PETA protested this week against the first episode of the news season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. These protests were held in an attempt to convince the creators of the show to stop production before any more animals are killed. Protesters stood outside the David Productions studio, holding up signs reading, “Take A Stand Against Animal Cruelty,” and “Why Can’t We All Live in Hamony?”

PETA released an official statement on their website decrying the anime’s use of dog murder for dramatic and emotional effect. “Ever since the first episode of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, [writer Hirohiko] Araki has continually used dogs lives as a way to prove the evil of his villains. What he fails to realize is that he is the greatest evil of them all, causing all these poor animals to die. David Productions must put a stop to Araki’s series before more animals perish by his hand.”

Many critics have noted that the slaughter of innocent animals is not simply limited to Jojo’s. “Anime has a long history of using dog’s deaths to pull out emotion that dates back as early as Dog of Flanders,” one researcher noted. “Other recent shows such as Parasyte have also used dog’s deaths for similar effect. It’s simply a cultural difference, anime does not live up to the standards of the American Humane Association.”

Still, there is some optimism to be found for dogs in anime. The new season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure will contain a new animal main character, a dog named Iggy, who will surely make it through the season alive, probably.

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