Umamusume fans are furious at PETA over unofficial silence Suzuka Art

The non-profit organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is known for capitalizing on pop culture trends by using provocative messages to raise awareness of animal welfare issues.

In one of today's more unexpected news, fans of the sports simulation game Umamusume: Pretty Derby clashed with PETA over an unofficial image of Silence Suzuka posted by the organization (thanks, Automaton).

Battle of the ages

Grass Wonder, Silence Suzuka and Vodka point the finger in Umamusume Pretty Derby.

The setting of Umamusume: Pretty Derby involves famous Japanese racehorses that have been reincarnated as anthropomorphic girls. They now run on two legs instead of four and have all the trappings of anime-style love interests.

Silence Suzuka was a hugely successful racehorse whose career was cut short by a broken leg during the 1998 Tenno Sho. Silence Suzuka was euthanized after the race, a common outcome for racehorses who suffer major broken legs.

It is extremely difficult for a horse to recover from a broken leg because the animal's physiological structure is entirely dependent on weight being distributed evenly between four legs, and most breaks will never heal due to the complex makeup of the limb.

PETA's post (below) shows Silence Suzuka (in girl form) with a broken leg. The post is titled “If Umamusume: Pretty Derby Was Honest” and has the caption “In real life, the horse Silence Suzuka suffered a catastrophic injury in a race and was euthanized.”

This post has not been well received by fans of the game, who claim that the post violates Cygame's strict content guidelines. These restrictions were implemented by Cygames to prevent people from making obscene and/or obscene art of the characters.

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PETA's posts are being widely reported by fans, who are not shy about expressing their anger towards the non-profit organization. The post includes a community note that reads: “Cygame's guidelines strictly prohibit violent or grotesque depictions of Umamusume characters in order to respect the real horses. Using the IP for political advocacy or commercial gain is a direct violation of their derivative work guidelines.”

This response will not faze PETA, as courting controversy to spread the organization's message has become the group's modus operandi over the years.