Japanese Voice Actress Hazuki Tanda Faces Racism Accusations Over Shaun the Sheep Halloween Cosplay
A Halloween post by Japanese voice actress and singer Hazuki Tanda has sparked major controversy across international social media, with many users accusing her of racism and using the incident to portray Japan as a racist country because of her costume.
The artist shared photos on her X account (formerly Twitter) showing off a homemade Halloween costume that, according to her, was intended to represent the classic children’s animated character Shaun the Sheep.
However, international users accused her of wearing blackface and labeled her a racist.
Voice Actress Accused of Racism Over Cosplay
Hazuki Tanda is known among anime fans for her work in music franchises from Bushiroad, voicing characters in anime such as D4DJ First Mix (as Miyu Sakurada) and the BanG Dream! universe (as Mana Sumida, one half of the duo sumimi).
Halloween rolled around at the end of October, a holiday that Japan loves to celebrate, and Hazuki Tanda shared the following photos:
And here’s the character for anyone unfamiliar with him:
According to the post, her intention was to recreate the look of the sheep from the British stop-motion series. However, within the context of global online discussions, several aspects of the costume came under heavy criticism:
Blackface, which refers to the practice of darkening one’s face to imitate Black people.
Banana, users also complained about her holding a banana in one hand, arguing that it reinforces derogatory stereotypes historically associated with racial insults.
White tufts covering the costume, intended to imitate sheep’s wool, the cotton pieces attached to her outfit were associated by some users with the painful history of forced cotton picking during the era of slavery in the United States.
The post even received a Community Note, along with hundreds of replies in both English and Japanese demanding an explanation and an apology.
Japanese Internet Reacts: Cultural Insensitivity or Genuine Misunderstanding?
On Japanese forums and comment aggregation sites, the controversy quickly became one of the most discussed topics. Local users were divided between confusion and debates about cultural awareness:
Defending Her Intentions: Many Japanese fans pointed out that, when looking closely at the reference image attached by the artist herself, it was obvious that she was simply trying to make a goofy, deliberately low-effort Shaun the Sheep cosplay. They argued that the average person in Japan is often unfamiliar with the historical baggage and cultural significance these representations carry in the West.
Criticism Over Lack of Guidance: Other users argued that, given her work in an increasingly globalized industry and her verified account with tens of thousands of international followers, her management team and agency should have anticipated the controversy surrounding such sensitive elements.
However, many Asian users (and I say Asian because it wasn’t just Japanese people defending the voice actress; people from other Asian countries also joined in) stood up for Hazuki, arguing that not everything revolves around American issues and that critics should simply leave her alone.
Japan has a history of Japanese performers and other entertainers darkening their faces for television shows, live performances, and other productions. Some Japanese users defended this practice, arguing that it is part of their own culture and has nothing to do with racism.
Hazuki Tanda has almost certainly seen the controversy by now, but she hasn’t deleted her tweet. It is still online with the original photos. The post has received 16 million views so far, and many Japanese users have commented that they loved her cosplay.