Mushoku Tensei Creator Addresses Anime's Slavery Drama

Mushoku Tensei's creator sparked debate amongst anime fans following the anime's recent take on slavery.

By Megan Peters

With how big anime has become, it is hard to overlook any drama that sparks within the community. Right now, it seems Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is at the middle of a new debate. The whole thing sparked when Mushoku Tensei's anime dropped a new episode, and its take on slavery left many unsure until series creator Rifujin na Magonote addressed it.

And then what happened? Well, a wild road of miscommunication left fans at war. So if you missed any part of the controversy, you can read up on the situation below.

As far as the timeline goes, Magonote prefaced the new episode of Mushoku Tensei with an addressal of its story. That is where their first comment about slavery was shared. To be clear, the comment was made to explain Rudeus' view of slavery, so you can read the note below:

"About Rudeus: He doesn't really have any feelings of hatred for slavery. He feels like, it's not necessarily the case that all slaves are universally unhappier as slaves than they were before becoming slaves. So while kidnapping is evil, he can't say with certainty that slavery itself is evil and doesn't want to impose his own sense of justice upon a culture he is unfamiliar with."

The tweet in question earned traction after the Mushoku Tensei episode went live. After all, it adapts a part of the manga where a child slave named Julie is introduced. Rudeus purchases the young girl to make figures for Zanoba, and the protagonist's take on slavery left modern audiences uncomfy. After reading Maganote's tweet, some felt the writer was defending slavery for themselves which was never the case. And after an outcry was sparked, Maganote posted another note clarifying their own position.

"I don't condone slavery myself," Maganote shared. "I'd like to apologize. It is true that I wrote Rudeus as someone who has no aversion to slavery. I've written the series with such a setting that [slavery] is seen as acceptable, so there's no point in justifying [the concept]," they shared.

This note clarified what we already knew about Maganote's letter, but Mushoku Tensei itself has still icked some with its approach to slavery. Its presence is enough to ward some longtime fans away from the series for good, and that decision comes down to preference. There is no denying that topics like slavery are incredibly triggering, after all. But in Maganote's case, they have at least made it clear they don't personally endorse such an archaic system.

Related:

If you are not familiar with Mushoku Tensei, you can read the anime's official synopsis below for all the details: "Kicked out by his family and wandering the streets, an unemployed 34-year-old shut-in thinks he's hit rock-bottom-just as he's hit and killed by a speeding truck! Awakening to find himself reborn as an infant in a world of swords and sorcery, but with the memories of his first life intact, Rudeus Greyrat is determined not to repeat his past mistakes. He's going to make the most of this reincarnation as he sets off on the adventure of a second lifetime."

What do you think about this Mushoku Tensei drama? Do you think the situation rightfully blew up or...? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Trending Now: