A term meaning "landmine type" for people with hidden emotional instability, now reclaimed as a dark fashion aesthetic by marginalized Japanese youth.
地雷系 (jirai-kei) literally means "landmine type" — a Japanese term for people who seem stable on the surface but carry hidden emotional volatility. The metaphor is brutal: you think you're walking on safe ground, then suddenly you're not. What began as an insult on anonymous forums around 2010 — a way to warn others about women perceived as mentally unstable — has transformed into something unexpected: a fashion identity.
The aesthetic emerged from Tokyo's night districts, particularly around Kabukichō, where it became associated with young people on society's margins — runaway youth, host club workers, those struggling with mental health. Dark clothing inspired by Gothic Lolita, heavy makeup with teardrop motifs, an embrace of what Japanese culture calls yami kawaii ("sick-cute"). The people wearing it aren't trying to hide the landmine anymore. They're claiming it.
This reclamation reflects something complex: when society already sees you as broken or dangerous, sometimes the most powerful move is to dress like it. The term spread internationally through TikTok, where videos of Tokyo's runaway youth congregating in jirai-kei style sparked both fascination and concern. What looks like pure aesthetic to outsiders often carries the weight of real homelessness, exploitation, and social exclusion — the harsh reality that birthed the style in the first place.