HONG KONG — The Twitter accounts of a Japanese mascot whose naughty antics charmed the internet and drew praise from the comedian John Oliver were abruptly suspended this week.

Fans are bereft. But still kind of amused.

The cutesy-looking unsanctioned mascot, Chiitan, was modeled on a real-life otter that was itself an official honorary tourism mascot last year for the southern Japanese city of Susaki.

But Chiitan’s violent stunts — such as pushing over a car or attacking an inflatable pole with a baseball bat — became instant memes that delighted social media users around the world. Susaki city officials initially turned a blind eye toward them — until complaints about the mascot’s antics began to pour in from around Japan.

In January, a Susaki official told The New York Times that the city was consulting a lawyer because it worried that Charando, the design company that owned a copyright for Chiitan, was profiting off its viral antics. That is a concern in Japan because the country allows its citizens to donate tax payments to municipalities of their choice — a potential windfall for a place with a flashy mascot.