PEN America Reported 11,982 School Book Bans
The 2025-2026 school year saw thousands of titles restricted in American public schools, including several Japanese manga series.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Comic Books
Live Poll
Should your local public schools restrict access to manga series that contain mature or violent themes?
During the 2025-2026 school year, PEN America recorded 11,982 total book bans in American public schools. These restrictions impacted 7,370 unique titles and more than 4,000 individual authors.
Why it matters
The surge in bans is driven by organized political pressure and state legislation, such as Texas Senate Bill 13 passed in 2025. These efforts often target works deemed to contain mature themes, violence, or sexual content.
The 2025-2026 school year saw bans affecting 106 works by Atsushi Ohkubo, 89 by Hajime Isayama, and 63 by Rumiko Takahashi. School districts frequently used artificial intelligence to identify titles, often performing context stripping to isolate individual panels.
The players
PEN America
This nonprofit organization works to defend free expression and literature through advocacy and research.
Atsushi Ohkubo
He is a prominent Japanese manga artist whose works were frequently targeted for removal in the 2025-2026 school year.
Hajime Isayama
He is a notable manga creator whose series faced 89 separate bans during the reported timeframe.
Rumiko Takahashi
She is a celebrated manga author whose titles were included in the list of frequently banned works.
The details
School districts are increasingly employing artificial intelligence tools to scan library materials and recommend removals based on specific content. In many cases, officials practiced context stripping, using isolated panels from manga series to label entire collections as inappropriate for students.
Timeline
PEN America began tracking school book restrictions in 2021.
Texas passed Senate Bill 13 regarding library materials in 2025.
PEN America recorded 11,982 total book bans during the 2025-2026 school year.
Culture Shift
The rise in school book bans reflects an intensifying national debate over the accessibility of mature content in educational settings. This movement, often influenced by Texas Senate Bill 13, signals a broader societal shift regarding how districts interpret and regulate student access to global media like manga.
Residents may notice changes in school library inventories as districts adopt AI-driven screening processes to monitor content. These policies directly impact student access to diverse international literature and may lead to increased local debates regarding collection development standards.
The takeaway
Parents and students should monitor local school board agendas to understand how new screening tools and state mandates influence library selections. Understanding the criteria used for content review can help community members participate more effectively in district-level policy discussions.
Further reading
For more information on how current policies affect library collections, visit the Comic Books section.
Live Poll
Should your local public schools restrict access to manga series that contain mature or violent themes?
