Japanese manga creators Atsushi Ohkubo, Hajime Isayama, and Rumiko Takahashi have been named among the most frequently banned authors in American public schools, according to PEN America’s latest school book ban report. The findings highlight how popular manga franchises, including Soul Eater, Fire Force, Attack on Titan, Inuyasha, and Ranma 1/2, have been affected by growing restrictions on school library materials.
PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans recorded 11,982 instances of book bans during the 2025–2026 school year, marking the highest annual total since the organization began tracking restrictions in 2021. The bans affected 7,370 unique titles and works by more than 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators.
Three Japanese manga creators ranked among the 10 most frequently banned authors in the country. Texas recorded 8,193 bans, while Florida accounted for another 3,212.
Importantly, these figures concern restrictions on access to books in public schools. They do not mean that the manga have been prohibited from sale throughout the United States.
ATSUSHI OHKUBO, HAJIME ISAYAMA, AND RUMIKO TAKAHASHI LEAD THE LIST
Atsushi Ohkubo, creator of Soul Eater and Fire Force, ranked first among the three manga creators, with 106 recorded instances of book bans across four school districts, affecting 57 titles, according to PEN America.
Hajime Isayama, the creator of Attack on Titan, followed with 89 recorded instances of book bans. Notably, Volume 34, the manga’s final installment, appeared in PEN America’s index for the first time during the 2025–2026 school year.
Rumiko Takahashi, known for creating Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2, recorded 63 instances of book bans involving her works, placing her among the most frequently affected manga creators in American school libraries.
The affected titles contain different types of mature material, including graphic violence, sexual imagery, nudity, and other themes that have prompted scrutiny of school library collections. Attack on Titan depicts warfare and death, while Tokyo Ghoul features graphic violence and psychological horror. Other series, including Soul Eater and Inuyasha, have also faced restrictions.
However, PEN America argues that manga can be particularly vulnerable to challenges because its visual storytelling is sometimes assessed through isolated panels rather than the context of an entire volume. The organization describes this practice as “context stripping,” in which individual images are used to characterize a complete work as inappropriate.
In its October 8 report on banned manga, PEN America highlighted the importance of graphic novels for young readers. Philomena Polefrone, the organization’s senior manager of freedom to read, said,
“Graphic novels can be gateways to a lifelong passion for reading.”
SCHOOL RESTRICTIONS DO NOT MEAN A NATIONWIDE MANGA BAN
Texas and Florida accounted for most of the recorded restrictions during the 2025–2026 school year. Texas’s Senate Bill 13, passed in 2025, introduced additional requirements concerning materials in school libraries. PEN America also identified the use of artificial intelligence in some book review processes as a factor contributing to removals.
Despite the restrictions, Attack on Titan, Soul Eater, Fire Force, and Inuyasha remain available through commercial retailers. The recorded bans concern access within public schools, not a nationwide prohibition on purchasing or reading these manga.
The findings nevertheless place several internationally recognized Japanese creators among the most frequently affected authors in America’s ongoing school book ban debate.
