Haru Urara, a racehorse once dubbed the “shining star of losers everywhere,” has captured hearts around the world once again, decades after her final race. It’s all thanks to a character in a new anime gacha game.
Despite finishing her five-year career with 0 wins in 113 races, Haru Urara is going viral thanks to a surge of interest from overseas fans discovering her through the release of the viral mobile gacha game, Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
Umamusume turns real-life racehorses into anime girls and tasks players with training characters to win the prestigious tournaments.
In the game, Haru Urara is a cheerful and determined character who never gives up, mirroring her real-life spirit. It’s her positivity and underdog status that have led to renewed interest in the lovable loser.
Losing racehorse Haru Urara goes viral again
Haru Urara originally became a cultural icon in Japan during the early 2000s. While most racehorses fade into obscurity after repeated losses, Haru Urara’s persistence turned her into a national symbol of resilience.
She famously drew massive crowds, inspired merchandise, and even helped save a failing racetrack from closing thanks to people flocking to see her and purchasing losing tickets on purpose as lucky charms. Now, more than 20 years later, the “shining star of losers everywhere” is once again in the spotlight.
While the anime version of Haru Urara can win (with a lot of hard work and luck), Umamusume: Pretty Derby intentionally makes snagging those all-important first-place prizes incredibly difficult.
This is largely due to her low base stats and weak skills, which lead to Haru being outclassed by other characters. As a result, many fans treat the pint-sized horse girl as a “Hard mode” run, where every race is a brutal gauntlet.
So far, overseas fans have been left heartbroken by her will to win, but her inability to do so. “Even though she’s just a bunch of pixels on my screen, I need Haru Urara to know that I would do literally anything in the world for her,” wrote one fan who shared their bitter loss.
“They say the race is called ‘Arima Kinen’, it’s actually just ‘I’m really cryin’,’” wrote another.
So far, Umamusume: Pretty Derby fans have been vowing to get Haru a victory, while others have even managed to win the game’s entire tournament. However, the sudden spike in popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The farm where Haru Urara resides shared a heartwarming message after seeing a flood of new engagement from overseas fans:
“For some reason, the tiara from Urara-san’s birthday this year has gained another 10,000 likes since yesterday, and the notifications won’t stop. Plus, my overseas account has gained about 400 followers since yesterday,” reads the X post.
“I don’t know if this will reach the overseas bros and sisters, but Haru Urara is doing super well, and honestly, she’s probably healthier and more energetic than I am!”
So, although she never won a single race and is currently enjoying her retirement, Haru Urara continues to inspire.
