Top 20 Banned Anime Episodes
Top 20 Banned Anime Episodes Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most infamous anime episodes that weren’t allowed to air in certain parts of the world. #20: “Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!” “Pokémon” (1997-) Imagine getting hyped up for an upcoming Anime arc that you see in previews only for it to never end up happening - this is exactly what happened with these “Pokémon Black & White” episodes. It was to be a two parter featuring two villainous teams of the franchise - Team Rocket and Team Plasma duke it out. Due to them depicting heavy city destruction, the episodes were postponed due to the tragic 2011 Tohoku earthquake and Tsunami, before eventually being completely removed. Because of this, these unaired episodes are now considered non-canon and we’ll likely never be able to watch them. #19: “Cowboy Funk” “Cowboy Bebop” (1998) The September 11th attacks had a huge effect on what was broadcast on television, and as you’ll see multiple times through this list, even Anime was heavily affected. This “Cowboy Bebop” episode was centered around a terrorist known as the “Teddy Bomber” who would destroy skyscrapers with hidden explosives. Of course this was way too similar to real life events at the time, which resulted in Adult Swim pulling the episode from rotation before returning the following year. #18: The Jynx Episodes “Pokémon” (1997-) On the surface, these original anime episodes seem to have little in common, yet they all share a single element that led to their removal from subsequent reruns and Netflix streaming: their prominent inclusion of the Pokémon Jynx. The character's initial appearance drew frequent comparisons to the racist practice of blackface. Later on, Jynx would receive an official purple redesign across the franchise, and while Japan occasionally streams digitally recolored versions of the footage, the classic English-dubbed episodes remain completely MIA in the West. #17: Episodes 44, 45 & 46 “Digimon Adventure 02” (2000-01) Not even Pokemon’s biggest rival at the time was safe from getting some of its episodes banned! These three episodes of Digimon’s second series ended up being removed from rotation on Jetix due to them containing scenes of children getting abducted, with the heroes shown chasing after the truck containing them. Despite this, the episodes “Dark Sun, Dark Spore,” “The Dark Gate” and the “Duel of the WarGreymon” would eventually be released on DVD and continue to be streamed around the world on various platforms to this day. #16: “Tentacool & Tentacruel” “Pokémon” (1997-) Upon arriving at a coastal city, Ash and friends are approached by a rich developer hoping to clear a coral reef of jellyfish Pokémon. While Misty manages to talk the boys out of participating in the extermination, Team Rocket decides the reward is too good to pass up. Their meddling backfires spectacularly, resulting in a colossal Tentacruel that begins a destructive rampage through the urban landscape. Because the episode showcased the leveling of various skyscrapers, American networks removed it from rotation after the September 11th attacks, alongside other installments like "The Tower of Terror," whose title hit a little too close to home. #15: “To Be or Nazi Be” “Lupin the 3rd Part 2” (1977-80) From InuYasha to Cowboy Bebop, Adult Swim was the perfect place for anime with more mature themes and content to air in the 2000s, but this episode was where they drew the line. Originally known as “Hitler's Legacy” in Japan, the episode follows Lupin and the gang as they try to find out where Hitler’s treasure is from an old ex-Nazi called Genhardt. The episode went completely unaired on Adult Swim due to its Nazi themes, and was also initially skipped on the DVD release before finally being included at a later date. This episode ban was surprising considering there have been similar themes in other Adult Swim shows. #14: “Battle Protocol!” “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (2000) Another Anime series affected by 9/11, “Robots in Disguise” had its very first episode pulled from rebroadcast like so many others. It was pulled due to it featuring a scene where Megatron causing carnage in a city and destroying multiple buildings. Shockingly enough, this episode aired only three days before the real-life attacks. Three other episodes were also removed, including one that featured a collapsing tower being held up by both the Autobots and Predacons. #13: “The Legend of Miniryu” “Pokémon” (1997-) This is probably the most plot-important "Pokémon" episode banned. During a trip to the Safari Zone, Ash and his companions search for rare Pokémon, particularly the elusive dragon-type, Dratini. An elderly warden and old acquaintance of Professor Oak known as Kaiser fiercely protects the area to keep the creature hidden from trainers. However, the episode was banned across nearly all regions outside of Asia due to its excessive gun scenes. The warden is depicted as trigger-happy, aiming firearms at the Ash and even firing at Team Rocket. Since "The Legend of Miniryu" marks Ash’s sole Kanto Safari Zone excursion and explains the sudden appearance of his Tauros herd later in the series, its removal left countless international fans thoroughly confused. #12: “Fateful Confession” “The Vision of Escaflowne” (1996) The 90s was full of censored Anime and the first dub of “The Vision of Escaflowne” that aired on Fox Kids was no exception, with multiple heavy edits throughout its short run. Even more bizarre than the excessive censorship was the fact that the very first episode was completely skipped. Apparently, executives felt that the first episode was way too focused on the female protagonist Hitomi, which would turn away what they perceived as the main target audience - 12 year old boys. Ultimately, the show ended up being cancelled on Fox Kids after only 10 episodes. Maybe skipping one of the most important episodes didn’t help. #11: “To Become An Idol!” “MegaMan NT Warrior” (2002-03) Given how popular Virtual Idols are in this day and age, you have to give it to “NT Warrior” for being ahead of the curve with this episode, but unfortunately we in the west never got to see it. In “To Become an Idol,” Maylu and Yai end up getting kidnapped when the virtual idol Aki ends up getting corrupted by a virus. In order to save the girls, Lan and his pals end up dressing up as Idols themselves to help find the missing girls. Because of the nature of their outfits, this episode was completely skipped in the english dub, and honestly that was probably for the best! #10: “Satoshi and Nagetukesaru! Touchdown of Friendship!!”
“Pokémon” (1997-) In his quest to catch 'em all, Ash decided to bond with some Passimian by trying out their face paint. Despite his good intentions, all he did was get the whole episode barred from English territories. The dub skipped over the installment due to Ash’s paint-job looking an awful lot like blackface. The implications were too much to ignore or edit around, leaving the Pokemon Company with no choice but to outright ignore it. Considering how many times this has happened to Ash, he should just be glad this is the only episode from the “Sun and Moon” seasons that was skipped. #9: "Am I Beautiful? Kuchisake-onna"
“Ghost Stories” (2000-01) It’s hard enough to get an episode banned. It’s even more impressive to get it banned before it ever airs! To this day, the only public footage of this “Ghost Stories” episode is a short, fifteen second preview that aired the week before its intended broadcast. It was supposed to chronicle the story of the Kuchisake-onna, a woman with a disfigured mouth who stalks kids. But, many parents found it offensive that the ghoul’s appearance resembled a cleft palate, and protested against the episode’s release. In the hopes of avoiding a PR disaster, network Fuji TV completely removed the chapter, even taking it off the eventual DVD release. Kuchisake-onna won’t be haunting anyone, now. #8: “Hot Springs Planet Tenrei” “Outlaw Star” (1998-99) Ah, the good, old hot springs episode. It’s basically an anime tradition. Better yet, in “Outlaw Star,” it wasn’t just one hot spring - it was a whole planet! You can probably guess where this is going. The sexual humor and overall lack of clothing meant it couldn’t air within ten miles of an American network. So, the original dub release just casually passed over it. At least, on TV, that is. The episode was fully dubbed, but it wasn’t allowed to air for another seventeen years. Given that most banned anime never see the light of day, we should be happy we got to witness this at all. #7: “The Beach, the Island and a Vacation: The Guardians' Break”
“Sailor Moon” (1992-97) Not quite as lewd but just as controversial, beach episodes are another anime staple that are hit or miss when it comes to overseas dubbing. Sorry, “Sailor Moon” fans, but this vacation landed on “miss,” and not for the reasons you’d expect. There wasn’t any offensive or sexual content; the original dubbing company just didn’t want to pay for more episodes than they needed. Since “The Guardian’s Break” was 100% filler, it was easy to exclude without affecting the overall plot. However, its absence from broadcast and DVD releases led fans to name it the “lost episode.” English audiences wouldn’t be able to see it until Viz’s new release in 2014. #6: “Going Too Far”
“Excel Saga” (1999-2000) With a title like that, is it really any surprise that this episode crosses some lines? Now, what if we were to tell you that was on purpose? Allegedly, director Shinichi Watanabe wanted to go as far as possible with “Excel Saga’s” finale. He knew it would be way too much for television, and only meant for it to be released on the DVD set. And, well, he got his wish. Japanese broadcasters gave “Going Too Far” a big, fat “no,” leaving it as a special bonus for fans who bought the physical disc. Say what you will about his storytelling, but Watanabe’s definitely got guts. #5: “Beauty and The Beach”
“Pokémon” (1997-) Even if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen the screencaps of this episode. You know, the one where James from Team Rocket is in a bikini and has a big, old chest? Yeah, that’s from this episode! Now, do we really need to tell you why “Beauty and the Beach” went behind bars? To be fair, the dub episode actually aired twice, albeit with several edits for the more risque moments. But, ever since 2000, it hasn’t been included in any release, streaming or physical. Given that James’ rack only grows more problematic as the years go by, that’s probably for the best. #4: “Osomatsu-kun Returns!”
“Mr. Osomatsu” (2015-) Twenty five years after he last appeared onscreen, Mr. Osomatsu returned to broadcast… only for his first episode to be locked away for good. Then again, they were kind of asking for it. In order to catch up on all the anime trends of the last few decades, Mr. Osomatsu spends this premiere episode parodying some of the most popular shows around. He cycles through “Attack on Titan,” “Pokemon,” “Bleach,” “Naruto,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and more! But, due to the massive breach in copyright, the episode was scrubbed from streaming services and promptly removed from all future releases. It was a good joke - just one that could only be done once. #3: "School Days"
“School Days” (2007) Anyone who wanted to tune in for the finale of this high-school romance ended up waiting a whole extra week to see the bloody conclusion. “School Days’” slice-of-life storyline ends with cold-blooded murder, but on the day it was supposed to air, it was abruptly pulled due to its similarities to another crime recently committed in Japan. Several major networks refused to air it even after the delay, leading many to fear the brutal episode would be buried for good. While “School Days’” grisly finale did eventually make it to TV, it had to be on a smaller channel where the subject matter wouldn’t make as many waves. #2: “Wild Horses”
“Cowboy Bebop” (1998) Five years after its release and three since the dub, an episode of “Cowboy Bebop” got quietly pulled from rerun circulation. It had nothing to do with the show or content at all. Instead, the installment just so happened to feature a NASA spaceship, which was a very sensitive image following the disastrous reentry of the Columbia shuttle in 2003. To avoid any potential backlash, Adult Swim plucked the episode out of its routine schedule without a word. Luckily, “Bebop” fans didn’t have to wait long before it was reinstated. But, that’s still a lot of fanfare for an episode that, all things considered, is pretty tame. #1: “Electric Soldier Porygon”
“Pokémon” (1997-) Being banned is the very least of this episode’s problems. It changed television as we know it. The story sounds innocent enough; it’s about Ash and co. following a stray Porygon into the world wide web. However, in doing so, they traveled through a series of flashing lights that hospitalized hundreds of real viewers across Japan. Not only was the episode pulled from TV and retired forever, it sparked a whole governmental movement about strobe effects in animated programs. So, if your favorite anime ever looks dim, you have Porygon to thank - assuming you can even track down the episode anymore. Which of these banned episodes do you want to see the most? Let us know in the comments below!