Hello Kitty Shouldn't 'Dance With Japan's Right Wing': Sanrio's New Collaboration Angers Chinese Fans

Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty, is releasing a second collaboration with the Japanese television drama VIVANT — and Chinese fans are furious.

The complaint is not about the merchandise but about the show. VIVANT, a hit Sunday drama on the TBS network, tells the story of a deep-cover agent, and Chinese state media has accused the series of distorting history: it depicts atrocities by occupying Japanese forces as the work of Chinese people, and the show's star has been politically prominent in Japan. The Global Times ran a segment titled "Distorting history, sinister intent!", describing the drama as portraying Chinese people as "inhuman perpetrators".

The collaboration began in July with a first line of plushies dressed as spies from the show. The second is on its way — and the partnership has already been terminated, but the products keep coming, which is why Chinese fans are so angry.

The commercial stakes are considerable. Sanrio earned 781 million yuan in China in the first half of 2026, and the Chinese market has been the company's biggest growth engine. A Baidu search summary of the controversy quoted a media commentary calling on the company not to "dance with Japan's right wing" and to "make its attitude clear".

One Japanese fan's post, auto-translated into Chinese, made a striking argument: Sanrio's founder built the company after fleeing American incendiary bombing with his sister, and collaborating with a drama that glorifies violence betrays that stance.

For Sanrio, the question is whether the outrage will be a flash or a lasting one. Chinese fans are threatening to boycott; the company has already been burned once this year by collaborations that touched Chinese sensitivities.