MyAnimeList, a massive online database for anime and manga fans, has been blocked, preventing millions of users from accessing it. This is the result of recent censorship efforts.
Russia has blocked access to the popular anime and manga database MyAnimeList, starting October 22, 2025. The country’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, claims the site contains “extremist” LGBTQ+ content and promotes “non-traditional sexual relations.” Russian users now see an error message when trying to visit the site, which has about 20 million users worldwide. However, officials have indicated the ban could be lifted if MyAnimeList, a Tokyo-based company, removes the objectionable content.
Russia Bans MyAnimeList Platform for ‘Extremist’ LGBTQ+ Content
Russia has a long history of suppressing LGBTQ+ expression, and the government continues to use laws passed in 2013 to do so. In late 2023, the Supreme Court labeled the “international LGBT public movement” as an “extremist organization,” making any related activism or expression illegal. This has resulted in content, including anime and manga, being targeted. MangaLIB, a large Russian-language manga platform, has faced fines totaling over US$169,600 across seven cases for hosting manga with same-sex relationships or sexual content. Recently, these cases have become unusual. The platform’s manager, Ivan Kvast, was personally fined over one million rubles (US$12,100) for hosting the manga The Great Snake’s Bride. A court sided with prosecutors, arguing that a romantic relationship between a human and a mythological creature constituted “non-traditional” relations.
Russia isn’t the only country censoring media, especially content related to LGBTQ+ issues. China has also been suppressing this type of material, banning LGBTQ+ storylines and depictions of “effeminate” men, which authorities consider harmful values. Recently, several authors of danmei (a genre of boys’ love stories) – primarily young women in their 20s who publish anonymously – have faced consequences for writing and profiting from queer narratives. Some have even been publicly arrested and questioned by authorities for these “crimes,” including college students.
It’s really concerning to see anime and manga facing restrictions here in the US too, though it’s happening differently than overseas. We’re seeing a big wave of challenges to books in schools and libraries lately, and it’s hitting manga as well. For example, the really sweet series Sasaki and Miyano was actually pulled from some libraries because of its LGBTQ+ themes, as part of a larger effort to limit what younger readers can access. It’s a tough situation for fans and a worrying trend.
Russia has a track record of limiting access to anime and manga, even apart from issues related to LGBTQ+ content. For example, in 2021, a court in St. Petersburg blocked online distribution of several popular series, not because of any perceived ‘propaganda,’ but due to worries that teenagers were imitating the violent acts shown in the anime.
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2025-10-30 01:40