Top 10 Most Censored Anime Of All Time
Top 10 Most Censored Anime of All Time
Top 10 Best Anime Series of ALL TIME
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Censored Anime of All Time For this list, we’ll be looking at the series that had their original Japanese incarnations heavily altered upon worldwide release, mostly for the worse. Which series do you feel was hit with the censor brush the hardest? Let us know in the comments!
#10: “Tokyo Ghoul” (2014)
Even without touching on some of the moronic decisions made during this adaptation’s subsequent sequels, there’s still a major case of heavy censorship throughout the original. Given how this is widely known as a seinen that deals with cannibalism, murder, monsters and psychological breakdowns…you’d think the anime would know who it was marketing this to! And yet they still went ahead with trying to shield the eyes of viewers as Kaneki stabbed the shit of Nishio…by inverting the colours to make everything look negative? The hell?
#9: “Terra Formars” (2014)
No one goes out of their way to watch giant, humanoid cockroaches rip people’s spines out, but if you’re going to crop the gore away, you at least have to be tactful about it. The sight of the literal Martian manhunters tearing apart humans proved to be so much that some broadcasters did their darndest to hide it. By blacking out three quarters of the screen. Seriously, there are times where it is impossible to see what is happening because of these outrageous MS Paint effects!
#8: “Naruto” (2002-07)
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Such a long running shounen is bound to run into a few problems. It just so happens that in his early days, the western release of the ultimate knucklehead took a fair amount of issue with his ninja exploits. Over in the UK, anything to do with cuts, weapons and heavy blood was heavily edited, along with any shots of the characters smoking. Germany, however, took things one step further by removing or changing the colour of the blood altogether, deleting any remnants of dead bodies, and best of all – removing Zabuza’s sword from existence!
#7: “Digimon” Franchise (1999-)
Top 10 Most Censored Digimon Moments
Despite it being aimed at kids, the west came down like a hammer on these Digital Monsters and showed no mercy with their corrections! Any cleavage on display? Blurred or disguised with additional layers. Mentions of alcohol or explicit signs of violence were uprooted and swapped for cringey alternatives, which explains why instead of a terrifying final boss in the form of Apocalymon, we were given this joker. It's plagued the franchise for years now, and while sometimes it's appropriate, most of the time it comes across as needless.
#6: “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1984)
While it was lovingly re-released at a later date just as Miyazaki had intended, the first time this adaptation of Ghibli’s fantastical flick was debuted in English…it was a disaster. It was heavily edited and trimmed down to make it an adventure aimed at kids. In doing so, those behind the scenes removed plenty of the environmental message the film was promoting, as well as changed the name to Warriors of the Wind. No wonder they sent a katana with a message that read “no cuts” for Princess Mononoke!
#5: “Sailor Moon” (1992-97)
20 Most CENSORED Sailor Moon Moments
If you go through the many dubs this franchise received, especially in its inception, we’re sure you can find plenty of examples of how the adaptations diluted the action, the death scenes, maybe even some of the lore. But you all know what the early western releases are most infamous for – and that would be dubbing away the gay. See those two ladies lovingly embracing like two long-time life partners? Well, they’re just cousins who happen to be really close. Get your mind out of the gutter! It truly is a time capsule that showed where priorities were back then.
#4: “Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)
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I mean, where do we start with this one? It may be one of the most beloved series out there, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t go through its own fair share of dubbing hell. Oh sorry, we mean HFIF. Aside from the Home for Infinite Losers, you’ve got the always popular “another dimension”, since we can’t say the afterlife or even allude to it. Plus, there’s everything that happened with Blue Popo in the CW version.
#3: “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)
Top 10 Most Censored 4Kids Anime Moments
Oh, 4Kids Entertainment, your history of censorship isn’t only a blight on the anime industry, but it’s also a treasure trove of hilarity. Dark Magician Girl’s cleavage, gone. Anything remotely lined to death, gone. Replaced by such non-lethal delights as Dark Energy Disks and the Shadow Realm. In time we’ve grown to love these nonsensical additions, but in comparison to the original, it’s still a far cry from the kind of duels 90s kids should have been experiencing. Though, we do love the finger guns.
#2: “Pokémon” (1997-)
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To this day, Pokemon is still getting the stuffing censored out of them. To the point where retro fans can say with credibility that back in their day at least the crazy alterations were meme worthy! You’ve got Brock and the mystery of the jelly-filled doughnut. Entire episodes cut because of people showing too much skin. Shuriken replaced with suction cups. Even Jessie’s wardrobe had to be altered when certain countries were offended by her midriff.
#1: “One Piece” (1999-)
Top 10 Anime Series of All Time
Say what you will about the current dub, at least Funimation’s turn in the saddle is nothing compared to the mountain of crap that 4Kids inflicted upon unsuspecting fans. Oh sure, the opening rap is unironically fire, but there were so many baffling choices made here! No blood, Sanji’s cigarette replaced with a lollipop, rubber knives, and lest we forget about that pistol which was replaced with a crazy head-crushing contraption. Can you imagine how bad things would get if they got up to the Amazon Lily arc?
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