When Makoto Raiku's manga series Zatch Bell! celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, fans were ecstatic to learn a sequel, Zatch Bell! 2, was in the works. The new series, which continues the story of an older Zatch and Kiyo and features many returning characters from the original, is currently ongoing.
However, the author, Makoto Raiku, recently found himself in hot water after sharing his self-drawn New Year's illustration on X. Self-proclaimed Korean fans criticized the background art for "resembling the Rising Sun Flag" and demanded an apology. The incident quickly became a trending topic online, prompting Raiku to issue a statement today (January 5th).
▼ "Raiku-sensei" also trended on X in Japan this afternoon.
Raiku explicitly stated, "This illustration was not drawn with the intention of making my Korean friends uncomfortable." While he promised to be more mindful of similar imagery in the future, he added, "Of course, I will continue to be careful about depictions that involve the Rising Sun Flag, but I cannot accept the demands for an apology and the deletion of the artwork this time." He made it clear he would not yield to such requests, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect.
He further explained, "The background of this New Year's illustration was not inspired by the Rising Sun Flag; it's simply a depiction of a sunrise. If deleting this image meant that artists worldwide could no longer depict sunrises, it would severely restrict creative freedom." He also pointed out that such restrictive actions could lead to a "shrinkage" in the creative sphere, stressing that this issue transcends his personal situation and threatens the freedom of artistic expression as a whole.
▼ Makoto Raiku's statement.
Raiku-sensei also noted that while these might be isolated cases from self-proclaimed Korean netizens, if similar demands persist, he would seek advice from multiple lawyers, experts, or relevant organizations before responding further.
He also indicated that he might discuss the matter with the Korean publisher distributing Zatch Bell! 2. If even the Korean publisher demands the illustration's removal, he would have serious concerns about publishing his works in Korea. "If even works like this cannot pass, then future publishing in Korea will be frightening," he stated.
The "Rising Sun Flag" is widely regarded by Korean netizens as a symbol of Japanese militarism during World War II. Previously, the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" faced backlash from Korean viewers over Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings, leading Netflix to modify the design for its Korean release.
▼ The modified "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" anime.
However, some netizens believe that criticizing an artist's personal social media illustration to this extent is excessive, especially since it's a Japanese New Year's greeting card, and the sunrise is a significant national symbol in Japan. Nevertheless, it seems likely that similar controversies will continue to arise whenever such imagery appears in future works.