While Yusei Matsui has had a stellar year with his latest manga adaptation ofThe Elusive Samuraigarnering acclaim, his previous hit,Assassination Classroom, has seen better days. As reported byWMBFNews on July 11, 2025, Horry County School District recently moved to takeAssassination Classroomout of its libraries, without possibility of a challenge for five years. The request was initially made by a concerned mother of a ninth grader who checked the book out, with the mother citing the series' “pictures of violence, guns, and other content she believes is inappropriate for students her daughter’s age.”
DespiteAssassination Classroombeing about its main characters killing their powerful otherworldly homeroom teacher to save their planet, the series' violence and other mature themes are quite tame. The manga is well-loved by its readers and was nominated for the Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category at the 2016 Eisner Awards, indicating strong critical reception in the United States. However,the ban onAssassination Classroomin American school libraries is merely the latest in media censorship.
Assassination Classroom: One of the Most Banned Manga in the United States
The Knee-Jerk Reaction Is Understandable
Given its premise and the persistent problem of violence or shootings in US schools, the reactionary stance to banAssassination Classroomis an incident not isolated to Horry County.Comics Beatreported the series asthe most prominently banned manga in America in 2023, “banned in 6 school districts, banned pending investigation in 3 school districts, and removed without a formal ban in 1 district.” This places the manga aboveMy Hero Academia, Soul Eater, andBlack Butler,the latter of which is far less tame thanAssassination Classroom.
Anime News Networkfurther reported that the manga depicts “handguns, rifles, knives, and potions,” as the parent further claimed, prompting a District Reconsideration Committee review. The review’s results resulted in the formal removal, yet another instance of schools banning reading content due to subject matter viewed as indecent or promoting violence. This placesAssassination Classroomand other manga in fascinating company as an important topic in American literature sensibilities.
Assassination Classroom Joins Prominent Books as Banned Literature in Libraries
Their Removal Will Prompt Greater Readership
The problem with prompting this removal is thatit can often provoke the curiosity of its readers, especially withAssassination ClassroombeingaWeekly Shonen Jumpmanga; it has easy digital accessibility. But with mere references to weapons and assassination, despite the series beinga comedy with great characters,Assassination Classroom’sban is surely a misguided decision. But it also places the manga in surprising company alongside prominent American literature likeTo Kill a Mockingbird.
Assassination Classroom: The 10 Best Characters
Assassination Classroom contains not only comedy and action, but a colorful cast as well. Who are the best of the best at Kunugigaoka Junior High?
But as Erin Gruwell, the teacher behindThe Freedom Writers Diaryhas put it, “The best way to get a teenager to read a book is to ban it.” Given thatThe Freedom Writers Diarywas also banned this year from Horry County School libraries, according toMyHorryNews,for being “age-inappropriate,” it couldn’t be more on the nose. As forAssassination Classroom, its removal will certainly not prevent it from being accessed by curious readers, bringing into question what was truly accomplished with this ban.
Assassination Classroom
Cast
Assassination Classroom follows the story of a mysterious and powerful creature, known as Koro-sensei, who becomes the homeroom teacher for a class of misfit students tasked with assassinating him to prevent Earth’s destruction.
