10 Funniest Censored Moments in Anime History

Summary Censorship in anime history can lead to unintentionally funny changes like swapping cigarettes for lollipops in One Piece.

Shows like Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragon Ball Z had to change Hell to alternate dimensions to avoid controversy with American audiences.

Inaccurate censorship like replacing rice balls with sandwiches in Pokémon can become iconic meme material among fans.

Some of the most infamous moments in anime history have come from attempts to censor content people might deem "offensive." It's undeniable how influential anime has become to international audiences in the past 50 years. Stories like One Piece, Sailor Moon, Pokémon and Dragon Ball have changed the landscape of entertainment and even influenced works outside Japan. However, some moments have been considered highly controversial, leading to the censors in international markets either changing or outright omitting key scenes or details.

Whenever an anime was localized in the 90s and 2000s, many moments were altered to fit with what that country deemed to be appropriate. Whether it's swapping elements of Japanese culture out for something Americans might recognize or flat-out changing the relationship between two characters, the stories being told took a huge hit as they veered away from what the creators originally intended. However, some of these efforts ended up changing things so drastically that they actually came off as hilarious.

10 Tokyo Ghoul Takes the Easy Way Out of Censoring Gory Moments

Violent Scenes are Replaced with a Negative Filter, Obvious Blurs and Other Blockers

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While the most well-known examples of unintentionally funny censorship come from 90s series like Pokémon, there are still some modern anime that occasionally find themselves censored today despite streaming making it easier to show unedited content than ever. Perhaps the most infamous example comes from one of the most divisive anime of all time, Tokyo Ghoul. This show, following a college student named Taneki who becomes part ghoul, is mired in violence as the protagonist needs to feast on human flesh in order to survive. Plus, with other ghouls hiding in plain sight, fighting between the creatures is inevitable.

However, whenever things began to get "colorful" in Tokyo Ghoul, the censors stepped in by overlaying the scene with something to block the violence. While not as hilarious as some other notable censored moments, the whiplash of seeing the scene have a negative filter or a giant black bar covering any ounce of blood sucks out any tension that was being built up. As a result, fans can't help but laugh at how jarring it is. Tokyo Ghoul certainly wasn't the first to use these censorship techniques, but the amount of times it uses these methods borders on comical.

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9 Hell Doesn't Exist in Yu-Gi-Oh or Dragon Ball Z

Any Mentions of Hell are Replaced with an Alternate Dimension

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie(s) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light , Yu-Gi-Oh!: Bonds Beyond Time , Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions TV Show(s) Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters , Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters , Yu-Gi-Oh! GX , Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's , Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal , Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal 2 , Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V , Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS , Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens , Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Character(s) Yugi Mutou , Atem , Joey Wheeler , Tea Gardner , Tristan Taylor , Ryo Bakura , Seto Kaiba , Mokuba Kaiba , Miho Nosaka , Yami Bakura , Maximillion Pegasus , Marik Ishtar

Both Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragon Ball Z became huge hits in the US when the popular anime were brought from Japan. However, both series actually incorporated Hell into their plot as an actual location. Not wanting to get in trouble with parents, censors were quick to find a way around this by having its characters proclaim they're actually in an alternate dimension. It was a quick and easy way to cover up that Hell is actually a real place in these shows with Yu-Gi-Oh's being more implied, but the delivery can be incredibly awkward when trying to explain this.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the censored choice didn't have its successes. The Shadow Realm in Yu-Gi-Oh has become a meme among fans for the way the series' characters "banish" them in incredibly over-the-top delivery to hide the fact that the player who gets sent there actually dies. Plus, censoring the truth about the Shadow Realm even managed to make it darker than the censors intended.

8 Tanktops in Dragon Ball Z's Hell Dimension Get a Hilarious Change

HELL Becomes the Home for Infinite Losers

Dragon Ball From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku's never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Created by Akira Toriyama Latest Film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero First TV Show Dragon Ball Latest TV Show Super Dragon Ball Heroes Current Series Dragon Ball Super Video Game(s) Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 , Dragon Ball FighterZ , Dragon Ball: The Breakers , Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission , Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z , Dragon Ball Xenoverse , Dragon Ball Z Kakarot

While covering up the fact that Hell is a real place in Dragon Ball Z was an easy enough change, Goz and Mez were always going to be a more difficult challenge. Their characters are shown wearing giant white tank tops that sport the word HELL in big, bold letters, clueing in viewers where Goku is. If the censors truly wanted to mask the truth behind Goku's new surroundings, they could have easily covered the tank tops up entirely, making them a plain white. However, the overcomplicated choice made has become one of the funniest changes to ever be made in the series' history.

Rather than getting rid of the words entirely, the censors rebranded Hell as the "Home for Infinite Losers." This gave the censors a chance to alter two letters in HELL to make Goz and Mez's tanktops actually read HFIL. It's so obvious that their clothes used to say HELL, but it's such a funny change that it's become a beloved joke among the Dragon Ball community.

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7 Americans Can't Handle Rice Balls

Ash Catches a Tumbling Sandwich in Pokémon: Ruby & Sapphire

Out of all the changes made to anime when they were brought to American audiences, Pokémon was undoubtedly the most infamous in terms of which series got the most ridiculous ones. While the show has become iconic among anime fans, its odd choices made by censors have become perfect meme material. Case in point is the constant running gag in the community where the characters view rice balls as other foods.

For example, the episode "Three Jynx and a Baby" from Pokémon: Ruby & Sapphire features a sequence where a giant rice ball rolls down a hill, which Ash catches. However, when the episode was brought to America not too long after 4Kids stopped producing the dubs, the rice ball was replaced by a poorly animated tumbling sandwich. The way it rolls down the hill is so funny to watch as it not only falls from end to end, but also shows no clear fluid motion, making it an incredibly silly scene that has had fans laughing since it first aired.

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Related Why Registeel Was Censored In Pokémon Diamond & Pearl The Japanese versions of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were different from the international versions, as Registeel's pose needed to be changed.

6 Digimon Replaces Violence with Healthy Eating

BomberNanimon Becomes Citramon in Digimon Data Squad

Just like its rival during the show's prime, Digimon was just as likely to be censored as Pokémon. However, the absolute funniest change is undeniably what the censors did to BomberNanimon. This Digimon was shaped to take the appearance of a bomb rocking a cool pair of shades during battle. However, when the episode featuring the character was brought to the US, Disney saw the design as too violent and wanted it to change if it wanted to be released on their channel.

The substituted design ended up being absolutely hilarious. BomberNanimon became Citramon, a gigantic orange with green orbs replacing the bombs he would throw. This wild alteration was so out of left field that it caught fans off-guard, especially after realizing where his origins came from. However, since the episode's release, there's been a small cult following behind him that actually enjoy the character, making him a niche favorite in the Digimon community.

Digimon Data Squad is Currently Unavailable to Stream Anywhere

5 Sanji Trades His Cigarettes for Something Sweet

One Piece Replaces Sanji's Cigarettes with Lollipops

One Piece Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history's longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix's 2023 adaptation. Created by Eiichiro Oda First Film One Piece: The Movie Character(s) Monkey D. Luffy , Roronora Zoro , Nami (One Piece) , Nico Robin , Usopp (One Piece) , Vinsmoke Sanji , Tony Tony Chopper , Franky (One Piece) , Jimbei (One Piece) Video Game(s) One Piece Odyssey One Piece: Unlimited World RED , One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 , One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 , One Piece: World Seeker

4Kids has undeniably become one of the most infamous dubbing studios among fans as they were notorious for drastically censoring things in their acquired licenses. One of these shows happened to be the long-running and fan-favorite series One Piece. Given the adventure comedy's more mature tone, changes were inevitable when the series was brought to Kids WB in the early 2000s. However, when it came time for Sanji to be introduced to the series, one of his biggest trademarks ended up getting changed the most.

Sanji has become well-known for being a smoker in the anime. To counteract this and appeal to a younger age gap, 4Kids actually replaced his cigarettes with lollipops to avoid them from showing up on the Kids WB block. It's a hilarious alteration that had fans laughing for how out-of-place it felt for his character. For some, it could have been better if they had just not included the cigarette at all, but the swap to a sweet treat for Sanji is brilliant and pure comedy gold that continues to delight people today

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4 Yu-Gi-Oh Replaces Guns from the Original Anime in the Funniest Way

Characters Point Fingers Instead of Brandishing Weapons

While Yu-Gi-Oh was fairly popular with kids, the original anime when it aired in Japan was actually fairly violent. There were actual stakes that put people's lives on the line, and even duels that threatened to sever limbs if someone lost. However, the funniest way the series was censored was when 4Kids had to find a way to leave out guns, which were fairly common in the series.

The baffling answer to this was to completely edit the gun out and have characters pointing accusingly at others. It's a choice that fans of E.T. might find familiar as a similar decision was made when the film was remastered for its anniversary where the officers hunting down Elliott and E.T. were shown holding Walkie Talkies. This edit has become the butt of numerous jokes among Yu-Gi-Oh fans as the edited out weapons look absolutely ridiculous in the dubs.

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3 Brock Loves a Good Jelly-Filled Donut

Pokémon Tries to Claim Obvious Rice Balls are Actually Donuts

This moment in Pokémon history has become famous among American audiences for how much it completely disregards the audience's intelligence. The scene starts with Ash, Brock and Misty taking a rest on their journey. During this time, they decide to eat donuts as a snack to keep their strength up. The problem is, the dish they're eating is clearly a set of rice balls that 4Kids didn't even bother to edit out, propelling the scene into meme status.

What's so funny about this scene is how Brock's English voice actor tries so hard to sell that the rice balls are actually donuts. His confidence is incredibly funny since Brock, who is a good cook, would clearly know that he's making rice balls, not donuts. It's the scene that started the joke that 4Kids doesn't want audiences to know that rice balls exist, and it will forever be engrained in the minds of fans that grew up on the series as one of the best and most unforgivable censored moments in the show's history.

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2 Sailor Uranus and Neptune's Romance Becomes Unsettling with One Change

Sailor Moon Makes Uranus and Neptune Cousins

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When it comes to couples in anime, Sailors Uranus and Neptune have undeniably become some of the best LGBTQ+ characters in the medium. However, when the series was brought to the US in the 90s, queer relationships were still a hot-button issue. Ergo, it was inevitable that their love would be censored in the final English dub. However, the choices made have become a laughingstock by fans years later for being one of the most bizarre changes in anime history.

Rather than depict Uranus and Neptune as a loving lesbian couple, Sailor Moon instead said that the two were actually cousins. The kicker was that despite the change, their romantic moments were still in the final dub, making it more than a little unsettling to watch. While future episodes would revert the change after Cartoon Network and Toonami stopped airing the series, it's still one of the most baffling censors of all time.

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1 School Days' Finale Gets Replaced With a "Nice Boat"

The Violent Final Episode of School Days Gets Completely Censored

While this choice actually came from Japan itself instead of the US, this censored episode of School Days spawned a hilarious meme, which was birthed from a dark place. According to Crunchyroll, a girl in Kyoto killed her father the day before the final School Days episode was set to premiere. Out of sensitivity for the events, stations in Japan postponed the violent finale with thirty minutes of a serene river to fill the airtime.

However, despite the complete censorship of the episode, the internet turned it into an absolutely wholesome meme. One 4Chan user simply commented "Nice Boat" in reference to the censored episode, and it gave way to an onslaught of hilarious memes that took the anime community by storm. While Japan did get to eventually show the final episode following the delay, this choice led to the funniest censored moment in anime history that's still remembered by fans to this day.

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Sources: Digimon Trivia, Crunchyroll