Chinese authorities have abruptly shut down the concert of One Piece singer, Maki Otsuki in Shanghai amidst rising China-Japan tensions.
Japanese singer Maki Otsuki was pulled offstage mid-performance this Friday in Shanghai, China. She is also the voice behind the very first ending theme song of One Piece, Memories. This disruption occurred because of a diplomatic row between China and Japan.
Otsuki was slated to perform for two days at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025. However, midway through her performance on Friday, the lights and sound were cut off, forcing the concert to an abrupt end.
China Extends Its Culture War to One Piece
Maki Otsuki is the latest victim of the Chinese Communist Party’s culture war. She was publicly humiliated and forcibly escorted off stage in the middle of her performance on November 28, 2025, in Shanghai. This 52-year-old singer, who has dedicated her life to moving music-lovers, was cut off as if she were insignificant. Additionally, her next performance, scheduled for Saturday, was also canceled.
Viral videos on social media sites show a stunned Otsuki who is being led away by staff members, leaving behind a bewildered audience. This was the result of a sudden directive from the Chinese government banning Japanese artists from performing in China.
The next day, organizers cited “unavoidable circumstances”, but it has become clear that the circumstances were entirely political. It might even be a reaction to a demand for a cultural shutdown from the higher-ups.
CCP’s Shutdown of One Piece Singer’s Concert is Peak Irony
One Piece‘s core idea has remained a constant over its 1100+ chapters and episodes. The series celebrates freedom and liberation. Not just freedom from a corrupt political structure, but also the freedom to choose what one wants to achieve without harming others.
Luffy is a symbol of freedom, a Warrior of Liberation, who is designed to stand against tyrannical regimes. He is the last person who would tolerate the sudden disrespect of an artist and deprive an entire audience of the performance they have been planning to watch for months.
So when a regime pulls the plug on an artist mid-concert while the audience enjoys One Piece, the dissonance becomes ironically thick. The CCP is adding layers of chains that Luffy would love to break through. Otsuki’s team has posted a vague apology about the incident, but Japanese netizens are still livid.
