||March 7th, 2015||49th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|}

===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[https://challonge.com/DAGauntlet6 DA Gauntlet Ultimate 6]||February 19th, 2019||33rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|}

==Trivia==
* After the reveal of the [[Nintendo Switch]], Etika would often affectionately refer to his fanbase as "JOYCONBOYZ," notably selling merchandise relating to it. The name originated from a November 2016 live stream where Etika claimed to have a Nintendo Switch prior to the console's release, before it was shown to have been 3D printed, and is partly derived from "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa, one of Etika's favourite songs.
** Following Etika's death, content creator CaptnAlex produced custom joycons with the "JOYCONBOYZ" iconography. While the proceeds aimed to go to charity, the project was cancelled following a cease and desist.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/7/22158534/nintendo-etikon-joy-con-controllers-shut-down-cease-and-desist Custom Joycon C&D]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/Etika Twitter account]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/EWNetwork YouTube channel] {{dead link}}
*[https://twitch.tv/EtikaWorldNetwork Twitch channel] {{dead link}}
*[https://ssbworld.com/players/11614/etika SSBWorld profile]

==Gameplay videos==
==={{forwiiu}}===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpjM0lShgO8 Nebulous - Etika (Robin) VS. Xmark(Link, Yoshi) Commentated by Trent + JTails]

===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyOTt9xpB3Y Deadly Alliance Smash Gauntlet #6 - Etika (Ridley} vs T-Pals Cobi (Samus)]

[[Category:New York smashers]]
[[Category:YouTubers]]
[[Category:Deceased smashers]]
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