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This article mentions sensitive topics such as sexual abuse, violence, and child exploitation.

Anime can get pretty wild sometimes. Like any other storytelling medium, anime can push the envelope and challenge viewers with intense or even disturbing story content. As a result, these boundary-pushing anime went too far for some groups' tastes. This then led to complaints, protests, or even official bans.

Some nations formally banned certain anime, since they objected to what they view as inappropriate content. Often, banned anime made uncomfortably sharp or honest critiques of a nation's history or leaders. Others had such extreme gore or sexual content that a nation's government deemed it unsuitable for viewing.

Update on January 17th, 2024 by Chelsea Steele: While all forms of media can get wild and push boundaries, few do so quite like anime. The medium takes it to new heights with over-the-top stories that can often get pretty disturbing. While this doesn't bother all fans, it can sometimes be too much for viewers to handle, to the point where some iconic titles have even been banned in certain countries. We've updated this list to meet CBR's current publication standards.

Currently Banned Anime Series

Parasyte Is Banned In China, Likely Due To Its Use Of Body Horror

The Cast Stands Together on the Parasyte The Maxim Poster
Parasyte: The Maxim
TV-MA
Action
Horror
Science Fiction
Animation

Original title: Kiseijû: Sei no kakuritsu.
17-year-old Shinichi Izumi is partially infected by a Parasyte, monsters that butcher and consume humans. He must learn to co-exist with the creature if he is to survive both the life of a Parasyte and a human as part monster, part person.

Release Date
October 9, 2014
Studio
Madhouse
Main Cast
Nobunaga Shimazaki, Aya Hirano, Rinka H.B.B., Atsuka Tanaka, Brittney Karbowski, Adam Gibbs and Joanne Bonasso
Related
20 Controversial Anime That Made Fans Abandon the Fandom
Some anime series are so abysmal that they completely turn audiences off of the art form.

China banned at least 38 different anime back in 2015, and among the titles was Parasyte. The popular sci-fi/horror anime sees protagonist Shinichi Izumi fused with an alien parasite to gain bizarre powers. They then fought more monstrous human/alien hybrids.

An exact reason for the ban wasn't given. All that was known was that the top-rated seinen anime Parasyte couldn't be distributed online or in print in China. However, one of the likely reasons for the ban was Parasyte's body horror and gore. Based on recent bans, China seems to have a habit of banning anime with high volumes of blood.

Tokyo Ghoul Is Banned In China & Russia For Its High Levels Of Violence

The Cast on the Tokyo Ghoul Poster
Tokyo Ghoul
TV-MA
Action
Horror

A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.

Release Date
July 4, 2014
Cast
Natsuki Hanae , Sora Amamiya , Rie Kugimiya
Studio
Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul is one of the best-selling manga of all time, and one of the most popular (if polarizing) manga adaptations of the 2010s. But in 2017, it was banned in China because some believed that it encouraged a dangerous trend of teenagers sewing threads onto their skin, or using embroidery and piercings.

According to the International Business Times, Tokyo Ghoul was also blacklisted because it showed several scenes of extensive violence and "crimes against public morality." Even if Tokyo Ghoul did its best to restrain its depictions of torture and cannibalism, they were still considered too unsavory for China's censors. More recently, Sony removed the Tokyo Ghoul anime from Russia since it removed all of its anime services in that country recently.

Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki Is Banned Nearly Everywhere, Due To Its Horrific & Disturbing Story

2:17
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Shoujo Tsubaki has a pretty dark and troubling storyline. The controversial anime followed the 12-year-old Midori during her time with a twisted and cruel circus. Here, she was abused and humiliated until she met an ally in the form of a strange magician. Things somehow only got worse and more disturbing from this point onward.

For some time, Shoujo Tsubaki was considered a lost, banned anime. Many people actually destroyed the tapes when it was first released, and it was even banned in Japan. The uncut masters were only released from confiscation in 2013. Shoujo Tsubaki is easier to watch today, but it remains banned in many countries.

Urotsukidoji: Inferno Road Is Banned Almost Everywhere Thanks To Its Notoriously Suggestive Content

Urotsukidoji IV Inferno Road anime movie poster
Urotsukidoji: Inferno Road
Unrated
Animation
Fantasy

It is the age of the Overfiend, and flesh-hungry monsters rule the Earth. Immortal half-demon Amano Jyaku travels the wasteland, witness to the rape and torture of the human race. The last hope for humanity is the demonic Lord of Chaos, the Overfiend's natural enemy. Will the world survive their final battle?

Release Date
December 21, 1993
Runtime
2 hours 15 minutes
Main Genre
Anime
Story By
Artists
Sky Watkins, Robert Blue, Kip Kaplan, Michael Maizahevi, Greg Stuhr, Wendy Walker, Shamen Chavez, Jesse Emmett
Production Company
West Cape Corporation

The Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend series is one of the most notorious anime ever made. These ultraviolent hentai were almost always denied a wide release, or were heavily censored wherever released. The fourth entry—Inferno Road (or Infernal Road in some territories)—was one of the most banned anime in history.

Inferno Road was arguably the most disturbing and suggestive Overfiend entry yet. To this day, Inferno Road remains banned in many countries, or it's at least incredibly difficult to watch legally. For comparison's sake, the original Overfiend got a Blu-Ray remaster, but Inferno Road was last released as a regular DVD or as part of a set.

The DVD cover of Overfiend IV: Inferno Road

Attack On Titan Is Banned In China For Its Heavy Use Of Gore & Story Elements

Eren Yeager in his scout uniform on the Attack On Titan Anime Poster
Attack On Titan
TV-MA
Action
Adventure

Original title: Shingeki no Kyojin.
After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction in Attack on Titan.

Release Date
September 28, 2013
Creator
Hajime Isayama
Cast
Bryce Papenbrook , Yûki Kaji , Marina Inoue , Hiro Shimono , Takehito Koyasu , Jessie James Grelle
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
4 Seasons
Studio
Wit Studios, MAPPA
Number of Episodes
98 Episodes

Fans of Attack on Titan might not be surprised to hear that it got banned in China. The massively popular anime featured humans getting eaten by enormous cannibals. The anime has so much gore and scary moments that it's arguably more of a horror anime than a war story. However, violence was not the only reason for its ban.

China disliked how Attack on Titan was thematically about the youth opposing authority by any means necessary. The Chinese government also felt that the banned anime was a commentary on China's relations to Japan, and possibly Hong Kong. They believed China was represented in a negative light through the Titans.

Pokémon Is Banned In Saudi Arabia For Religious Reasons

Ash and Pikachu pose in front of all the character in Pokemon anime
Pokemon
TV-Y7
Anime
Action
Adventure

Ash Ketchum, his yellow pet Pikachu, and his human friends explore a world of powerful creatures.

Release Date
September 8, 1998
Creator
Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori, Satoshi Tajiri
Cast
Veronica Taylor , Eric Stuart , Rachael Lillis , Sarah Natochenny , Bill Rogers , Rica Matsumoto , Ikue Ootani
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
25
Studio
OLM Inc.
Related
25 Censored (& Banned) Pokémon Trading Cards
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Pokémon is a worldwide phenomenon, and it airs in many languages in many different nations. While a few episodes were banned for sensitive or harmful content in some countries, Saudi Arabia completely banned the entire anime. This was done for a variety of reasons, including religious ones.

Saudi Arabia saw the games as a form of gambling, which the banned anime promoted. The long-running Pokémon anime also prominently featured evolution, which went against the country's religious teachings. Lastly, the government accused Pokémon of using Shinto and Christian symbols, which they deemed to be a religious offense.

Hetalia: Axis Power Is Banned In South Korea Due To Its Poor Representation Of The Country

An illustration of Hetalia: Axis Powers characters posing near their country's flags.
Hetalia: Axis Powers
TV-MA
Comedy

An anime in which personified countries show history in a humorous fashion.

Release Date
January 24, 2009
Creator
Hidekaz Himaruya
Cast
Todd Haberkorn , Patrick Seitz
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
6 Seasons
Production Company
Kids Station, Studio DEEN

In the overly popular Hetalia: Axis Powers, every character represented a country. Their characterizations often relied on generalizations and stereotypes. For example, Italy, Germany, and Japan's friendship was clearly based on their alliances in World War II. South Korea, meanwhile, found their representative insulting.

A specific grievance was that South Korea's hanbok was drawn wrong. His perverted behavior was also deemed offensive. Finally, he openly praised Japan, which some South Koreans found unacceptable given South Korea's and Japan's rough histories. In response, South Korea was effectively erased from the banned anime and manga.

Record Of Ragnarok Is Banned In India For Its Portrayal Of Hindu Gods

In Record of Ragnarok, religious deities were real, and they wanted to kill humanity. Mankind's only chance for survival was fighting the eccentric gods they once worshiped in a cosmic tournament. One of these gods was the Hindu god Shiva. India found Shiva's anime incarnation so offensive that the country banned Record of Ragnarok.

Hindu practitioners took offense to how drastically Shiva's appearance was changed. They also criticized how Shiva was depicted as a temperamental slacker. Netflix initially tried to cut Shiva out before removing the banned anime from Netflix India. Record of Ragnarok's superior manga, however, can still be bought in the country.

Death Note Is Banned In China Because Of Its Dark Themes & Potential Influence On Children

Light Yagami, L and Ryuk posing in Death Note Anime Poster
Death Note
TV-14
Animation
Crime
Drama

Original title: Death Note: Desu nôto.
An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Release Date
October 21, 2007
Cast
Mamoru Miyano , Brad Swaile , Vincent Tong , Ryō Naitō , Trevor Devall
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1
Production Company
D.N. Dream Partners, Madhouse, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Shueisha, Video Audio Project (VAP)
Number of Episodes
37

Death Note revolves around themes of death, justice, and murder. The anime actually inspired real-life incidents, such as kids making their own Death Notes, where they would then write the names of people they didn't like. These were clear imitations of the intelligent villain Light Yagami's murderous actions.

Incidents like these were part of the reason why Death Note was banned in China. Some schools around the world have also attempted to ban Death Note's manga—such as in Albuquerque, New Mexico—in response to similar events. However, they didn't get enough votes to impose the district-wide ban.

Inferno Cop Is One Of Many Series Banned In China For Alleged Moral Reasons

Inferno Cop standing within the flames in the anime poster (2012).
Inferno Cop
TV-MA
Animation
Action
Comedy
Crime
Fantasy

A cop with a skeleton head towards evil around the world

Release Date
December 24, 2012
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
1
Production Company
Trigger
Number of Episodes
13
Main Cast
Junichi Goto, Yuya Hayashi, Ren Shimorenjaku, Kaname Shimorenjaku, Natsuki Wada, Fumihiko Morohashi

Whenever China banned anime, the reasons were fairly obvious. Usually, Chinese censors outlawed anime that were too politically subversive or sexually suggestive. One of the country's strangest bans was imposed on Inferno Cop. The anime was a surreally nonsensical comedy that was neither too violent or raunchy.

China's broad justification for banning 38 anime in 2015 was that they included "violence, pornography, terrorism, and crimes against public morality." Even if Studio Trigger's underrated Inferno Cop didn't exactly fulfill these criteria, it was still blacklisted. The banned anime's fans laughed this ban off and took it as a source of pride.

Kinnikuman Is Banned In France Due To A Controversial Character

Kinnikuman (1983) anime series poster
Kinnikuman
Animation
Action
Adventure

The lost prince of Planet Kinniku must take his place among his people. There's a few problems: he's lazy, cowardly and unskilled.

Release Date
April 3, 1983
Cast
Akira Kamiya
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
2
Number of Episodes
86
Main Cast
Minori Matsushima, Sanji Hase, Kazuhiko Kishino, Nana Yamaguchi, Hiromi Tsuru, Hideyuki Tanaka

Kinnikuman's story about galactic wrestling was innocent enough, except for a certain character: Brocken Jr. He was portrayed as a "good Nazi," which made many people uncomfortable. He also wore a Nazi uniform due to his father's role in World War II, but he didn't adhere to Nazism's hateful beliefs.

Brocken single-handedly got Kinnikuman banned in France. Similarly, his toy was never officially brought to the United States. Furthermore, the tie-in Nintendo games often ignored Brocken. Eventually, Kinnikuman changed Brocken Jr.'s design so that he didn't wear Nazi symbols. In some cases, he was erased entirely.

Kite Is Banned In Norway For Its Graphic Scenes

Kite
Kite
TV-MA
Action
Crime

A young girl, orphaned at an early age, carries out assassinations at the behest of her mentor.

Release Date
February 25, 1998
Cast
Konami Yoshida , Kinryû Arimoto , Kôsuke Okano
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1 Season
Producer
Osamu Koshinaka, Taro Miyabi
Production Company
Arms, Beam Entertainment, Green Bunny
Number of Episodes
2 Episodes
Related
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Kite features a girl who can use bullets to make people explode. However, it was not this extreme violence that made Kite widely uncomfortable. Instead, Kite was banned in Norway due to an extremely graphic scene of sexual assault. The victim was the protagonist, Sawa, who was also a minor.

Because of Norway's laws against child pornography, Kite was banned and prohibited from being sold or screened anywhere. Conversely, Kite didn't become a banned anime in the United States. Instead, it was heavily edited when it first arrived. Kite's uncut form was sold as a "special edition" DVD, but they were printed in limited numbers.

Hiroshi Kamiya, Takahiro Sakurai, Ken'ichi Suzumura, Nobuo Tobita, Miyu Irino, Jun Fukuyama, Daisuke Ono, Yûichi Nakamura, Yôji Ueda, Sachi Kokuryu, and Aya Endô in Osomatsu-san (2015)
Osomatsu-san
TV-14
Animation
Comedy

The adventures of young Osomatsu Matsuno and his five sextuplet brothers.

Release Date
August 8, 2015
Creator
Fujio Akatsuka
Cast
Ray Chase , Max Mittelman , Billy Kametz , Michael Sinterniklaas , Alex Cazares
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
3
Production Company
Pierrot
Number of Episodes
75

Fair use and copyright laws were Osomatsu-san's downfall the moment it began airing. In their pilot episode, the Matsuno sextuplets tried to figure out what their anime was going to be about. They then parodied various current and popular shows, such as Attack on Titan, Sailor Moon, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and more.

In Japan, parodies can only be done in good faith and with legal permission. Since the chaotic Osomatsu-San mocked media that wasn't owned by or loaned to studio Pierrot, and because its jokes were deemed too rude, the first episode was pulled from the air. Even the DVD releases don't include the first episode.

Fate Kaleid/Liner Prisma Illya Is Banned In Russia For Its Infamous Sexualization Of The Characters

Fate:kaleid liner Prisma Illya (2013) anime series poster
Fate Kaleid/Liner Prisma Illya
TV-14
Animation
Action
Comedy

Normal elementary schoolgirl Illya has her life turned upside down when a peculiar stick turns her to a magical girl whose job is to defeat stray Heroic Spirits and collect their cards.

Release Date
June 6, 2013
Cast
Molly Searcy
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
1
Production Company
Silver Link
Number of Episodes
12
Main Cast
Shelley Calene-Black, Carli Mosier, Cynthia Martinez, Joanne Bonasso, Caitlynn French

Fate Kaleid/Liner Prisma is a Fate/Stay Night spin-off that reimagined the characters as magical girls. It became infamous for its overly sexualized underaged characters, which is a common way for anime to get censored or banned outside of Japan. To no one's surprise, Russia banned it due to its child pornography laws.

It's worth noting that any anime that could be classified as "hentai" is legally forbidden in Russia. Interestingly, Russia also banned a variety of isekai anime, despite them not being as explicit as Fate Kaleid/Liner Prisma. Russian authorities supposedly feared that such anime encourage viewers to take their own lives to escape to another world.

Sailor Moon Is Banned In Saudi Arabia For Cultural & Religious Reasons

Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino, Ami Mizuno, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino and Rei Hino in the anime tv series Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
TV-PG
Action
Adventure

A group of schoolgirls discover they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses, and use their abilities to defend the earth.

Release Date
September 11, 1995
Creator
Naoko Takeuchi
Cast
Stephanie Sheh , Kotono Mitsuishi , Kate Higgins , Aya Hisakawa , Cristina Valenzuela , Michie Tomizawa , Emi Shinohara , Amanda Céline Miller , Cherami Leigh , Rica Fukami
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
5
Main Characters
Susan Roman, Jill Frappier, Katie Griffin
Production Company
Toei Agency, Toei Animation, Toei Company
Number of Episodes
200

There's a blanket rule in Saudi Arabia that forbids any media depicting women in the leading role. This is partly the reason why the entire magical girl genre is seemingly outlawed in the country. Sailor Moon was the most prominent magical girl anime to be banned in Saudi Arabia for reasons that include religious slights.

For the longest time, Toei refused to license Sailor Moon to Saudi Arabia because of its rigid moral standards. The ban against Sailor Moon was somewhat lifted when Netflix added the movie Sailor Moon Eternal to the country's library in 2021. Except for Sailor Moon Eternal, hundreds of magical girl anime are still banned in Saudi Arabia.

Psycho-Pass Is Banned In China For Its Use Of Violence & Anti-Authority Themes

The cast on the Psycho-Pass Poster
Psycho-Pass
TV-MA
Anime
Crime
Science Fiction
Thriller

Believing in humanity and order, policewoman Akane Tsunemori obeys the ruling, computerized, precognitive Sibyl System. But when she faces a criminal mastermind who can elude this perfect system, she questions both Sibyl and herself.

Release Date
October 12, 2012
Creator
Tow Ubukata
Cast
Kana Hanazawa , Takahiro Sakurai
Studio
Production I.G
Related
Akira vs. Psycho-Pass: Which World Is the Most Brutal?
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Psycho-Pass is fairly PG-13 show with some graphic violence and heavy themes, though few fans or government departments would deem it excessive. It's in the same league as seinen anime like Ghost in the Shell and most cyberpunk stories, but the Chinese government still didn't approve it.

The anime-original Psycho-Pass has themes of defying authority and societal rules. The Chinese government evidently has a strict policy against any media with such themes. Pyscho-Pass didn't make direct commentary about China, and its political themes are more universal than anything. Even so, it was declared a banned anime in China.

Excel Saga's Last Episode Is Banned In Japan Because It's Just Too Intense For TV

Excel Saga
Excel Saga
TV-14
Comedy
Drama
Sci-Fi

Ilpalazzo wants one thing: to rule world so he can better it. Excel just wants to help. Too bad she sucks at her job.

Release Date
October 7, 1999
Creator
Jigoku Gumi
Cast
Kotono Mitsuishi , Takehito Koyasu , Jason Douglas
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1 Season
Producer
Shigeru Kitayama, Michihisa Abe, Yuji Matsukura
Production Company
J.C. Staff, Victor Entertainment
Number of Episodes
26 Episodes

Excel Saga had its last episode banned in Japan. Every other episode aired without a hitch. This was because the finale was deliberately made to be as obscene and violent as possible. The episode was appropriately titled "Going Too Far," and can only be seen in DVD releases.

Excel Saga's director, Shinichi Watanabe, admitted that he purposefully wanted the episode to be banned by Japanese censors. Needless to say, he got his wish. In an interview, Watanabe stated that it "felt good to go past the limits of a TV series," but it "is not something that [one] should do too often."

Assassination Classroom Is Banned In Florida & Wisconsin, USA Due To The Fear That It Would Influence Young Fans

Assassination Classroom anime cover art featuring Koro-Sensei
Assassination Classroom

A powerful creature claims that within a year, Earth will be destroyed by him, but he offers mankind a chance by becoming a homeroom teacher where he teaches his students about how to kill him. An assassination classroom begins.

Genre
Animation, Action, Comedy
Language
English
Number of Seasons
5 Seasons
Debut Date
January 9, 2015
Studio
Lerche

In Assassination Classroom, the students of Class 3-E must find a way to kill their alien teacher in order to save the world. Due to the terrifying reality of school shootings and gun violence in the United States, Assassination Classroom's manga was banned in certain schools in Florida and Wisconsin.

This was done under the belief that the high school anime Assassination Classroom would "teach" readers how to kill their teachers. Other states are currently deliberating if they should follow Florida and Wisconsin. The fear now is that these tenuous excuses could be used to ban even more manga and anime in the United States.

Unbanned Anime Series

High School DxD Was Previously Banned In New Zealand Due To Its Highly Suggestive Content

The Cast of High School DxD Looks toward the Viewer
High School DxD
TV-MA
Action
Comedy

After being killed on his first date, idiotic and perverted Issei Hyodo is resurrected as a demon by Rias Gremory only to be recruited into her club of high-class devils.

Release Date
January 6, 2012
Main Genre
Anime
Studio
TNK
Main Cast
Youko Hikasa, Yuuki Kaji, Shizuka Itou, Ayana Taketatsu, Azumi Asakura and Kenji Nojima

High School DxD is a very popular anime, but it's mostly known for being very sexual. This is unsurprising, given that it features many elements of traditional harem anime. Due to the characters' young ages, New Zealand banned High School DxD because they considered it sexually exploitative of minors.

High School DxD even turned some fans away because it had so much nudity and sexualized scenarios that it could technically count as "hentai." Not helping matters was how the main character, Issei Hyoudou, was a lecherous student who had dreams of having his own harem. New Zealand finally reclassified the banned anime with an R-16 rating in 2022.

Puni Puni Poemy Was Previously Banned In New Zealand For Overly Suggestive & Violent Content

Puni Puni Poemy (2001) anime series poster
Puni Puni Poemy
TV-MA
Animation
Comedy
Short

This is a 2-part OAV spin off of the Japanese anime series "Excel Saga". Shinichi Watanabe returns to deliver some of the most outrageous, outlandish, series that parodies the magic girl anime (ie: Sailor Moon). However, this thing has a lot of perverted humor including 10-year old lesbians, incest, and lots more. You have been warned!

Release Date
March 7, 2001
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
1
Production Company
J.C. Staff, Victor Entertainment
Number of Episodes
2
Main Cast
Cynthia Martinez, Brett Weaver, Monica Rial, Jessica Boone, Luci Christian, Greg Ayres, Kotono Mitsuishi, John Swasey, Spike Spencer, Chris Patton, Tiffany Grant, Hilary Haag, Rob Mungle, Allison Keith-Shipp, John Gremillion, Aya Hisakawa.

Puni Puni Poemy was banned in New Zealand due to its excessive sexual content and violence. The sexual content was especially bad since it involved very young characters in explicit scenarios. This led to anime fans questioning why New Zealand banned the forgotten Puni Puni Poemy, but left other similar shows unchecked.

The best answer seems to be that it wasn't very popular to begin with, so it was arguably easier to ban. Contrast this to the potential backlash to bans on blockbusters like Death Note or Pokémon. New Zealand reclassified Puni Puni Poemy with an R-16 rating in 2021, but it remains a banned anime in Saudi Arabia.