Ironically, the biggest draw of the new installment became a nightmare for Japan’s community. Setting the game in the land of the rising sun was the perfect excuse to see virtual roads filled with customized cars featuring anime characters, but several local players were unpleasantly surprised to find their itasha vehicles being removed and their accounts suspended without warning.

Vehicle customization has been a hallmark of the franchise since its inception, with itasha designs being one of the most popular expressions among the otaku and automotive communities. After the release of the Japan-set title, the sharing of these decals increased significantly. However, in recent days, a wave of mass reports began circulating, leading to the removal of illustrations and permanent bans on the consoles of several creators.

According to explanations from those affected on social media, a group of users was reportedly using automated tools to mass-report any car featuring an anime girl on its body. While some paint jobs did exceed the suggestive content limits allowed by the platform, the vast majority were completely normal illustrations. The over-moderation reached the point of penalizing players who only had unfinished drafts in their garages or simply took in-game photos of other users’ vehicles.

Facing widespread indignation and a lack of responses from technical support, the developer updated the terms of the code of conduct on September 23 and 24. In the revision, they formally clarified that itasha-style designs are fully allowed, specifying that sanctions only apply to content with explicitly suggestive poses or expressions. They also noted that reports are reviewed by human moderators and that the number of reports received does not accelerate or alter the priority of a ban.

Developed by Playground Games and distributed by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Horizon 6 is the latest installment in the acclaimed open-world driving series. Released on May 19, 2026, for Xbox Series X/S and PC, the game brings its automotive festival to a detailed recreation of Japan for the first time, offering extensive exploration freedom, hundreds of licensed vehicles, and powerful editing tools for the community.

What do you think of this situation with itasha decals in the new Forza Horizon?