[4] In 1989, it was deemed "racially offensive for its portrayal of Africans" and its manga and anime were withdrawn from Japanese commercial distribution, essentially becoming banned in Japan.

[6] The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's educational magazines (Yoiko, Youko, Kindergarten, and Shogakukan's educational magazines for each grade level) from February (March 1973) to November (December 1973) to coincide with the anime version, and in the Mainichi Shimbun (Osaka edition evening edition).

It is believed that this work, which had not received any protests or criticism, was also voluntarily recalled at the same time to avoid any repercussions or future problems.

On the other hand, the publisher has not given an official explanation for the voluntary recall, and it is publicly treated as simply "out of stock at the distributor, no plans for a reprint yet."

Writer Kenji Ando conducted an interview to find out how the publication of this work was discontinued, and concluded that "after receiving a complaint from the International Obake Alliance, the publisher assumed that the "Society for the Elimination of Racism against Blacks" was backed down and buried it in the form of a voluntary recall," but the details remain unclear as no testimony from those involved has been obtained to clarify the circumstances.