On February 25, 2025, when the second round of entrance exams for national and public universities began, the traditional "Professor Orita Statue" appeared on the Kyoto University Yoshida Minami campus (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City). This year, he was dressed as the anime character "Hana Kappa" and sent his support to test-takers.
The papier-mâché statue is named after a bust of Orita Hikoichi, who served as the first principal of the former Third High School, the predecessor of Kyoto University. It is placed every year where the real statue used to be, but its creator remains a mystery.
Hana Kappa is a kappa boy with a flower on his head. A sign nearby it explained, "He worked hard to rejuvenate Yamabiko Village and made a great contribution to establishing an academic culture at Kyoto University that is spring and summer, autumn and winter, morning, noon and night." It also included the character's catchphrase.
