Mayor Kusunose of Susaki City initially said that the cause of this was over 100 complaints from residents that Chiitan’s sometimes-violent behavior was having a negative impact on Shinjo-kun and the city.
Chiitan’s management claim a city rep in charge of happiness told them “permission wasn’t needed.”
With both otters having been created in the same style by the same person, Chiitan is essentially a derivative work of Shinjo-kun.
Both sides seem to have their pros and cons, and poor Chiitan is trapped in the middle of it all.