Who is GameKyuubi?
GameKyuubi is the pseudonymous creator of HODL, the most iconic word in cryptocurrency. On December 18, 2013, he posted "I AM HODLING" on the BitcoinTalk forum — a drunken, typo-filled declaration during a Bitcoin crash that became the defining philosophy of an entire industry.
He remains largely pseudonymous to this day. Known only by his first name Mike (revealed in a 2019 CoinDesk interview), GameKyuubi is described as a guitarist and coder based in Japan.
The Post That Changed Everything
GameKyuubi registered on BitcoinTalk on June 19, 2011, when Bitcoin was trading under $20. He was one of Bitcoin's earliest community members, earning Senior Member status through years of active participation on the forum.
Two and a half years later, on December 18, 2013, Bitcoin was crashing. The People's Bank of China had just banned financial institutions from handling Bitcoin, sending the price tumbling from ~$1,150 to ~$550.
While most traders panicked and sold, GameKyuubi opened a bottle of whiskey and opened BitcoinTalk. The result was "I AM HODLING" — a raw, unfiltered, typo-filled post that resonated with thousands of people who were also watching their portfolios crash.
"In a zero-Loss game such as this, people who HODL are the ones who profit."
— GameKyuubi, December 18, 2013
His argument was simple but profound: most people are bad traders. Instead of trying to time the market and losing money, the smartest strategy is to hold. The data has proven him spectacularly right — Bitcoin was ~$550 at the time and has since surpassed $126,000.
GameKyuubi's Timeline
- Jun 2011 Registers on BitcoinTalk when BTC is under $20. Begins participating in the Bitcoin community as one of its earliest members.
- 2011-2013 Earns Senior Member status on BitcoinTalk through consistent, active participation in the forum community.
- Dec 2013 Posts "I AM HODLING" on BitcoinTalk during a Bitcoin crash. The post receives 2,600+ replies and 797,000+ views, creating crypto's most iconic term.
- 2014-2018 HODL becomes the defining word of cryptocurrency. The backronym "Hold On for Dear Life" emerges. GameKyuubi remains quiet — HODLing, presumably.
- 2019 Gives a rare interview to CoinDesk, revealing his first name as Mike and confirming he is a guitarist and coder based in Japan.
- 2021 Creates NFTs on Foundation, including artwork related to the "I AM HODLING" post.
- Feb 12, 2026 Pump.fun launches GitHub Creator Fees. The Solana community discovers GameKyuubi's GitHub and launches $HODL with his GitHub linked as creator fee recipient.
- Feb 12-19 The HODL community reaches out via Reddit and Discord for 5 straight days. ~$60,000 in creator fees available to claim.
- Feb 19, 2026 GameKyuubi posts "It's me." on Reddit and announces his arrival on X as @HODLAndChill64. The original creator of HODL is publicly back.
- Feb 2026 Creates and takes over the HODL Community on X, signaling full engagement. Begins actively participating in the $HODL community.
Why GameKyuubi Matters
GameKyuubi didn't just create a word — he articulated a philosophy that has shaped how hundreds of millions of people think about investing in cryptocurrency. His core insight was deceptively simple:
- Most people are bad traders — and there's no shame in admitting it
- Holding is the optimal strategy for the average person
- Conviction beats technical analysis for non-professionals
- 95-97% of day traders lose money — academic research consistently confirms his instinct
What makes GameKyuubi unique in crypto history is his authenticity. Unlike many crypto figures who carefully craft their image, his legendary moment was completely unplanned — a drunk man on a forum, frustrated and honest, who accidentally coined the most important word in cryptocurrency.
The 2026 Return
For over a decade after his famous post, GameKyuubi was largely silent. He resurfaced briefly in 2019 for a CoinDesk interview and created some NFTs on Foundation in 2021, but mostly stayed out of the spotlight.
Everything changed in February 2026. When pump.fun launched GitHub Creator Fees, the Solana community discovered GameKyuubi's GitHub profile and launched the $HODL token with his account linked as the creator fee recipient. After five days of community outreach via Reddit and Discord, GameKyuubi publicly confirmed his identity and joined X as @HODLAndChill64.
He subsequently created and took over the HODL Community on X, signaling his full engagement with the $HODL token and community. This marks the first time the original creator of HODL has actively participated in any HODL-branded token or project.
Learn about the $HODL token on Solana →