the animated the industry continues to evolve prolifically, and there has never been more diverse material to experience. Anime explores so many niche and challenging content genres that it often feels like there’s a series for everyone. The continued success of the anime has also led to a large wider range of series receiving English dubs.
The sophistication of the anime dubbing industry has come a long way in recent decades. That said, there are some notorious instances, both past and present, where the anime English dub market doesn’t fit with the original Japanese demographic and changes need to be made. censorship is never niceeven when it’s a necessary evil, and these are some of the most frustrating examples.
10 Sailor Moon erases the progressive sexuality of the series
The original dubbing in english for sailor moon was absolutely essential in the popularity of anime abroad and outside of Japan, but the production is also plagued by excessive and reactionary censorship measures that proliferated during the 1990s.
sailor moon Attempting to connect with younger audiences means violent and sexual imagery has been toned down, including the transformations of the Sailor Girl Scouts. However, one of the biggest pieces of censorship involves making the Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune characters cousins in an effort to mask their romantic relationship in the original series.
9 Pokemon’s youthful demographic led to early content concerns
Pokemon it’s the rare case of a property dominating whatever medium it tackles, be it video games, trading cards, or an anime series. the Pokemon The anime has become a true phenomenon, and there are more than 1000 episodes in the various series of the franchise.
Pokemon The target audience is younger, so it’s understandable that some of the series’ rougher edges are removed with its English dub. many of Pokemon The editions occur from the first seasons of the anime. Still, the momentum of hide humor and sexually charged situationsor even limiting the use of weapons, resulted in entire episodes being omitted from the dub.
8 Tenchi Muyo! is proof of the dangers surrounding the episodes of Hot Springs
Cartoon Network’s Toonami programming block was instrumental in introducing many North American audiences to its first anime series. Toonami gradually experimented with a more diverse lineup of content, leading to Tenchi Muyo! a harem series of slices of lifejoining the block.
Harem series can be very blatant with their sexual material and use of “fan service”. Tenchi Muyo! was subject to frequent edits on Toonami, but the most egregious one occurs during the infamous hot springs episode. The dubbed version even goes so far as to add “digital bikinis” to the nude characters, which begs the question of why the episode aired in the first place.
7 Yu-Gi-Oh! He goes overboard with his censorship concerns
4Kids has been involved in many controversial and moderate English dubs, but the changes being made in Yu-Gi-Oh! they are among the most ridiculous in the company. Yu-Gi-Oh! And it is the dueling card concept seems appropriate for a young demographicespecially since Yugi and the other duelists don’t personally participate in combat.
Yu-Gi-Oh! It contains the normal violence and sexuality edits, but the anime really goes out of control in this regard, and even minor abuse is removed. One of anime’s most famous acts of censorship swaps characters’ real weapons for finger guns, and the whole “Shadow Realm” surrogate for death causes more trouble than it’s worth.
6 Cardcaptor Sakura loses half of her episodes and all her nuances in “Cardcaptors”
card captor sakura is an iconic magical girl series that lives up to sailor moon in terms of its enduring legacy and impact on the genre. card captor sakura it received an early English dub that did away with the same-sex relationships that were present in the series, but was otherwise a fairly accurate portrayal of the anime.
However, a revised version of the card catchers the dub was produced for Kids’ WB which reordered the episodes to focus on Syaoran and appeal to a more male audience. The anime’s 70-episode run was condensed to 39, taking serious liberties with the anime’s story.
5 One Piece’s protective censorship spirals out of control
One piece is one of the most celebrated shonen anime series of all time, which makes it extremely frustrating that so many English viewers’ first experience with the property was through 4Kids objectionable dubbed version. 4Kids content for younger audiences was put through stricter censorship standards, meaning they probably never should have picked up an action-focused series like One piece.
These first cases of censorship are absolutely out of control. Some cases of bloodshed and violence make sense, but One piece turns cigarettes into lollipops, removes character tattoos, and even changes aggressive facial expressions in certain cases.
4 Outlaw Star watches her words and removes a lewd adventure from the fun
outlaw star is a 1990s anime that follows Gene Starwind and his space pirate rebel crew. outlaw star is reasonably tame, but the dubbed version that aired on Cartoon Network received copious censorship for its harsher language and acts of violence. star outlaw Episode 23, which is largely set in a hot spring, was cut from Cartoon Network’s run entirely.
Curiously, outlaw star it would later air on Adult Swim’s Toonami in 2017, nearly two decades after its original Cartoon Network run. Only one edit of Aisha’s nudity in the hot springs is made, but at least the episode is included.
3 Shaman King’s religious interests are erased in translation
shaman-king is a shonen series back in the spotlight after an exciting modern reboot. 4Kids acquired some interesting anime series in the early 2000s, and shaman king Friendly character designs and magical battles make it seem like appropriate material for a young demographic.
Many anime dubs need to censor violence and sexuality, but most changes in shaman-king they are connected with religion and Christianity. censorship by shaman-king The dubbing includes the removal of crosses from tombstones, the erasing of corpses, and a general softness of these themes that are integrated into the anime.
two Cowboy Bebop’s Complex Characters Are Simplified Through Censorship
cowboy bebop it’s still a totemic anime series, and the prospect of censoring any of its material is sacrilege for a large sect of its fandom. cowboy bebop The legacy has only grown over the years, but its English dub and run on Toonami helped make it a universal hit.
cowboy bebop initial broadcasts in 1999 toned down the language, excess blood, and some of the more explicit fan service surrounding Faye. However, references to same-sex relationships and gender fluidity are washed out with the treatment of Gren and other background characters. The 2017 Adult Swim run of cowboy bebop It restores much of these edits, but it’s still not perfect.
1 The first editions of Dragon Ball Z set an industry precedent
many current Dragon Ball the fans were first exposed to the series through its initial dub, which is both a nostalgic and frustrating censorship piece. Digital paint is applied to hide nudity and remove blood, which is understandable to a degree. However, changing the hell to “Home For Infinite Losers” and Mr. Popo’s blue coloring is much harder to justify.
Some of these first editions are completely random, removing episodes or combining others to improve the pace of the series. Dragon Ball GT The English dub even starts with 16 episodes condensed into a solo primer.
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