Beijing and other Chinese cities are cracking down on Detective Conan fandom, banning cosplay and merchandise sales after the popular anime collaborated with My Hero Academia—a series already facing boycotts over perceived slights to Chinese history.
Anime Expo Bans Reflect Deep-Seated Historical Grievances
The controversy stems from a villain character in My Hero Academia, “Maruta Shiga,” introduced in 2020. The name evokes the horrific human experimentation conducted by Japan’s Unit 731 during the invasion of China, with “Maruta” being a derogatory term used by the unit to refer to its victims, and “Shiga” referencing the Japanese bacteriologist Kiyoshi Shiga.
Unit 731, active from 1932 to 1945, was a covert Japanese military medical unit responsible for brutal bacterial warfare and human experiments that resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Chinese, Korean, Soviet, and Western prisoners of war.
The Chinese mainland copyright agent for Detective Conan released a statement on January 31 asserting the collaboration “carries no stance or implication,” but this did little to quell public anger. The incident highlights the sensitivity surrounding historical memory and national sentiment in China.
Comic-Con Restrictions and Fan Reactions
IJOY Comic-Con, a prominent event in Beijing, announced it would prohibit all cosplay, product displays, and sales related to both My Hero Academia and Detective Conan at its recent weekend event. Organizers emphasized the need to “respect history, uphold fundamental principles and safeguard national dignity and public sentiment.”
Attendees largely supported the decision. One visitor noted they hadn’t observed any Detective Conan cosplay at the event. A 26-year-old cosplayer from Beijing, who had previously portrayed characters from Detective Conan for three years, explained she and her friends opted for a different costume. “Although I really love this work, I think it’s important to take a clear stance as a Chinese person,” she said.
Wider Industry Response and Expo Bans
The 18th Shenyang SSCA Anime & Game Expo, held in Shenyang, Liaoning Province from Friday to Sunday, issued a similar notice on its Weibo account. The expo, aligning with a consensus among domestic anime events, prohibited all Detective Conan-related cosplay, displays, and commercial sales due to My Hero Academia’s problematic content and the subsequent collaboration.
The ACC Anime Expo in Xi’an also issued a statement on Weibo, banning cosplay and sales of products related to Detective Conan, Pokémon, My Hero Academia, and Maid Sama!—all works deemed to raise “serious social concerns” or contradict historical facts.
Broader Concerns About Japanese Militarism
Recent controversies extend beyond anime. Pokémon faced criticism after announcing plans to hold a card game event at Yasukuni Shrine, a site seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism. The company subsequently apologized and pledged to improve its event review process.
On Sunday, China Military Bugle, an official media outlet under the Chinese People’s Liberation Army News Media Center, published an article on its WeChat account warning that Japanese militarism continues to surface in entertainment and sports. The article cited previous incidents, such as visits to Tōgō Shrine by Japanese table tennis players Tomokazu Harimoto and Kasumi Ishikawa.
The article argued that Japanese right-wing forces are exploiting generational shifts and weakening historical memory by subtly injecting glorified versions of history into popular media—sports, entertainment, anime, games, and textbooks—to lay the ideological groundwork for a potential revival of militarism. It urged vigilance against such infiltration.
