Yunayu Deletes Malfoid Fanart After Bullying

A simple fanart of Draco Malfoy as a girl ended up getting caught in a much bigger discussion involving Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, and even the origins of the Malfoid name.

Illustrator Yunayu posted a female version of Draco during the fanart trend that took over social media. However, after learning about the “controversy surrounding the term” and receiving hostile comments, she removed the illustration and apologized.

What Happened To The Draco Malfoy Fanart?

Yunayu’s illustration was part of the Malfoid trend, which basically involves imagining Draco Malfoy as a female character.

The trend gained major traction on X in late September 2026. One of the most popular pieces, posted on September 22 by artist @redteneri, surpassed 89,000 likes and 9,500 reposts in about a week.

But Where Did The Name “Malfoid” Come From?

This is where things get a little more complicated.

“Malfoid” combines Malfoy with “foid,” a derogatory internet term used to refer to women perceived as unintelligent. According to Know Your Meme, within the trend, the name appears to have been adopted mainly as a pun on Draco’s surname rather than necessarily carrying the term’s original meaning.

In other words, for many artists and users, Malfoid simply became the name for a female version of Draco.

Why Did Yunayu’s Fanart Become Controversial?

For starters, here’s Yunayu’s fanart:

CUTE!

But then people who dislike J.K. Rowling and Israel began harassing artist Yunayu, who ended up deleting her fanart.

In a Bluesky post, the artist apologized if her artwork had made anyone uncomfortable or hurt and stated that she never intended to offend anyone.

She later apologized again, explaining that she had been busy the previous day and had not been able to keep up with social media. She also asked people not to make hurtful comments toward one another over the situation.

The artwork was eventually removed.

It is important to point out that Yunayu never said her fanart was a political statement, nor did she declare support for or opposition to any position associated with J.K. Rowling.

What Does J.K. Rowling Have To Do With Draco Malfoy?

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, has publicly expressed positions on sex, gender, and transgender rights for years. Those views are supported by some groups and strongly criticized by others. Rowling herself describes her position as defending women’s rights based on biological sex.

Because of this history, some people on social media began arguing that any new attention given to Harry Potter also benefits the author financially.

That exact argument appeared in replies to Yunayu’s post.

Some users argued that the fanart should be removed because it would help give the franchise more visibility. Others took a completely different view and accused critics of turning a simple genderbend joke into a political dispute.

There were also people who argued that turning Draco into a female character was simply a way to have fun with the character and should not automatically be interpreted as support for Rowling’s views.

After the fanart disappeared, several people began replying to Yunayu’s posts to show support for the artist.

Among the comments found on Bluesky, users said she had no reason to apologize, while others criticized those who had allegedly turned a fanart into a political issue.

On X, users also began reposting the artwork and saying they did not want to see it disappear.