Is Anime Hated in China?

The Best Anime Here

Is anime really disliked in China, or is that just an online myth? In this video, we break down the complex relationship between China and Japanese animation, exploring cultural tensions, government regulations, censorship, and the massive popularity anime still enjoys among Chinese fans.  We look at how historical conflicts shape public perception, why certain series get banned or restricted, and how China’s growing animation industry (donghua) competes with Japan. At the same time, we highlight the huge anime communities on platforms like Bilibili, the rise of local cosplay culture, and the surprising influence Japanese anime has on Chinese creators.  From political controversy to passionate fandom, this video uncovers what really happens behind the headlines — and whether anime is truly “hated” in China or simply misunderstood by outsiders.

Transcript

00:00Several recent incidents have reignited the debate.

00:03In Suzhou, 2022, a young cosplayer was arrested while reporting on summertime rendering.

00:10She was wearing a Japanese kimono and portraying an anime character.

00:14The police detained her for hours and accused her of picking quarrels and provoking trouble,

00:19an ambiguous charge, simply for wearing that outfit.

00:23In the video of the arrest, the officer can be heard shouting at her that,

00:27as a Chinese woman, she should wear hanfu, traditional Chinese clothing, instead of kimono.

00:33The officers confiscated her dress and forced her to write a 500-word self-criticism.

00:39This case exploded on social media.

00:42Thousands of users shared it along with heated debates,

00:45ranging from the most fervent nationalism to voices of alarm over police excesses.

00:50For their part, although reports are less precise,

00:53viral videos have been circulated of cosplayers dressed

00:57as Naruto characters being attacked in public during youth events in Shanghai.

01:02In these images, captured by attendees,

01:05hostile groups lash out at the young people in costume,

01:08rip off their wigs, and shout nationalist slogans.

01:11While there are no official sources that fully document these events,

01:15several witnesses on Chinese and foreign social media confirm

01:18that they took place in the context of street demonstrations by young people,

01:23serving as an example of how some nationalists consider

01:26any celebration of Japanese pop culture to be offensive.

01:30To understand these incidents,

01:31we must look back at the long and painful history between China and Japan.

01:36China suffered Japanese invasions and occupation,

01:39especially during World War II.

01:41The 1937 Nanking Massacre and the Comfort Women

01:45are deep historical wounds.

01:47Resentment still runs high,

01:49and every visit by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine,

01:54where the remains of imperial soldiers are enshrined,

01:57provokes massive protests in China.

02:00In addition, recent tensions in the Pacific

02:02over Taiwan and territorial disputes

02:05have fueled Chinese nationalism.

02:08For this reason,

02:09many Chinese believe that wearing a symbol of Japan

02:12is insensitive to historical victims.

02:15In the words of the Guardian,

02:16hostility and unease toward Japan

02:19have existed in China for decades

02:21because of these past atrocities.

02:23Thus, a cosplayer in a kimono or an anime

02:27fan may find themselves, for some,

02:30in the eye of this long storm of historical resentment.

02:34For years,

02:35the Chinese government has strictly censored audiovisual content,

02:39including anime.

02:40Only content that promotes true,

02:42good, and beautiful ideals

02:44is allowed on TV or official platforms.

02:48Entire series have been removed

02:49for being considered too violent,

02:51erotic, or subversive.

02:53For example,

02:54Shingiki no Kaijin,

02:56Attack on Titan,

02:57was outright banned in 2015

02:59for its extreme violence

03:01and for portraying crimes against public morality.

03:04Similarly,

03:05in recent years,

03:06China has set new criteria.

03:08It will not allow student romance plots

03:10or stories of rebellion against governments,

03:13elements that are ubiquitous in many anime.

03:16As a curious fact,

03:17China also creates this type of anime.

03:20Under these rules,

03:21titles such as One Piece,

03:23which tells the story of pirates fighting the authorities,

03:26or even classic high school romances,

03:28Kimi and I, Tadok,

03:30Toradora,

03:31could be banned.

03:32All this means that Japanese studios

03:34and international platforms

03:35must adapt or discard content

03:38before it's broadcast in China.

03:40In addition to eliminating entire series,

03:43Chinese censors often edit specific scenes.

03:46A common technique

03:47is to replace red blood with white,

03:49a measure that leaves sequences comical or absurd.

03:53The result is visible in popular anime,

03:55Chainsaw Man,

03:56Shingiki,

03:57One Piece,

03:58Dragon Ball,

03:59whose Chinese versions sometimes seem

04:01almost like satires of the original.

04:03The official goal is to protect young people,

04:06the main audience for cartoons,

04:08from vulgar,

04:09violent,

04:10and bloody content.

04:11This fits in with the government's general trend

04:13of regulating the media

04:15to instill a moral message

04:17in mass culture.

04:19Despite all this,

04:20anime fandom in China

04:22is massive.

04:23The country is home to millions of fans,

04:26the second largest audience

04:28in the world after Japan,

04:29who watch series on Chinese platforms

04:31or travel abroad.

04:33The star site is Billy Billy,

04:35a Chinese equivalent of YouTube

04:37born out of anime fandom.

04:39According to 2018 data,

04:41Billy Billy already had almost

04:42100 million registered users

04:44and around 76 million monthly active users,

04:48of which more than 80%

04:49were young people for Generation Z.

04:51This portal not only broadcasts licensed series,

04:55such as Jujutsu Kaisen,

04:57Naruto,

04:58Kimetsu no Yaiba,

04:59but also promotes the creation

05:01of fan-generated content,

05:03articles,

05:03fan art,

05:04AMVs,

05:05Dijinchis,

05:06generating a vibrant online community.

05:09Pop culture festivals and events

05:11are flourishing in cities.

05:13For example,

05:14Shanghai hosts the Joy Universe Festival,

05:16a large anime carnival

05:18with themed shops,

05:20collectible passports,

05:21and even official pop-ups

05:22for Japanese series.

05:24Jujutsu Kaisen and Blue Lock

05:26were invited.

05:27A single shopping mall

05:28was expected to receive

05:305 million visitors

05:31in the summer of 2024,

05:33demonstrating how lucrative

05:35the otaku universe is.

05:37Similarly,

05:38comic and anime conventions

05:39called ACG fairs

05:41are filled with costumed fans,

05:43Japanese merchandise,

05:45talks,

05:45and cosplay contests.

05:47On the industrial side,

05:48China even produces

05:49its own successful

05:51Donghua,

05:52Chinese anime.

05:53Njutsu,

05:54for example,

05:55sparked both national pride

05:56and rejection

05:57of Hollywood competitors.

05:59In short,

06:00in everyday Chinese reality,

06:02conservative policies

06:03coexist with a youth culture

06:05enthusiastic about

06:06Japanese anime.

06:08Social media reflects

06:09this contradiction.

06:11Platforms such as

06:11Weibo and Bilibili

06:13are buzzing with geek activity.

06:15Debates,

06:16memes,

06:16streamers,

06:17and otakus

06:18sharing opinions.

06:20In response to cases

06:21such as that of the

06:22Sujo cosplayer,

06:24messages emerged

06:25in both directions.

06:27Some internet users

06:27supported the police,

06:29recalling the brutalities

06:30of the Japanese occupation,

06:32and claimed that wearing

06:33a kimono there was

06:34offensive.

06:35However,

06:36many others condemned

06:37the arrest as absurd.

06:39By the same logic,

06:41would we be criminals

06:41if China went to war

06:43with the U.S.

06:43and we used iPhones?

06:45Asked one indignant user.

06:47Defenders of a young woman

06:48called for a halt

06:49to rampant

06:50ultra-nationalism,

06:51pointing out that

06:52in the past,

06:52it was normal

06:53to rent kimonas

06:54for photoshoots.

06:56In turn,

06:57influential commentators

06:58such as Huxi Jin,

07:00former editor

07:00of the Global Times tabloid,

07:02criticized the measure.

07:04He said that

07:04the woman's clothing

07:05was not illegal

07:06and that,

07:07under normal conditions,

07:09people should be able

07:09to dress freely

07:10even though he admitted

07:12certain sensitivities

07:13on historical dates.

07:15The Naruto issue

07:15was also debated

07:16on social media.

07:18Chinese internet users

07:19collected videos

07:20of cosplayers

07:21being attacked,

07:22with some condemning

07:23the attackers

07:24and others justifying them

07:26with patriotic arguments.

07:28In short,

07:29opinions on the Chinese internet

07:30are mixed.

07:31Humorous memes,

07:33fan lamentations,

07:34and nationalist rhetoric

07:35are mixed with criticism

07:36of censorship.

07:37The truth is that

07:38each new incident

07:39fuels this clash of visions.

07:42Anime as an artistic work

07:43for entertainment

07:44and self-expression,

07:46versus anime

07:47as a possible transmitter

07:48of foreign

07:49or dirty ideas.

07:52To conclude,

07:53it is important

07:53to put things

07:54into perspective.

07:55Not all of China

07:56hates anime.

07:58There is a very large

07:59and active segment

08:00of the population,

08:01especially young people,

08:03who openly enjoy

08:04Japanese animation.

08:06Many consume series

08:07on Chinese platforms,

08:09attend events,

08:10form fan clubs,

08:11and call themselves

08:12otakus.

08:13The state itself

08:14is aware of this.

08:16In fact,

08:16it sometimes promotes

08:17pop culture expos

08:19or festivals

08:20where Japanese anime

08:21is present,

08:22as we saw with

08:23the Joy Universe Festival.

08:24The confrontation arises

08:26when the official dynamic,

08:28traditional nationalism,

08:29and cultural censorship

08:30clashes with the everyday

08:32expressions of young people.

08:34The cases in the media

08:35are extreme.

08:37They're the tip

08:37of the iceberg

08:38that illustrates

08:39the conflict

08:40between the official

08:41patriotic discourse

08:42and a society

08:43that longs

08:44to freely consume

08:45foreign entertainment.

08:46In other words,

08:48many Chinese people

08:49do not detest anime.

08:51In fact,

08:51they embrace it passionately.

08:53But there is a hard core

08:54of historical

08:55and political sensibilities

08:57that,

08:58when stirred up,

08:59perceive anime

09:00as a reminder

09:02of a painful past.

09:03Ultimately,

09:04the reality

09:05is more complex

09:06than a simplistic phrase.

09:08While the government

09:09tightens cultural measures

09:10to protect youth,

09:12hundreds of millions

09:13of Chinese

09:13continue to devour anime

09:15in secret

09:16or in public,

09:17adapting to the rules

09:18of the game.

09:19The heroes of Dragon Ball

09:20and Naruto

09:21coexist between

09:22official censorship

09:23and ironic comments

09:25in Chinese videos.

09:27In the end,

09:28the question in the title

09:28is best answered

09:30with nuance.

09:31China has sectors

09:32with an ideological

09:33aversion to anime

09:34for historical

09:35and political reasons.

09:37But this coexists

09:38with a massive fandom

09:39that adores it.

09:40It cannot be said,

09:41then,

09:42that all of China

09:43hates anime.

09:44The phenomenon

09:45is a complex mosaic

09:46of culture,

09:48politics,

09:49and historical memory

09:50where many of the reactions

09:51are more expressions

09:52of patriotism

09:53than of intrinsic

09:54hatred of animation.

10:12of the universe.

10:13of the universe.

10:14of the universe.

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