Top 10 Times Anime Companies Were Forced To Apologize
Top 10 Times Anime Companies Were Forced to Apologize
Top 10 Times Companies Pissed Off Anime Fans
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Anime Companies Were Forced to Apologize. For this list, we’re going to be looking at the times where the studios behind our favourite anime had to hang their heads in shame due to crossing some kind of line. What other anime corporations do you think screwed the pooch? Let us know in the comments!
#10: Kadokawa Backlash
Don’t ask us why a show as mediocre and seemingly low budget as Kemono friends blew up, but it did, and then some. Naturally, so much hype and love from fans would prompt a sequel series, only this time it came with a slight alteration – the director had been fired. Given how many credited him for the show’s success, having Tatsuki be unceremoniously let go from the project due to an apparent contract infringement left fans outraged, leading to global condemnation of the sequel season and the company behind it. If that wasn’t bad enough, Kadokawa had the voice actresses apologise on their behalf!
#9: Dewgong Dilemma
You all remember Dexit, right? How Pokémon fans everywhere were left aggravated at how few of the original Pokedex was transferred over to Sword and Shield? Turns out there was some unexpected fallout. During an episode of Twilight Wings, a short, online Pokémon spin-off, several Dewgong were featured swimming around. Harmless, right? Wrong. Since Dewgong isn’t actually in Sword and Shield, fans felt this was a wet slap to the face. Probably the only time you’ll see anyone going gaga over a Dewgong.
#8: Studio GoHands’ Sticky Fingers
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Die hard fans of Clannad and other CLAMP properties were probably eager to see a reimagining of one of its less well-known titles. Magical girls, LGBT undertones, sparkles, you know how it goes. Alas, any hope of seeing Tokyo Babylon 2021 was left dead and buried when it was cancelled even before making it to air. Turns out that some of their costume designs looked suspiciously to those belonging to other artists, leading to accusations of stealing. Guess you could say Studio GoHands got…clamped.
#7: Call for Prayer
How often does an anime’s background music end up causing controversy? Because that’s exactly what happened with the second season of Noragami. Turns out that the music featured in Noragami Aragoto sounded very similar to the Islamic call for prayer, something that Muslin watchers were none too pleased about. As a result, the producers had to make a public apology before delaying the second season outright in order to fix the error. Poor Yato, not only is he a stray god but now he’s insulting other people’s gods too.
#6: Silver Link’s Prank
This one is so infamous it poisoned its own anime. Kokoro Connect was just your average slice of life with the occasional dirty joke and romantic subplot thrown in for extra spice. Behind the scenes though, things were a little sourer. Turns out those in power decided to pull a little prank on young up and coming voice actor Mitsuhiro Ichiki, who thought he had bagged himself a role. Unfortunately, not only was the audition fake, but they secretly filmed him saying embarrassing lines before exposing them to a public audience. Some would say it was harmless, the majority declared it degrading and unnecessary.
#5: Dramatical Murder…Of Their Own Anime
The jokes practically write themselves. Of course, this yaoi series isn’t the first anime to be of such dismal quality it caused outrage, but it’s pretty rare for a studio after only the third episode to have to come out and admit they messed up. The quality drop was really that bad, and all because the animation shown was supposedly “not fit for public release” but had still somehow slipped onto broadcasts regardless. The fangirls were certainly not impressed, especially after what happened to their precious Aoba.
#4: Peko vs. Diablo
If there’s one piece of advice that every anime studio should take to heart, it’s this; never mess with the VTubers. They are far more powerful than you will ever be. The production company for How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Omega found this out the hard way, when one of their background characters turned out to be a borderline replica of famed Vtuber Usada Pekora. Considering they had used their likeness without Peko’s permission, the studio swiftly apologised and promised to alter the character design for future rebroadcasts. Fear the Peko. FEAR HER!
#3: SAO’s Bad Habits
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While many would say the Sword Art Online franchise’s biggest issues stemmed from too many waifus and Kirito’s severe lack of character, it does have a far more polluted track record that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Following the event in Alicization where Eugeo saved his female friends from being sexually assaulted by a pair of irredeemable punks, there was a fresh outcry from fans who were sick and tired of this kind of content. This prompted the author of the light novels to apologise, saying he would be veering away from that kind of content in the future.
#2: Ufotable Tax Evasion
How? How is this possible? These are the talents behind Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, the animated movie that made more money than God. They shouldn’t have an issue when it comes to paying their taxes. Is this how Demon Slayer Season Two got funded? All we know is that the much beloved studio has been indicted for tax evasion worth a hundred and thirty-seven million yen. Somewhere in the region of nine hundred thousand dollars. Apparently, everything’s settled now, we just hope that it hasn’t put the pin in Tanjiro’s future ventures.
#1: Anno vs Gainax
Damn it Gainax! We’ve already spent a lifetime waiting for the official conclusion to Evangelion, and here you are causing more delays and stirring up trouble by refusing to pay people. Turns out the only people that Anno hates more than fans who send him death threats is the company he helped set up. The ongoing lawsuit, which relates to unpaid royalties to Anno and his own Studio Khara, has gotten so ugly and disruptive that fellow Gainax founder Hiroyuki Yamaga had to come out with an apology. Given how Anno has spent decades working on the same project, we doubt he’s going to give up the chase when it comes to grabbing the hundred million yen that’s owed to him.
