Controversy over anime in America has been existent for the medium, dating back to the late 1990s with the popularity boom of the Pokemon franchise. This caused controversy for some who thought the Pokemon franchise could cause negative effects for children, ranging from both psychological and religious reasons. Another manga hit, Death Note, causing some major controversy and incidents, with some writing their classmates and school staff’s names on the book. While controversy calmed down later on during the late 2000s and early 2010s, the medium entered the spotlight of controversy once again in the late 2010s, continuing on into the early 2020s. Assassination Classroom’s latest controversy in the country is very much a continuation of controversy.