Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yukaku Hen advertisement at Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, was heavily criticized by fans for restricting the freedom of expression of the series. The advertisers used graphic effects to “hide” the chests of highly exposed female characters.

Kamado Nezuko who was wearing a kimono, and Daki who was in a swimsuit-like clothes, both of whom had intense skin exposure, were subjected to such edits.

The areas of exposure were “hidden” by “golden water patterns”, which is also used for the background. The pattern was arranged to match the chest and in between thigh areas of the two characters, unlike the usual promotional posters.

The huge advertisement was put up at “Metro Promenade” in the basement of Shinjuku Station on January 31st.

Fans were initially very excited about the huge ad for Kimetsu no Yaiba, but many people revealed discomfort about the “censorship” on the internet.

Some of the comments on MyJitsu was found as:

Don’t put on a costume that you have to hide in the first place.

It’s strange. There is a common understanding that hiding it will increase eroticism…

I laughed. Even though the mystery effect is taken into consideration, it is insanely interesting
that she has a big deck with “Yukaku” written on it.

J-CAST News approached a person in charge of Tokyo Metro-related advertising company Metro Ad Agency on Friday, Feb 4, 2022. He revealed that before an advertisement is made public, the samples go through standard advertising examinations.

When asked if the Kimetsu no Yaiba advertisement can be posted without the regulations as in the female character’s chest and thigh areas were not hidden by patterns, the official replied, “According to our examination criteria, we will consult with you about corrections, etc.”

They also interviewed the advertiser Aniplex about the intention of creating the advertisement and the reason for the effect of the exposed part, but there was no answer.

The latest season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba faced a series of criticism since episode 1 where fans complained for multiple reasons such as violence, a character having multiple wives, and spanking that was shown in the series.

It was followed by a lot of criticism from Nezuko fans for “sexualizing” her.

Source: MyJitsu, J Cast News