The anime Chainsmoker Cat has a dark history. In mid-2023, its manga (by NyanNyanFactory) ranked 12th at the Next Manga Awards, while Satsudou by Chicchi Yukinaga failed to rank. This sparked bitter jealousy in Yukinaga, who launched a malicious online defamation campaign against NyanNyanFactory.
Publisher Kodansha investigated the harassment and traced the fake accounts directly to Yukinaga. Caught, he confessed in November 2023, offering a one-million-yen settlement and admitting his actions on X.
Kodansha refused the cover-up; Satsudou was put on hiatus and later canceled. In March 2024, the publisher announced Yukinaga had died, though the cause of death was not made public.
Despite the tragedy, Chainsmoker Cat continued its serialization. Its official anime adaptation, produced by Bibury Animation Studios, successfully premiered in July 2026, ultimately outliving the scandal that once threatened it.