Chainsmoker Cat has been removed from Bahamut’s Animation Crazy service in Hong Kong after the platform received a notice from the Hong Kong Department of Health. According to the notice, the anime’s repeated display of tobacco products and brand names may violate provisions of the region’s Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance covering online tobacco advertising. Animation Crazy suspended the series in Hong Kong while keeping it available in Taiwan.


The case is notable because Chainsmoker Cat does not present smoking as especially glamorous: its dark comedy centers on Yaniko, a catgirl whose nicotine dependence contributes to financial problems, poor health, and dysfunctional behavior. Even so, Hong Kong regulators appear to have focused on the visibility of real tobacco products and branding rather than the overall message of the series. That distinction turns the removal into a broader question about how local advertising laws can affect fictional works that depict regulated products without necessarily endorsing them.


Ani-One Asia has also removed the series from its YouTube channel, citing local government regulations in relevant markets, although it did not identify Hong Kong specifically in that announcement. Chainsmoker Cat remains available on Netflix, including in Hong Kong at the time of verification. Neither Animation Crazy nor Ani-One Asia has announced whether the series will return after edits or other changes.