New Anti-Piracy Ad Blitzes Through Dozens of Anime & Manga Throughout the Years

Image via Association for E-publishing Business Solution

©Gôshô Aoyama ©Mitsuru Adachi ©諫山創／講談社 ©板垣巴留／秋田書店 ©井上雄彦 I.T.Planning,Inc. ©羽海野チカ／白泉社 ©CLAMP・ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD.／講談社 ©吾峠呼世晴／集英社 ©コナリミサト／秋田書店 ©小山宙哉／講談社 ©咲坂伊緒／集英社 ©椎名軽穂／集英社 ©鈴木央／講談社 ©空知英秋／集英社 ©高森朝雄・ちばてつや／講談社 ©田村由美／小学館 ©原泰久／集英社 ©東村アキコ／講談社 ©Natsu Hyuuga, Touko Shino／Shufunotomo Infos Co.,Ltd. ©Minoji Kurata／Shogakukan ©福本伸行／講談社 ©堀越耕平／集英社 ©矢沢漫画制作所／集英社 ©Mine Yoshizaki ©渡辺航／秋田書店

Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs released a new ad this week to combat piracy. In partnership with the STOP! Manga Piracy campaign, the ad celebrates heroes and heroines from across the decades-long history of manga and anime.

The ad's premise asks viewers if manga and anime will save us in a century's time. Its highlighted heroes and heroines include Astro Boy from Astro Boy, Luffy from One Piece, every JoJo (every JoJo) from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, Shōtarō Kaneda from Akira, Gokū from Dragon Ball, Ryō Saeba from City Hunter, the RX-78-2 Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam, Hamutarō from Hamutarō, and Tanjirō Kamado from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, among many others. The ad concludes by saying you, the readers and viewers, will save the future of manga and anime.

The STOP! Manga Piracy campaign began in 2018 when Japanese publishers Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shogakukan, and Shueisha partnered in a joint effort to end manga piracy. Several advertisements appeared in newspapers across the United States, Italy, Spain, and France In July 2024, thanking manga fans for reading the official versions.

Update: English version of the ad added.

Sources: Agency for Cultural Affairs's YouTube channel