“Why do I always have to take the blame for every adaptation?”
Teng Shan Tu Dou， the original author of “Battle Through the Heavens，” recently expressed strong dissatisfaction with the anime adaptation’s creative liberties during a live broadcast. He admitted that due to weak copyright awareness in his early years， he sold the adaptation rights for a mere “pittance，” leaving him with no say in the animation’s production process today.
This outburst was triggered by the “punk rock” character designs and numerous plot alterations featured in the latest episode of the annual “Battle Through the Heavens” series. These changes have not only drawn widespread mockery from viewers but have also finally pushed the original author beyond his breaking point.
The immediate catalyst for the controversy was the appearance of the “Earth Scorpion” in the latest annual episode. Its exaggerated “punk rock” aesthetic left audiences utterly bewildered.
One netizen commented， “Even if they’re at the peak of the Sixth-Rank Dou Zun， could they put a bit more effort into the appearance effects and modeling? Those who don’t know might think they’re just some unknown NPCs.”
Beyond the design issues， the plot adaptations have also sparked widespread debate. The “Heaven， Earth， and Human Scorpion brothers” from the original novel have had their “Human Scorpion” character forcibly removed， and their cultivation levels have been reduced.
Facing a flood of criticism from fans， Teng Shan Tu Dou expressed his helplessness during the livestream: “It’s bad enough that there’s been no improvement over the years， but they also never respond to fan questions. When it comes to crucial moments， they go silent， forcing me to step out and take all the criticism and blame.”
At the time of selling the copyright， he was “young and inexperienced.” Tu Dou revealed that the copyright fee for “Battle Through the Heavens” was even less than his monthly earnings from writing now.
Since the copyright was sold long ago， he essentially has no power to interfere with the animation’s production.
Tu Dou even stated that he stopped watching the series after the plot point of Yao Lao’s resurrection， possibly because the annual adaptation’s faithfulness to the original fell far below his expectations.
