Photo/Illutration Suzan enjoys watching anime such as "Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure" to relax while she is in Japan for graduate studies. (Provided by Suzan)

Whenever things seemed hopeless during the Syrian civil war, Suzan, who hails from the northern city of Aleppo, would remember a line from the popular Japanese manga “Slam Dunk.”

The quote is delivered by a high school basketball team coach when he is trying to encourage a struggling player during the last seconds of a game.  

He said: “When you give up, that’s when the game is over.”

The player later became a delinquent, but the line inspires him to return to basketball and aim for the national championship.

Suzan, who is now 35 and requested her last name not be published, lost her home in the bombings during the civil war sparked in 2011 when the state cracked down on anti-government protests.

She moved from one place to another to escape to safety. But there was nowhere to run.

“No place was safe,” she said.

At that dark time, the quote lifted her spirits.

“When I felt like giving up,” Suzan said, "I told myself to try again.”

She has watched anime since she was a child, including works such as “Captain Tsubasa” and “Little Princess Sara,” and used them to learn Japanese.

“What is interesting about Japanese anime is that it tells us the world is not just filled with good things and good people, but also with bad things and bad people,” she said. “On top of that, I like that anime depicts people who are trying their best to make the future a better place.”

While working as a translator and a nongovernmental organization's staff member, Suzan attended university and studied at the Japan Center for Academic Cooperation at the University of Aleppo where she majored in international peace studies.

Five years ago, she came to Japan to study in a doctoral program.

But in February this year, she learned that major earthquakes struck her hometown of Aleppo.

She heard from her friends there that people had been buried under buildings, there was no shelter or housing and survivors were struggling to get access to food and water.

Hospitals were always full and people could not get treatment, she was told.

But Suzan said in times like these, some Syrians find meaning in Japanese anime such as “Attack on Titan.”

That story depicts a bleak scenario where a walled city is suddenly attacked by all-powerful giants. The residents must fight against intense fear and despair--and in that way, it is similar to the situation in Aleppo.

“Many people seem to be comparing the earthquakes to the giants and trying to stay strong,” she said.

The final season of the anime began streaming online in March, and Suzan said it really struck a chord with some Syrians.

“I’ve been waiting (for something like this). It helps me forget my fear of the earthquakes for a moment,” one person told her.

“Syria has been saved by Japanese anime many times,” Suzan said.

And Syria is far from the only place in the Middle East where anime has become popular.

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, some fans sported anime tattoos or smartphones decorated with stickers of characters.

According to Manaru Tenkawa, the manga artist who created “Senka no Naka no Otaku tachi” (Otaku in the war), published by Shobunsha Co., Japanese anime began airing in the Middle East in the 1980s.

The manga series "UFO Robot Grendizer" was the first hit, he said. Then in 1985, a Japanese anime translation company was established in Syria, which later also became a broadcaster.

The company also airs anime in other Middle Eastern countries, which has expanded the reach and popularity of Japanese anime, Tenkawa said.

And anime has made further strides there in recent years thanks to its explosive popularity on social media.

“Anime is filled with Japanese culture and the Japanese way of thinking,” Tenkawa said. “I want people to know that Japanese anime touches the hearts of many people in the distant Middle East and gives them power to overcome hardships.” 

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