China bans Ultraman Tiga, anime might be next

Ultraman Tiga, one of the most beloved characters in the entirety of the Japanese Tokusatsu franchise, is now banned in China. The National Radio and Television Administration, which is China’s broadcasting body, clamped down on its statement of banning cartoons that promote violence, profanity or sexual content.

TV channels must “adamantly resist using bad plots,” and should only air “moral cartoons with healthy content and promote truth, goodness and beauty,” according to the Chinese statement. “Children are the primary viewers of cartoons. Broadcasting services should set up child-friendly programmes for the healthy development of young people,” the statement continued (translation our own).

Ultraman Tiga was amongst 21 series that were surveyed due to “concerns over their impact on minors’ growth”. Other shows on the list include cartoons such as Peppa Pig and anime such as Detective Conan.

With the removal of Ultraman Tiga from various streaming platforms in China such as iQiyi, Tencent TV and Youko, Chinese netizens were upset. The removal of the TV show resulted in “Ultraman Tiga ban” to trend on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter. Many took to social media to express their frustration and concern, worried that their favourite shows and anime might be dealt with the same fate.

China’s crackdown on entertainment isn’t just limited to cartoons. Minors were also hit with restrictions on mobile games. On a related note, popular mobile gacha games such as Fate/Grand Order and Azur Lane also faced censorship, with characters being removed in the Chinese versions of the game.

Source: Sina Finance