What does Arasaka mean? Fans erupt as Bo Burnham seemingly shares a series of cryptic TikToks hinting at a comeback

73rd Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals - Source: Getty
Bo Burnham at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. (Image via Getty/ Rich Fury)

Stand-up comedian, musician, actor, and filmmaker Bo Burnham is currently trending online after he seemingly hinted at a comeback as a YouTuber. Taking to his new and alternative TikTok account @destroyarasaka, Burnham uploaded a series of cryptic videos reportedly spelling out the word ‘Outside’ and indicating his alleged return.

Meanwhile, the description of the page read, “Stay, outside. 7 days remain - @pleasestayoutside on YouTube.” The @destroyarasaka handle has earned 167,800 followers at the time of writing.

For those unversed, Arasaka refers to a fictional megacorporation in the Cyberpunk franchise that deals in corporate security, manufacturing, and banking.

As for the link to the YouTube channel (@pleasestayoutside) provided, it has so far gained 16,400 subscribers and has a couple of similar nature-based videos as uploaded on Bo’s recent TikTok clips.

In the wake of this, his fans are anticipating his YouTube comeback. Here are some of the comments in this regard from the social networking site, X.

“Either Bo Burnham is making the comeback to end all comebacks or someone is playing the greatest prank of all time,” a person wrote.
“If Bo Burnham is really coming back this is really just 2020 round 2,” one person wrote.
“I am losing my mind Re: Robert Burnham TikTok account. I have never heard some of these Bo recordings, makes me think the account is real. The username is @destroyarasaka, as in Arasaka from Cyberpunk, which makes this fishy. Why the Cyberpunk reference for no reason?” asked another.

Others continued to weigh in.

“Can this please be Bo Burnham... our savior?” a fan asked.
“Please someone tell me if this is actually Bo Burnham who is slowly releasing teaser videos that spell out ‘OUTSIDE’ as a mirror to dropping ‘INSIDE,’” another fan wrote.
“There's a Bo Burnham account on TikTok making cryptic videos and spelling out the word ‘OUTSIDE’ until TikTok gets ban in the US. AND PEOPLE ARE BELIEVING IT TO BE TRUE???? WAKE TF UP, THIS IS SO OBVIOUSLY FAKE LIKE WTF, WERE YOU BORN YESTERDAY AND JUST DISCOVERED THE INTERNET???” a netizen asked.
“The TikTok acct reposts make the acct look very fan page-y to me, not lookin’ legit imo,” wrote another.

Meanwhile, Reddit users united to claim that the @destroyarasaka account is not real, but allegedly a fan account of Burnham. Their theory comes amid the viral news that the Supreme Court was deciding whether or not to ban TikTok in the USA.

Notably, in April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law that stated TikTok needed to change its ownership from the current China-based parent company, ByteDance for it to continue being available in the USA, or get banned in the country.

As per the January 10, 2025 hearing, a majority of Supreme Court judges appeared to uphold the law. However, the final decision is yet to be made.


More about Arasaka in the wake of Bo Burnham's comeback theory

According to the Cyberpunk fandom website, The Arasaka Corporation, mononymously known as Arasaka, is a Japanese fictional global conglomerate well-known for being the largest distributor of Japanese-manufactured items across the American, European, and Asian markets.

Specializing in corporate security, banking, and manufacturing, the company is also regarded for its weapons and military automobiles including the Bullpup assault weapon, the Autopistol, and the Half Bow, which are purchased by both law enforcement and security firms.

Elsewhere, it is also known for its connection to the organized crime syndicate, Yakuza.

Arasaka also maintains the largest and most powerful armed forces worldwide, with an army of lawyers, soldiers, mercenaries, couriers, guards, and more – all of whom together protect the company’s vast reserves of wealth, secrets, and assets.

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Founded in 1915 by Sasai Arasaka, the company is headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, in dual parallel skyscrapers. The name Arasaka was probably derived from its founder who in turn might have got his name from the early 20th century Japanese lieutenant general, Arisaka Nariakira, who developed the Arisaka Rifle.

Another source might be the Arasaka HLR-12X Heavy Laser Rifle, from the anime film Akira.


It remains unclear whether Bo Burnham’s alleged new YouTube and TikTok account has anything to do with Arasaka. He rose to fame in 2006 via YouTube for his parodical videos including "My Whole Family Thinks I'm Gay" and "Bo Fo' Sho.'"

He had a cameo in Adam Sandler’s Funny People in 2009 and went viral after his comedic song about Jeff Bezos earned millions of views on YouTube.

The 34-year-old also released two commercially successful comedy albums in 2009 and 2010 as well as the Netflix specials, what., Make Happy, and Bo Burnham: Inside.

Eventually, he turned into a cultural critic. However, over the last couple of years, he stepped away from the limelight and has been primarily inactive on the internet.

Whether he's planning a comeback isn't officially confirmed yet.

Edited by Prem Deshpande
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