Top 10 Banned Anime
We know it's not good for us…but surely it's not worth banning. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Banned Anime.
Some of these anime are well known, while others have more of a cult following. Either way, each one has a reason it was banned from one place or another. And be aware there may be spoilers ahead.
Special thanks to our user Ashjbow and Leo Lazar Jakšić for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: “Excel Saga” (1999-2000)
This anime was almost shown in its entirety in Japan except for the final episode, aptly titled “Going Too Far”. Still unaired in its home country, it was considered too long, too violent, too obscene, and just generally too much. While the rest of the show was never banned, this episode can only be seen on DVD releases of the show. Clearly this was on purpose, and we guess you have to give the creators points for sticking to the title!
#9: “Hetalia: Axis Powers” (2009-)
Every country that had a hand in World War II gets a chance to be poked fun at in this anime series. So what country decided to be offended enough to ban it? South Korea, for “offensive stereotypes”. It was so serious that it was considered a “national crime” by the country and there were even protests outside of the Korean TV station airing the show. Everyone else seems to be ok with the series, but due to this backlash, the character was removed.
#8: “Puni Puni Poemy” (2001)
The team behind “Excel Saga” strikes again in a spin-off series that was banned in New Zealand for pretty similar reasons. It’s lewd, it’s crude, and it’s far too violent for the Kiddies. In similar fashion to the original, it’s intended to parody other anime, going overboard with various themes. Seeing as “Puni Puni Poemy” is mocking the magical genre such as “Sailor Moon”, there are plenty of opportunities to be as over the top as possible with nudity, violence, and school girls.
#7: “Osomatsu-San” (“Mr. Osomatsu”) (2015-)
This series follows the Matsuno sextuplets who, at any given opportunity prove to be the most depraved of brothers. While most of the series gets away with this, despite its adult sense of humor, there is one episode that has been banned in Japan. This situation is a little different from the others, as rather than it being too vulgar or violent, it seems there were some parody and fair use issues. The laws of parody and fair use in Japan are quite different and hard to negotiate, causing the first episode to be put back on the shelf.
#6: “Tokyo Ghoul” (2014-)
This may be one of the darkest anime in recent years, which is exactly why it was banned in China. Excessive violence will get an anime put on a banned list rather quickly in the country, and just watching the first episode of “Tokyo Ghoul” will leave you feeling coated in blood. If a human struggling with his new life as a ghoul, surviving entirely on flesh and blood is interesting to you, though, give this one a look – just not in China.
#5: “Attack on Titan” (2013-)
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As if “Tokyo Ghoul” was bloody and disgusting enough, here’s another human-munching series for you. It’s absolutely disturbing… and amazing, depending on opinions. So who banned this time? Well, China, again, for the same reason too - Excessive violence. While this anime has been praised in several countries, it has been considered overboard at the same time. The violence may seem extreme, though without it, the story perhaps wouldn’t work. It’s too bad China has to miss out.
#4: “Kinnikuman” (1983-86)
Going back to fun and silly, “Kinnikuman” was an anime from the eighties that was based around a superhero wrestler, who perhaps wasn’t the best at being a hero. He was clumsy, he was goofy, but none of this sounds like a reason for an anime to be banned in France, right? Well we have the character, Brocken Jr., to thank for that, who is the son of a nazi and sports a rather prominent swastika. France obviously has strict rules regarding these things, so due to depicting a supposed “good nazi”, “Kinnikuman” got the notorious ban-hammer.
#3: “High School DxD” (2012-)
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In “High School DxD” we follow Issei Hyodo, a bit of a pervert who meets his end after his first date, an actual devil in disguise, murders him. Despite this, Issei is saved by Rias Gremory, and thrust into a world of dueling devils. So what’s wrong with this anime about a battle between angels, fallen angels, and devils on a high school campus? A whole lot of nudity. New Zealand disagreed with the overly sexual themes of the show and banned it, so no “High School DxD” for you! Sorry.
#2: “Death Note” (2006-07)
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Have you ever been so disgusted and angry with the world that you wanted to take matters into your own hands to fix it? Light Yagami did, and when he was given the chance to fix things when a notebook fell at his feet, he took it. By writing a person’s name in this notebook, he found that they would die, and he also found he was alright with that. With this dark premise, there was a country that was not alright with this, China. China banned “Death Note” declaring the anime was corrupting children.
#1: Pokemon (1997-)
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You may not have expected this one to be the top of the list, but yet here we are. “Pokemon”, the most innocent of all anime in the world is our number one. So who, you might ask, would ban this adorable anime about pocket monsters that battle each other and only run around saying their own names? Saudi Arabia. The religious authorities of the country decided that the series had elements of gambling and Jewish sentiments. From there, it spiraled out of control and now “Pokemon” equals Zionist conspiracy, so it’s banned in Saudi Arabia. Does your head hurt? So does ours.
