Link Click MV is Removed Due to My Hero Academia Controversy
When I saw this case, I didn’t really understand what had happened at first, but it’s incredible that something like this actually occurred. Have you heard of Link Click? It’s a Chinese series that received an anime adaptation, and recently a Link Click MV was produced, which ended up being taken down because of My Hero Academia…
Alright, let’s explain the story.
Link Click MV is Removed Due to My Hero Academia Controversy
On June 20, the Chinese franchise Link Click (Shiguang Dailiren) released the music MV “A Web Of Lies”. However, just a few days after its release, Chinese users managed to find something in the MV to criticize.
It turned out that Link Click had hired the illustrator Chunye Huaming to create the MV artwork. It didn’t take long for users to discover that she had drawn fan art and done cosplay of characters from My Hero Academia, which happens to still be highly disliked in China.
This discovery triggered a wave of online backlash, with many users calling for a boycott of the franchise and questioning the illustrator’s involvement in the project.
MV removed and partnership ended
In response to the controversy, the Link Click team released an official statement on their Bilibili channel.
According to the statement, due to the controversy involving some of the artwork used in “A Web Of Lies”, the MV was completely removed from official platforms. In addition, the related images were also deleted, and the collaboration with the illustrator was terminated.
The production also stated that it does not intend to work with the artist in any future projects.
What happened between My Hero Academia and China?
The origin of the controversy dates back to 2020, when the My Hero Academia manga introduced a character named Shiga Maruta.
At the time, some Chinese readers pointed out similarities between the character’s name and the term “Maruta,” which was associated with victims of human experimentation conducted by Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
The backlash became so large that the publisher Shueisha and author Kohei Horikoshi issued a formal apology. They stated that there was no intention to reference the historical event and that any similarity was purely coincidental.
Even after the apology, part of the Chinese fandom continued rejecting the series, creating boycott campaigns that, as seen, still persist today.
Illustrator issues apology
Following the recent backlash, Chunye Huaming posted a public statement on her Xiaohongshu account.
She stated that the My Hero Academia illustrations were created years ago for personal reasons and had no political intent. She also said she was younger at the time and did not understand the potential impact those works could cause.
In the statement, the illustrator accepted responsibility for the criticism, promised not to create any more content related to the series, and to delete her old works.
Finally, she clarified that her involvement in Link Click was limited only to the MV “A Web Of Lies”, with no participation in other franchise projects. She also confirmed that the partnership has been officially terminated.