Line is a free text messaging mobile app used widely in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Line became Japan’s largest social network in 2013 and is used by over 70% of the population.

Line offers virtual stickers that depict original and well-known characters that are used during chat sessions between users. Purchased stickers can be used on other platforms.

Chie Saito [see below] is a top Japanese designer and swimmer who creates lots of cute and clever virtual stickers. Together with Sho Azuma, she created a virtual character called ‘Mahi-Mahi-kun’ (まひまひクン in Japanese).

Open Water Swimming Club members frequently use the various Mahi-Mahi-kun stickers in their online chats. He is their virtual mascot [see above and below] because he loves open water swimming with a joint aim to eventually become a triathlete and a lifeguard. The character was imagined from the actual mahi-mahi that swam with Moriya Masayuki, the founder of Ocean Navi, when he crossed the Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan in August 2011.

For more information, visit Line here.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

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