Naruto's Anime Barely Avoided Censorship, Says Pierrot Exec

In the world of anime, there are all kinds of series, and they cover the gambit of content. While some shows are early rated G, others find themselves pushing the boundaries with censors. For the most part, Shonen Jump has managed to avoid such ire with its series, and that goes doubly for its anime adaptations. But as it turns out, Naruto faced real threats of censorship during its heyday.

The confession comes from Michikyuki Honma, the current president of Studio Pierrot, as he chatted with Natalie. The company is the one that oversees the Naruto anime, and back in the day, Honma worked on the show with a full team. During production, the crew learned just how popular Naruto was with fans globally, and the topic of censorship became a tenuous one for the group.

"It's difficult to make a title that will be popular overseas or that will become a long-running series," Honma said. "Of course, we aim for that in part, but if you make an anime with that in mind, it will become increasingly boring. For instance, you'll say we can't have characters smoke so that we can show the anime overseas. Or we have to tone down the violence and avoid sexy expressions."

"If anime is bound by such restrictions, there is no way audiences overseas will want to watch. Projects that are a hit in Japan are also a hit overseas. I believe we must not make a mistake in approaching anime production the wrong way," the president explained.

Of course, Naruto deals with all of the issues mentioned by Honma. From smoking to child soldiers and suggestive sexual themes, the series hits them all. In some markets, these elements were censored, but Pierrot chose to honor the original work in the Naruto manga. By staying faithful to the story, Naruto managed to earn attention from fans both young and old. And these days, the franchise is viewed as one of the biggest in anime history.

For those that have never seen Naruto, the hit series is streaming everywhere from Hulu to Crunchyroll. You can also read Masashi Kishimoto's manga on the Shonen Jump app. Plus, the series lives on today through its successful sequels, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.

What do you think about this Naruto revelation? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!