C2 Kikan, the developer behind fleet simulator game Kantai Collection, has caught heat from Japanese players for using its official X account to comment on the country’s recent elections. Much of the criticism comes from fans who don’t want to see any kind of political commentary coming from the game’s official channels, especially given the franchise’s very pronounced military themes and aesthetics.
Kantai Collection is a free-to-play browser game and multimedia franchise with a 12-year-long history. Published by DMM Games, the game revolves around “fleet girls” – personified versions of real-life warships from WWII. While most of the characters are representations of battleships, cruisers and submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy, foreign navies like the Soviet Navy, United States Navy and Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine make an appearance too.
Although it’s based on WWII, Kantai Collection doesn’t pit any of the fleet girls against each other, instead setting the conflict between humanity and mysterious hostile beings referred to as the Abyssal Fleet (explained in canon-adjacent media as either the corrupted souls of sunken fleet girls or an extraterrestrial race).
While the game has undoubtedly sparked an admiration for the Imperial Japanese Navy in some people, a good chunk of Kantai Collection’s Japanese playerbase is careful about drawing the line between being just a military history “geek” (otaku) and being an actual militarist. This could be why C2’s recent post has caused so much dissatisfaction, with several veteran players even announcing their “retirements” from the game.
The statement in question was posted on October 21, after it was announced that conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan’s first female prime minister. C2 offered words of congratulation to Takaichi, but it also made a jab directed at people who don’t support the new PM and her political party, collectively referring to such people as “unsavory individuals,” or more literally, “no-good people” who feel threatened.
This second part seems to be what struck a nerve with the hundreds of angry commenters, who felt the alienating phrasing went against the values Kantai Collection should stand for. Below are some of the most supported responses.
