Danica Davidson
November 16, 2021 
Any popular anime is going to come with plenty of merchandise, but the production committee behind Attack on Titan recently pulled some of their new merchandise because of Nazi comparisons. Rather than your typical character plushies or specialty foods, this merchandise has parallels to very dark historical times.
The object in question is the Marley’s Armband. In the series (without giving too much away) it’s used to tell a group apart from others, with negative connotations involved. The armbands came in three different colors, were based on what creator Hajime Isayama has drawn in the manga, and were meant for a limited run, only being available from November 15 to December 3. However, that limited run became much more limited after the production committee stopped orders after the armband had been offered for a few hours.
This came after criticism that the armband might not be the best form of selling merchandise, because it is reminiscent of Star of David armbands the Nazis made Jews wear. In addition to that, forcing Jews to wear distinguishing clothing goes back centuries before the Nazis. While the Nazis had power, they and their helpers murdered six million Jews.
The committee put out an official statement, saying, “Readily merchandising what was drawn as a symbol of racial discrimination in the work was an act that lacked consideration.” They also apologized and said they would not tolerate discrimination.
Attack on Titan is one of the most successful anime and manga franchises of all time. The manga is published in America by Kodansha, and they gave this description of the series:
“A century ago, the grotesque giants known as Titans appeared and consumed all but a few thousand humans. The survivors took refuge behind giant walls. Today, the threat of the Titans is a distant memory, and a boy named Eren yearns to explore the world beyond Wall Maria. But what began as a childish dream will become an all-too-real nightmare when the Titans return and humanity is once again on the brink of extinction …”
Source: Asahi Shimbun
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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