In 2006, the anime world witnessed an unusual and disturbing incident involving the series “Inukami!” and a fan who took his frustration to the extreme. It all started when, due to an unexpected change in broadcast times caused by a table tennis world championship, the fourth episode of the series, entitled “Preventive Apron!”, was postponed. This change angered one fan so much that he decided to express his discontent by sending a package to TV Tokyo, which contained a protest letter and what appeared to be human bones.

The “Inukami Human Bone Incident!”, as it is known today, left a dark mark on the history of Japanese television. At that time, broadcast times were crucial for fans, as many depended on a fixed schedule to record their favorite episodes. Any change, especially due to sporting events such as the aforementioned table tennis match, was seen as a major inconvenience for those who used scheduled recorders.

The incident was summarized by a Japanese blog, which detailed that the match in question, part of the World Table Tennis Championships in April 2006, interrupted the broadcast of the episode “Inukami!” for an hour. This affected the recording of the series, which aired on Thursdays at 1 a.m. After initial investigation, it was discovered that the package contained at least ten bone fragments, measuring between three and four centimeters, which appeared to have been cremated and shipped from Yokohama. Although TV Tokyo authorities reported the incident, it was never confirmed whether the person responsible was identified.

These types of extreme reactions, while rare, show the level of passion some fans can feel for their favorite series. These days, instead of sending threatening packages, followers often express their discontent through social media or online petitions. A recent example occurred in 2022, when a fan of “Chainsaw Man” started a campaign asking for a new version of the anime with a different director and voice actors, due to his dissatisfaction with the adaptation.

“Inukami!” is a series based on a light novel written by Mamizu Arisawa and illustrated by Kanna Wakatsuki. The story follows Keita Kawahira, an Inukami (dog god) tamer who has trouble finding one to bond with. Eventually, he manages to connect with Yoko, a beautiful Inukami but with an extremely difficult character to control. Much of the comedy in the series arises from Yoko's jealousy of the other Inukami who show interest in Keita. The anime adaptation, produced by Seven Arcs, aired for 26 episodes until September 2006.

Nowadays, thanks to streaming platforms, fans no longer need to worry so much about broadcast times. Series like “Inukami!” are available on services like Crunchyroll, where they can be viewed at any time, avoiding incidents like the human bones incident in 2006.

Source: Comic Book Resources