Butsukari Otoko: Dostoevsky & The ‘Bumping Man’ Trend

Butsukari Otoko [bumping man] is a phenomenon originating in Japan and since spread across the globe in which a man barges a woman (or a vulnerable individual) in order to ‘get off’ on the feeling of superiority. As a recent report says of one east London victim:

Ayla Mellek was walking along Mile End canal with a friend when she was knocked to the ground by a runner with so much force it ‘knocked the air out of her lungs’ on Sunday.

The marketer had tried to move out of the way of the man, who was running and grunting towards at her at full speed, but he instead went straight through her.

The 20-year-old told Metro: ‘After he collided with me, I heard a grunt of satisfaction come from him.

‘Bear in mind, he is huge and around 6ft 4in tall. As he came towards me, I turned my body to make a gap for him to run through, but instead he ran at me at full speed and completely bodied me.

‘It felt like he was trying to knock me into the canal, but the way my body was turned it meant I hit the ground instead.’

Ayla was knocked face first to the ground so hard it knocked the air out of her lungs and left with her cuts down her hands and arms and whiplash across her upper body.

Hoping it was an accident, Ayla…