Fan Service Is the Most Hypocritical Component of Any Anime But We Won’t Stop Complaining

The relationship between anime fans and fan service is complicated. For many, it is the best thing out there, while some absolutely detest it with all their heart.

However, if fan service is so widely looked down upon, how is it possible that almost all the shows that have it are exceptionally popular? This means that even though people complain about it, they still watch that content in hordes and then whine about it a bit more.

This definitely showcases the very hypocritical side of fans who would also be overtly critical of one side of fan service while being willing to accept the other.

Fan service: A necessary evil

Fan service has been one of the most essential components of anime that came into existence because it was a tool made to attract fans. In that sense, it does a phenomenal job at what it intended to do. Any anime with fan service automatically gets a guaranteed viewership, even if the content might be subpar, like Bikini Warriors.

But, one also cannot deny that there are shows with maybe a few questionable scenes but really engaging plots. We have the legendary Dragon Ball series, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Kill la Kill, or wacky comedies like Prison School as some of the best examples. It also needs to be noted that these shows mainly cater to the male demographic, which is another reason why they attract so much one-sided hate.

The contradiction of people silently liking it while nitpicking about too much skin on public forums is a hypocritical thought process that does not get much attention. There are people who enjoy fan service, and they are okay with it, so it is not like we are getting fed with something that has zero traction.

On top of that, why take anime, which is literally a drawing, so seriously that we must judge it with personal degrees of moral standards? At the end of the day, it is for entertainment, so as long as we get fan service within acceptable ranges, it should be consumable.

Selective hate on fan service

Another bizarre side of criticizing fan service stems from the fact that it is very much a demographic and gender-based selective hate. There have also been many female-targeted fan services that fly under the radar, enjoy all the attention from their audience, and get accepted without much groans.

We turn a complete blind eye to all the shirtless men from Free!, whom we hardly see with their clothes on. Diabolical shows like Diabolik Lovers might get their due criticism, but not as much as some Shonen anime with more fame.

If we compare that to Fairy Tail, The Seven Deadly Sins, or Fire Force, the dislike surrounding fan service feels unjustified. These also have really interesting settings and complex characters. If they must get bashed, it should be based on their repetitive nature or bad animation, like The Seven Deadly Sins.

At the end of the day, despite all the complaints, fan service will remain in anime because it has its own appreciators. It is a great marketing tool that works to get engagement for the show and does it by attracting both good and bad criticisms.

back to everyone bitching about fan service while continuing to watch every episode! yay!!

— Ronnie (@ronniegtplz) February 27, 2025

Hence, rather than having debates, acknowledging its uses becomes a more feasible option for mental peace. It is clearly not as unacceptable as some claim because then, it would have been gone a long time ago.

But yes, the circle of us complaining and fan service existing will continue.