Japanese Artists Face pixivFANBOX Suspensions Over Payment Processor Concerns

Japanese creators are reporting a new wave of suspensions on pixivFANBOX, mainly targeting works containing sexual content, violence, and certain themes considered “problematic.” What makes this especially notable is that some of the affected posts are three or four years old, and according to the notices sent to artists, the changes are related to “concerns raised by payment processors.”

The situation is drawing attention because this does not appear to be simply a new crackdown on recently published content. Artists are being told that material that remained available for years now needs to be modified or removed.

What Is Happening With pixivFANBOX?

pixivFANBOX is a creator-support platform operated by pixiv. Artists can create subscription plans and offer supporters exclusive content, including illustrations, manga, novels, and other works.

Over the past few days, several Japanese creators have taken to X to share notifications from the platform informing them that certain posts have been suspended.

The notice states that pixivFANBOX received a notification from its payment processor and, as a result, decided to suspend posts that may contain expressions covered by its “Items Requiring Revision” policy.

This is important because FANBOX’s official documentation explains that this category is not limited to the visual content of a work.

Even Titles And Tags Can Cause Problems

According to the official pixivFANBOX rules, a post can be reviewed based on both the work itself and its associated information, including:

• Title
• Tags
• Post description
• Other text related to the content

The platform states that these elements are evaluated together with the work itself.

This is exactly where some artists believe they may have found a possible explanation for the recent suspensions.

Among the terms mentioned by creators are words related to hypnosis, brainwashing, kidnapping, violence, and cruelty. In one reported case, an artist said their story was flagged for “excessive violence” despite containing no blood or explicit gore. The creator suspected that words appearing in the metadata, such as references to organs and corpses, may have contributed to the decision.

Another illustrator recommended that users try changing their titles or tags before resubmitting their content for review, claiming that some posts were approved again after those changes. However, this is an individual report and does not mean there is a public list of automatically prohibited words.

Why Are Payment Processors Involved?

This is probably the most important part of the story.

pixivFANBOX officially distinguishes between “Prohibited Items” and “Items Requiring Revision.” The former category covers content that can result in removal or suspension, while the latter allows certain material to be temporarily made private while the creator is asked to make changes.

The rules also make it clear that the criteria can change depending on the social environment and other circumstances.

In this latest wave, however, the notices received by artists specifically mention issues raised by payment processors.

That means this situation may not have started with a spontaneous change in FANBOX’s editorial preferences. The platform is being forced to make these changes, otherwise payment processors could potentially ban their accounts and stop processing their payments.

It’s basically financial blackmail.

Older Works Are Being Affected Too

Reports indicate that some of the suspended posts were originally published several years ago.

In practice, this means a creator could have published something when it complied with the rules in place at the time, only to receive a notice years later asking them to make changes.

This also explains why some artists are concerned. It’s not just about deciding what to publish from now on: an entire catalog built over several years may need to be reviewed.

FANBOX itself already states that content requiring revision can be temporarily hidden and, if the material is corrected, it can become available again. In cases involving repeated or serious violations, however, more severe measures can be taken, including account suspension.

Either way, here we go again with this damn censorship happening.

via Automaton