The popular detective series, known as Case Closed in the West thanks to its broadcast on Adult Swim’s Toonami, has recently been heavily restricted in China after celebrating a milestone anniversary with a special collaboration.
Organizers of anime conventions in cities like Beijing, Chongqing, and Lanzhou have banned cosplays and the sale of merchandise related to Detective Conan. This decision comes after the series partnered with My Hero Academia, which caused strong negative reactions from people online in China.
The partnership between the creators of Detective Conan and My Hero Academia was meant to mark a special occasion: the 30th anniversary of the Detective Conan anime. As part of this collaboration, both authors created illustrations featuring characters from each other’s series. However, the move sparked criticism in China, with some calling it offensive due to past controversies surrounding My Hero Academia in the region.
Detective Conan Gets Banned in China Following New My Hero Academia Collaboration
The Chinese company in charge of the Detective Conan copyright, the Shanghai Character License Administrative Company, tried to calm public anger after a recent collaboration. They said the partnership was meant to encourage good values and cultural understanding. However, many people online are still upset and are calling for a sincere apology, feeling the company’s response missed the point.
The popular anime My Hero Academia faced significant backlash in 2020 when the creator, Kohei Horikoshi, used the name “Maruta Shiga” for a villain. “Maruta” was a deeply offensive term used by the Japanese army during World War II to refer to victims of brutal human experiments. Horikoshi quickly apologized and changed the character’s name to Kyudai Garaki, but the series’ reputation in some areas remains damaged.
Event organizers in Lanzhou announced that attendees wearing traditional Japanese clothing like kimonos or wooden clogs would not be allowed in. They explained this was because of sensitive historical reasons and to avoid upsetting people in China.
Recent restrictions on Japanese media are part of a broader pattern of increased control by Chinese authorities. This began after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made statements about regional security and Taiwan in late 2025, and has resulted in China taking actions to limit Japanese cultural exports.
Recently, several Japanese films were unexpectedly pulled from cinemas. Authorities also refused to allow an extended run for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, even though it was doing well in ticket sales, explaining the decision with vague “unavoidable circumstances.”
The anime series Detective Conan first appeared on Adult Swim on May 24, 2004, with an English dub produced by Funimation. Unfortunately, only 50 episodes were shown because of poor viewership. To celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary in 2025, TMS Entertainment released the series in North America again, making the episodes available on Netflix and Crunchyroll with a brand new English dub.
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2026-02-11 03:39