Earlier this year, I spoke about the new controversial senate bill that threatens anime, manga, and video games in the state of Texas. That bill, Senate Bill 20, was a bill that passed through both the senate and house in the Texas Legislator. Then, it was signed by governor Gregg Abbott at the governor’s mansion. Since then, the law has been passed and has been in effect since September 1.

Texas Senate Bill 20 Puts Texan Otakus in Serious Trouble As Bill Potentially Targets Anime, Manga and Video Games for “Obscene Ways”

The law wasn’t just trouble… It became a major problem for all otakus in Texas, since the bill itself was vague when it came to the definition of what defines as obscene material against those not of legal age. There was no pure definition or correct bases into what was considered legal or not. The worst part is, the determination of what is deemed legal or illegal is left up to interpretation. So exactly what’s senate bill 20? According to law, this is what it’s about. If you want to know more, then you may want to read my previous article about the bill.

Texas Senate Bill 20 (SB 20), officially the “Stopping AI-Generated Child Pornography Act,” went into effect on September 1, 2025, as you noted. It amends the Texas Penal Code to create a new state jail felony offense (punishable by 180 days to 2 years in a state jail facility and up to a $10,000 fine) for knowingly possessing, accessing with intent to view, promoting, or producing “obscene visual material” that appears to depict a child younger than 18 engaging in specific sexual activities outlined in Texas Penal Code Section 43.21(a)(1)(B). These activities include things like sexual contact, actual or simulated sexual intercourse, masturbation, or the lewd exhibition of genitals.The key expansion in SB 20 is that this applies regardless of whether the depiction involves an actual child. It explicitly includes cartoons, animations, or images created using AI or other computer software. For repeat offenders, penalties escalate: a third-degree felony (2–10 years in prison) for a first prior conviction, and a second-degree felony (2–20 years) for two or more priors. It also allows these offenses to be prosecuted as organized criminal activity if part of a group or network, and it prohibits using real children’s images to train AI for such content.

So there you have it. At first glance, you are probably thinking, well, this bill sounds good then for protecting minors against wrong doings right by predators in the internet right? Well, yes, of course protection for children is MANDATORY period! The issue is, guess what? When you read that it even applies to cartoon image without artistic value, then that becomes a HUGE problem. Why? Well, let’s be honest here… Anime and manga are jokingly perverted, and even some of the most successful anime and manga in history have fan service scenes from characters who are minors that could be deemed as obscene by this new law. So even mainstream anime like Naruto, and Demon Slayer get hit with this awful law. In fact, imagine finding yourself getting thrown into prison for a fan service joke from My Hero Academia. So, the question is, what comes next?

Complicated Issues:

First, I would like to remind you that anime, manga, and video games aren’t banned in the state of Texas. In fact, you can still go to your local Barnes & Noble, or Gamestop and buy yourself a To love Ru or Persona 5 copy. In fact, there is no actual enforcement of a ban on a specific title. The issue is, this new law will create a major and massive complication for many businesses and companies wanting to make business in the state of Texas. A theory of mine is, let’s just say a false accusation happens where an individual is accused of something that’s not true, and the authorities see material like what I mentioned before, one could get into serious trouble with this new law? Why?, well simple. In the law, it says that the verdict of the said obscene image is up to interpretation. Meaning, if one is suddenly accused of an indecent act and is found to have possessed these type of material, that law could be used against the individual. If the individual is determined guilty by the justice, that’s because they have deemed the content you own, obscene against minors according to their interpretation. The issue is, this is when the confusion starts. If one is guilty for owning something like Persona 5 simply because of material they deem obscene, doesn’t that mean the rest of nearly the entire population of Texas gets arrested too? What will happen to major retail stores, or companies of video game software? Will they get banned too, or cut off all services?

The truth is, this bill doesn’t make any sense at all. The only possible issue I can think of is, if one likes to lurk around anime, manga, and video game software that’s hardcore on erotic material, then I believe that’s the actual danger that’s a threat to one’s conviction. Stuff like doujins, eroge visual novels, magazines, etc., could become a serious target for Senate Bill 20. Especially considering the fact that most of the preferred models of anime and manga girls usually look very young. With an overwhelming majority set in high school settings in which the law will be used against the individual and use the minor obscene material as a reason for a guilty verdict.

The thing is, heck, even adult settings like college or work could still pose a serious issue for one’s safety because once again, the interpretation rule will be used against the individual and use the excuse of them looking young or animated material shouldn’t be used for adults. Aka, it’s for the kids. Not to mention, they will use the lack of artistic reason as well. You are probably thinking I’m over doing it, but, remember guys… DON’T underestimate corruption. Remember, there are people who are still VERY ignorant about anime and manga. Especially those of the older generation and in a climate where such material is not tolerated at all.

And even then, this issue hasn’t spared the juggernaut legends of many manga greats like Dragon Ball. Even manga with genres opposed to the erotic material like Naruto, or My Hero Academia could be seriously affected by this law. We all know that mainstream Shōnen series love to crack jokes by using fan service over and over again. Since most of the characters are minors, this is when, potentially, the dangerous law could be used against those possessing the series as reasons for obscene material featuring minors. I know some are thinking that the artistic material could be used as a reason for defense, but, again, interpretation will be used against the case, and that’s when they have the power to determine what’s obscene and not. This may sound dumb and unreal, but, this issue can seriously happen… Why am I talking about this?

Loss of Businesses:

The loss of businesses could happen, and when I say this, I’m not saying bankruptcy is going to happen, or they will start shutting down businesses in the name of the law, but sadly, this new law will ultimately turn off businesses wanting to do business in the state of Texas. Perhaps a glaring example of this issue was when famous and well known anime convention of San Antonio, called, San Japan, banned Jast USA, a company that translates adult visual novels into English from Japan. This news sent shockwaves among many otakus in Texas. To make the issues a lot worse, many fans fear this incident will begin a major domino effect of Japanese based anime and manga companies, especially those that fully prioritize marketing based on erotic material, will start pulling away from doing business in Texas. Senate Bill 20 will be used as the most common reason.

Also, it’s not just Jast USA, but, guess who else pulled out? Denpasoft. Another visual novel based company in the US that translates visual novels from Japan directly into English. Why? Because of the age verification laws. While this may seem like it has nothing to do with senate bill 20, it is related to the ongoing incidents of anti-pornographic laws that falsely say they are targeting pornographic material that endangers children, but in reality, go after freedom expression if it’s the sightliest exposure that’s non-pornographic. Of course, Denpasoft also pulled out from states as well that enact age verification.

And the question is, what will happen next? Another glaring fear and issue I have with this bill is how many companies will be very cautious doing business in Texas? How many Japanese import giants like Mandarake, Solaris, or Hobbylink Japan will either pull out or make a huge section of restrictions for goods that can’t be shipped to Texas? Will companies like Crunchyroll or Netflix be spared from being forced to remove some select anime due to this law? Or better yet, intentionally block access due to fears of the law? These are lingering issues that always bother me 24/7. Although no such action has happened yet, I fear this is only the beginning.

How many more will pull out? For now, that’s all, but… Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse… Speaking of that, guess what else happened?

Legal Issues and Misunderstandings:

On September 10, 2025, a Texas book store removed the Dragon Ball manga from its shelves. Why you ask? According to the store owner’s reason, it’s due to fears of legal trouble potentially caused by Senate Bill 20. When this piece of news broke out, it sent the entire fandom into a huge meltdown, myself included. The truth is, this isn’t just bad news, this is horrific news that could potentially affect the entire anime and manga marketplace in Texas. One thing is something like To Love Ru, or Yosuga no Sora getting the legal issues hitting them. Yeah, it’s obvious, but, Dragon Ball…? The most iconic and recognized manga in history, getting axed by Senate Bill 20? Yep… My fellow otakus, I’m not kidding you, this happened… How could the most iconic manga ever in history about friendship, hardwork, heroism, and epic fights, get banned by this law? It doesn’t make any sense at all whatsoever?

Well, although Dragon Ball is know for it’s epic action, the original Dragon Ball had a tendency to add a little bit of fanservice to the series. Perhaps the most notable being Bulma. During a hilarious scene when she flashes herself in front of Roshi. While Dragon Ball in the past always had some scenes of exposure (which are mostly hardly present), this scene could be what’s considered the catalyst for why Dragon Ball is being removed from shelves in Texas. Especially since many of that spectrum is ignonrant about the jokes of fanservice that anime and manga always does. Those like us right are fully familiar with how these inside jokes work. Fanservice isn’t for everyone, but, there are some who like it, and there are those that don’t. Regardless, whatever you feel for fanservice does not justify the censorship of not just anime and manga, but all pieces of entertainment in general.

The potential legal trouble that Dragon Ball could face will possibly affect a very large portion of anime and manga. The sad fact is, even some that have very tiny amount of obscene content will potentially face a massive hurdle. Even being the most recognized manga in the world doesnt’ spare a series from a potential ban, and worst case secenario, legal trouble. Manga like My Hero Academia is rife with fanservice everywhere. To make matters harder, most of the characters are underaged, and with what happened with Dragon Ball, the usage of “obscene with artistic reason” will eventually become nullified as those of the justice system with power will be able to give the interpretation. What will happen eventually is there will be some massive legal complications left and right. Here’s the thing though, despite what happened, it’s still 100% legal to buy manga like Dragon Ball and My Hero Academia. The problem is, if lets say a legal court case involving the former happens, that’s when Texas Senate Bill 20 gets involved.

This vague description of the new law will cause some massive legal confusions that could potentially cause problems for many otakus in Texas. Dragon Ball’s removal from a Texas book store may be a decision of action done by poor knowledge of the law, but, the reaction is fully justified. For now, lets hope things don’t get worse, but, this may be just the beginning.

Legal Battles:

The United States has a LONG history of legal battles over freedom of expression. Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, and United States v. Handley are agubaly the most well known supreme court cases involving freedom of creativity and expression. In fact, if you look at my previous articles, you will find one that’s about United States v. Handley. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind doing Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition next. Back to the topic, lets just say that Senate Bill 20 goes full haywire, a legal case is BOUND to happen pretty soon. Numerous free speech activist groups, like the CBLDF, free speech coltation, and possibly even activists of those in the otaku culture will no doubt sue the law into oblivion. Who knows, what we may witness is another landmark case that involves the first ammendant.

Eventually, if one legal case hapens that finds an individual unfairly arrested over this law, that’s when the legal case will come into full spotlight. The thing is, what makes this new law vague is how it violates Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition. As well as United States v. Handley. The supreme court already declared these kind of laws are unconstitutional. If one state were to break it again, it could cause a massive issues for those already in power. The thing that doesn’t make sense is, such content is easily available not only to import, but even get physically own in the state of Texas. So the truth is, I have no idea how this law can even be enforced in the first place? A simple lawsuit against this law will undoubtedly hand victory to those suing. In many ways, this law is a ghost law disguised as a law that’s existing and enforced. The truth is, Senate Bill 20, while scary, is not really as powerful as we may think it is.

The biggest concern that many otaku have to be careful is news breaking out that someone in Texas got arrested over simply buying a copy of Yosuga no Sora the Crunchyroll store. The truth is, if you’re in Texas, you can literally buy yourself a busty Marin figure from My Dress Up Darling, or just import a To Heart 2 visual novel from Ebay Japan. Do that and vritually no legal issues will happen. As stated before, if such cases were to happen, then a uproar of legal battles will commence in Texas. In many ways, this bill awfully reminds me of the Tokyo Bill that happened in 2010. It passed, but it’s vague and virtually has no power to truly enforce its laws. In the end, as much as it sounds scary, it’s also vritually useless in many ways.

There you have it my fellow otakus. The goal is to make sure this law doesn’t get any worse. All we do is remain cautious, monitor the situation, and remain in full legal defense with what we love. While this law has passed and has caused some legal issues, the law has yet to enact it’s first legal case. All stories that happened were based more on personal fear rather than the actual basis of the law in action. Not all news is bad, in Florida, a judge temporarily blocked the unfair ban on Assassination Classroom with the reason being the manga series lacked the material that falsely justified the removal from local libraries for schools in Florida. Lately, there’s been a SURGE of similar laws happening in America and also the entire world. In fact, if one were to check what Michigan is doing, it’s even more insane than what Texas is doing. Which, by the way, I’ll be working on next. So for now, stay calm, enjoy what you’re doing, and alert immediately if Senate Bill 20 initiates it’s first action against what we love.

Thank you for reading! How do you feel about this? let me know in the comment section!