Television networks ban certain shows for a variety of content, and what is and isn't
acceptable changes over the years.
Here are ten anime that have been banned for one reason or another, but before the video
starts, make sure to subscribe to CBR and become a part of our notification squad.
Let us know what your favorite entry on the list is, and don't forget to check out our
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Attack on Titan Banned in China The Chinese government is well known for its
censorship, and has specifically banned Attack on Titan, along with thirty-seven other anime,
because it "includes scenes of violence, pornography, terrorism, and crimes against public morality."
While Attack on Titan doesn't tick all those boxes, the hyper-violence of the show has
raised eyebrows across the globe.
It's no surprise that the Chinese government banned a show about a small group banding
together to fight an overwhelming power.
Symbolic, much?
Death Note Banned in China Chinese censorship strikes again.
Death Note, the wildly popular anime about a magical notebook that can kill anyone whose
name is written inside it, was banned because teachers were afraid their students would
turn their own notebooks into "death notes."
It's a clear case of people being out of touch with what is popular.
The reasoning behind the Death Note ban is reminiscent of why parents were afraid to
let their children play dungeons and dragons in the 70s.
To make it worse, school systems in Albuquerque, New Mexico also tried to ban the show.
Yes, school systems -- for the same reason as in China.
Are we sure teachers that believe notebooks can be imbued with magic should be teaching
our children?
Excel Saga Banned in Japan Take a breath.
Lower your eyebrows.
Yes, Excel Saga was banned in Japan, but only the last episode.
The television networks thought it was too risque.
However, there's a twist in this tale; the creators wanted the show to be banned from
television networks.
The final episode was three minutes too long to fit into a standard time slot, and they
didn't want to cut any of the content to make it fit.
Osomatsu-san Pulled Worldwide An interesting fact about Japan is that it
doesn't have fair use laws.
This means that parodies are not protected forms of entertainment like they are in America.
Osomatsu-san is an anime with a premise similar to Robot Chicken or South Park; it parodies
popular movies and television shows.
Multiple complaints resulted in the first episode and part of the third episode being
pulled from streaming sites all over the world.
The third episode was reanimated to remove the offending segments.
However, many fans hope that Crunchyroll will be able to air the original third episode,
as America's legal system protects parodies.
Puni Puni Poemii Banned in New Zealand Made by the same studio that produced Excel
Saga, Puni Puni Poemii is a parody taken to its logical, most extreme conclusion.
This resulted in its ban by the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification.
The OFLC felt the show exploited children and young people for violence and sexual gratification,
and refuse to overturn their ruling despite appeals by anime fans.
The show parodies popular magical girl and mecha anime, drawing on the most bizarre parts
of anime culture.
Pokemon Banned in Saudi Arabia Pick your jaws up off the floor, boys and
girls.
Yes, even Pokemon can become a target for overzealous sensors.
Someone who failed to use Google Translate thought Pokemon translated to "I'm a Jew,"
in Japanese, and therefore had to be part of a Zionist conspiracy to pull children away
from Islam.
It's impossible to make this stuff up.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise Episode Pulled from the US
It's hard to imagine the US censoring something, but the episode of Transformers called "Battle
Protocol" showed Optimus Prime smashing his way through a skyscraper.
This episode, unfortunately, aired three days before 9/11 -- for the first and only time.
For obvious reasons, television networks have never shown it again, although it can likely
be found on the internet if you search hard enough.
Kinnikuman Banned in France France has strict hate-speech laws, and their
censorship organizations don't take chances.
While Brocken Jr may be a heroic character in the show, his obvious Nazi uniform and
the swastika that goes alongside it made it a solid no-go in France.
The manga has been banned entirely, and only 49 of the 137 episodes ever aired on television
networks.
Hetalia Banned in South Korea Hetalia is one of those anime that comes around
once in a blue moon.
It's unique storyline and anthropomorphic countries (yes, you heard that right) give
it a quirky style that people adore.
Hetalia makes fun of every country you can imagine, portraying them by their various
stereotypes.
Because of the turbulent history between South Korea and Japan, South Korea found its portrayal
on the show to be in poor taste and subsequently banned it from networks.
Aki-Sora Restricted in Tokyo Despite rumors to the contrary, incest is
not acceptable in Japan.
Aki-Sora is an incent drama between a girl and her younger brother.
The heavily-sexual nature of the show resulted in it being a target of the Tokyo Youth Ordinance,
a 2010 ruling aimed at restricting the sale of anime and manga involving certain sexual
content.
The publisher of Aki-Sora actually cancelled its production before any series had been
banned out of fear that it would be targeted.
Censorship laws can be mind-bogglingly strange, but then again, so can anime.
Let us know what you thought of this list and tell us what your favorite entry is, and
don't forget to subscribe to CBR and become a member of our notification squad!
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