Japan's "badminton fairy" Taguchi Maya is going viral for her striking resemblance to NewJeans' Hanni.
On the 20th, side-by-side comparison photos of Taguchi and Hanni spread across social media and online communities, quickly fueling debate. Chinese outlet Sina Sports has already spotlighted the lookalike buzz.
Taguchi competes in Japan in mixed doubles and women's doubles and showcased her potential by helping win the mixed team title at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships.
With her round eyes and bright smile, many reacted, "Who's Hanni?" and "She really looks like Hanni." However, others pushed back, saying, "They may be similar, but it's not enough to call them doppelgängers."
Meanwhile, NewJeans have been embroiled in conflict with their label ADOR since November of last year. Most recently, ADOR announced the termination of its exclusive contract with member Danielle.