'My Hero Academia' Short Draws Ire Over Sexual Harassment Claims

02/21/2019 10:48 pm EST

My Hero Academia has become the world's next Naruto. The popular shonen series is a global phenomenon thanks to its colorful leads and high-octane action. However, after a recent skit went live, the franchise has found itself in hot water.

Recently, Japan released the anime's third season, and it came complete with a drama CD. These items are often included with DVD and Blu-ray bundles in Japan as they feature the show's voice actors performing skits in-character. Unfortunately, summaries of this volume's CD did not sit well with fans.

Several people posted short summaries of the CD, and fans were quick to slam the short for its depiction of sexual harassment. While a few of these descriptions have been taken down, others remain and paint a rather creepy picture.

The drama CD is set after the "Provisional License Exam" arc and follows characters like Izuku and Bakugo as they encounter a stranger. The newcomer is hostile to the students, and he uses his body-controlling quirk to freeze the latter along with Shoto Todoroki.

Stopping the pair, the villain cuts open Bakugo's shirt with a box cutter and does the same to Todoroki. The various summaries say the baddie ogles the minors and comments on their toned bodies, a fact that makes Bakugo label the villain a pervert. This upsets the bad guy who says he will have to take his plan further than expected. He reveals his desire to make Bakugo and Todoroki strip and do lewd poses with one another in public, but Izuku is able to interrupt the devious plot before it goes too far.

While some fans found the skit simple enough, others were disturbed by its casual use of sexual harassment. The fandom questioned the story's fan service as it saw two leads forcibly undressed, so here's to hoping the anime and manga refrain from exploring such a side arc down the line.

So, what do you make of this controversy? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015.

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