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

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