While fully animated projects that feature anime crossovers might not be as prevalent as those in the comic book world, this hasn’t stopped characters from coming into contact with one another via digital projects. Such is the case with the shonen universe, as various franchises will routinely meet in video games and other avenues over the years. Most recently, two major properties were brought together thanks to a manga artist smashing the worlds together. Unfortunately, said artist might not have known the controversy that would arise when a pint-sized detective and a crime-fighting superhero were united.
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Earlier this year, Detective Conan creator Gosho Aoyama shared side-by-side art of his titular character, while also busting out his pens to create his own rendition of My Hero Academia’s Izuku Midoriya. The collaboration was created to celebrate both the thirtieth anniversary of Case Closed and the tenth anniversary of My Hero Academia, both of which take place in 2026. As a result of this crossover, fans in China weren’t too happy, as the story of UA Academy had some serious controversy in 2020. Thanks to the naming of one super villain, the superhero shonen series was pulled from many Chinese platforms, causing Class 1-A’s creator, Kohei Horikoshi, to issue an apology. As a result, Aoyama was receiving some serious backlash.
The My Hero Academia China Controversy Explained
In 2020, the controversy surrounding My Hero Academia came about thanks to a specific villain. Originally, the nefarious doctor who worked with the villainous All For One, Dr. Kyudai Garaki, was named Maruta Shiga. “Maruta” was a name that had been used for a human experimentation project implemented by Japan’s Army during World War 2. The ghastly experiments routinely saw atrocities performed on men, women, and children, causing quite an outcry from China as a result.
Following the controversy, Kohei Horikoshi issued an apology, along with changing the evil doctor’s name to what we know today. The mangaka stated, “By using the name “Maruta Shiga” in chapter 259 of My Hero Academia, I deeply offended a great number of readers. I am truly sorry about this. The character–with deep reverence and wanting to feel closer to the League of Villain’s former boss, All For One–decided to take part of All For One’s last name (Shigaraki) and make it his own (Shiga). I gave him the first name “Maruta” because he’s round and plump. Any other meaning is coincidental, and I had absolutely no intention of hurting so many readers, which I now know that I did. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Going forward, I will do my utmost to make sure that this sort of thing never happens again.”
This crossover between the tiny crime solver and the inheritor of One For All wasn’t an official Shonen Jump-approved union, though this didn’t stop Aoyama from feeling the backlash. To date, My Hero Academia is still not looked upon fondly in China due to this decision, but with the story now finished, the superhero story remains a major part of the anime world.
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