Throughout the history of anime adaptations for Western audiences, censorship has led to some bizarre and unintentionally hilarious moments. From poorly edited scenes to strange replacements, these changes occur when studios try to make Japanese shows “appropriate” for young western audiences. The result? Scenes so ridiculous they end up being more distracting than whatever they were trying to censor.
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Over the years, these censorship fails have sparked countless memes and discussion threads among anime fans worldwide. Whether it was changing food names or altering entire relationships, these head-scratching changes prove just how far studios will go to make foreign content fit different cultural standards, accidentally creating some of the funniest moments in anime history. Even better, in some cases, the censored scenes became more iconic than their originals, cementing a legacy of hilarious censorship moments.
7. Sanji’s Lollipop Addiction
One of the most infamous anime censorship decisions involves Sanji, the chain-smoking chef from One Piece, whose cigarettes were replaced with lollipops by 4Kids Entertainment. This substitution made it seem like Sanji had an equally concerning candy addiction, with fans joking that cooking with a lollipop in his mouth would be more unhygienic than smoking. The rushed editing made the censorship even more noticeable, with the lollipops being inconsistent in size and sometimes awkwardly floating near Sanji’s mouth.
Despite its ridiculousness, many fans came to appreciate the absurdity of Sanji’s lollipop. The candy actually suits One Piece‘s quirky style, making this one of the few censorship decisions that doesn’t feel too out of place. Still, the image of a tough chef constantly sucking on a lollipop created an unintentionally comical character trait that fans continue to reference today.
6. Stroheim’s Nazi Salute Censored
In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency, Stroheim is introduced as a cruel Nazi officer who surprisingly becomes an ally to Joseph Joestar. To avoid controversy, Western versions censored his Nazi salute as it was deemed too offensive for viewers outside Japan. But instead of changing the scene completely, they simply black out his raised arm every time he performed the gesture.
Ironically, this fix ended up being worse than the problem, as the random black outs made viewers wonder what was being hidden. The black clashed with JoJo‘s vibrant animation style, drawing more attention than if they had edited it differently. European regulations, especially Germany’s strict ban on Nazi imagery, pushed further changes in the JoJo video game “Eyes of Heaven,” where Stroheim’s entire military uniform had to be redesigned to remove all Nazi references.
5. Rock Lee’s Elixir
In the original version of Naruto, Rock Lee accidentally drinks sake during his fight with Kimimaro, unleashing his Drunken Fist technique. When aired on Cartoon Network, the alcohol was renamed “elixir,” with warnings about how dangerously “loopy” Lee becomes with just a sip. His technique was renamed “Loopy Fist,” creating a hilarious attempt to disguise drunken kung fu as something more kid-friendly.
The editing made it painfully obvious what was really happening, with Lee’s behavior clearly resembling intoxication. The attempt to disguise this drunken behavior only highlights the cultural differences in entertainment between Japan and the West. Japan has fewer restrictions on mature themes in animated content, whereas Western networks heavily censor similar content for younger viewers.
[RELATED – The Crazy Censorship of Dragon Ball Z’s Past]
4. Pokémon’s “Jelly Donuts”
In a hilarious censorship moment, 4Kids Entertainment had Pokémon characters call rice balls “jelly donuts.” Despite their clearly non-donut appearance, Brock enthusiastically declared his love for “donuts” while holding rice triangles wrapped in seaweed. Decades later, fans still joke about this hilarious edit.
This change reflected 4Kids’ habit of editing out Japanese cultural elements, fearing they might confuse American kids. They weren’t alone in this practice, as many anime dubs in the ‘90s and early 2000s faced similar “Westernization.” Later Pokémon seasons avoided the issue entirely by editing rice balls into sandwiches.
3. Yu-Gi-Oh!: When Finger Guns Became Lethal
Guns have long been censored in American children’s shows, forcing anime distributors to get creative with censorship. Some scenes had guns edited out completely, while others were modified. In Yu-Gi-Oh!’s English dub, all handguns were removed, leaving characters awkwardly pointing fingers instead.
These “finger guns” created unintentionally hilarious scenes where threats looked like aggressive pointing while victims still reacted with genuine terror. The edits reached peak absurdity when Bandit Keith aimed his invisible gun at Pegasus, threatening him with angry finger-pointing. Similar censorship happened in Dragon Ball Z, where regular guns were replaced with laser weapons that went “pew-pew” instead of “bang” in a futile effort to tone down the violence commonly associated with the series.
2. Sailor Moon’s Sailor Neptune and Uranus: From Lovers to Cousins
In the original Sailor Moon, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were clearly portrayed as a lesbian couple, but American distributors made a bizarre censorship decision. Instead of simply making them “really good friends,” the dub declared the characters were cousins, despite their clearly romantic interactions. This explanation was repeated numerous times throughout the series, even during scenes of them holding hands, flirting, and sharing intimate moments.
The result was hilariously uncomfortable situations where characters clearly in love were suddenly related by blood. And many fans believe this change only made their relationship more noticeable rather than hiding it. The strange censorship choice happened because same-sex relationships weren’t allowed on children’s television at that time, making this one of anime’s most hilarious censorship moments.
1. Attack on Titan Discovers Modesty
In Malaysia, titans from Attack on Titan’s manga received an unexpected wardrobe upgrade when authorities decided the nude creatures were too inappropriate. Despite Titans being genderless with smooth skin where genitalia would be, Malaysian censors decided the creatures needed pants, shorts, and even full outfits. Female Titans got extra coverage, making them look like they were ready for a casual day at the mall rather than devouring humanity.
What makes this change especially laughable is that creator Hajime Isayama deliberately designed Titans to be disturbing, not suggestive. The Malaysian edition, however, made the creatures seem oddly fashionable while consuming humans. As a result, fans worldwide shared images of Malaysia’s censored version, turning it into an internet meme.
