9 Practical Reasons Why Anime Can Be Banned

Guest post by Nikhil.

Nikhil is still a kid at heart, and that’s probably why he is a big anime and comic book fanatic with a knack for binge-watching quicker than an average viewer. Ride along with him on this journey of fantasy. Happy reading and Sayonara!

There is probably no other form of entertainment media as anime that has conquered every genre the world has to offer. There is no denying that anime can get quite exciting and binge-worthy, but at the same time, it can get a little out of hand and questionable too. 

The list of controversy anime has tangled over the years is downright crazy, from gore to violence to nudity to incest to hyper-sexualization, and the list does not just end. Few are said to be derogatory to society in general, and some promote violence and harm amongst the youth. 

So, what makes anime a magnet to the ban environment? Let’s see a few of the animes and why they were banned and get a little deep into the topic. Sit tight. You might be in for a few surprises. 

Let’s get down to the article, “Reasons Why Anime Can Be Banned.”

#9 Over-sexualizing

Fan Service is not something new in anime, but a line must be drawn, and anime has to stick behind the bounds of those lines. Things get out of bounds when anime hyper-sexualizes young girls, which is unacceptable. 

This includes weird undergarment shots or sexual innuendos between “Brocon” or “Siscon.” Over-sexualizing has landed anime studios in trouble on multiple occasions. Several series are banned in various countries due to either hyper-sexualizing or depicting young characters in a corrupt and poor manner. 

High School DXD is one the most popular anime to come out of Japan. Apart from its story and artwork, it is known for its fan service. Alas, even after being a cult hit among many fans, the anime managed to get banned in various countries due sexual exploitation of underaged characters.

#8 Piracy

Now, this is not an immediate ban on anime or its content. However, anime studios are restrictive in their release. Hence anime is quite elusive for people to watch.

One popular method of watching anime is piracy and illegal sites, which is of concern for video studios and other platforms that air the show legally. Due to the issue around legality, the companies and government have launched stringent takedowns of pirated sites. For many, piracy is a necessary evil since there are no other legal modes to watch anime, and taking down the sites creates a ban-like environment.

#7 World of Censorship

Every country is culturally different from one another, and so are its laws and censorships. Something considered legal or a loophole by one country cannot be seen as the same by a different country, leading to disagreements and rising concerns. 

Blockbuster Video even rated every anime on their site as unsuitable for kids. For instance, the original anime may show a character holding a gun at point-blank. This is edited into a hammer or stick in a different country. Tackling censorship is a huge concern for parents. Something that may seem unsuitable for their kids, such as sexuality, nudity, extreme violence, and gore, may eventually get the anime banned.

#6 Horror

A horror-thriller show, Corpse Party, is a violent supernatural anime rated R due to its theme revolving around a gruesome and terrifying backdrop.

In this series, students gather at their high school to bid farewell to a friend who is leaving. Their ritual, however, was linked to the Heavenly Host Academy. This school was demolished and abandoned following a series of horrific murders. The ruins of the Academy were discovered beneath their current school. They are transported to another dimension and must survive the supernatural beings or risk remaining there indefinitely.

The theme and horrifying content were too much for viewers, eventually leading to an anime ban in a few countries.

#5 Harmful Trends 

There is no denying that Tokyo Ghoul is R-Rated. But even after the disclaimer, what made things worse that it got itself banned?

The series depicts Ghouls, who are blood-thirsty and flesh-hungry scavengers, living among the people of Tokyo.

The violence played a role in the ban, but the actual reason is quite disturbing. After watching the show, people began to catch on to one disturbing trend, Skin Embroidery. Which involves stitching patterns into the skin. This is harmful and a huge concern for parents and the government.

#4 A Dark Plot

Being banned in a few countries is one thing, but going as far as destroying even the film tapes shows how easily things go downhill.

A film from 1992 called Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki is banned worldwide. Shoujo Tsubaki features scenes of unconscionable gore, with its plot mainly hovering over child sexual ab*se. Many viewers of this anime have experienced trauma due to its horrifying imagery.

#3 Disturbing Tales

Another anime with an R-Rating is Deadman Wonderland. The series is more or less disturbing for the viewers, or that was what the government deemed it to be, thereby banning it.

This series follows Ganta Igarashi and his classmates as they visit a prison amusement park where convicts perform dangerous acts for the amusement of onlookers. Ganta ends up in that same prison after his entire class is slaughtered, and he is framed for their murders.

Although anime is well known for its gore and violence, manga is notorious for being graphic and gruesome.

#2 Political Reasons

Government and politics play a vital role in what can and cannot be shown in their respective countries. Something can be deemed illegal because it hurts religious sentiment or over the portrayal of gore and violence. According to averagebeing, Anime bans due to political reasons reach a decent 22.2%.

Anime is mainstream media on entertainment, and it can create a massive impact on kids, some of which are negative, like Death Note. You may be wondering how Death Note had a negative influence on kids. After watching the show, kids began writing the names of the people they wanted to hurt in a book resembling Death Note. This becomes a huge concern for parents, ultimately leading to the ban of the series.

Another example is Kinnikuman anime. The anime itself is not an issue. Moreover, the anime is entirely innocent. The source of concern is one of the characters. The character is seen donning a Nazi Uniform; even though the character is portrayed as someone who despises Nazi principles, it still was not received well and hurt several sentiments.

#1 The Unexpected

Till now, we have seen anime being banned for being violent or for portraying sexuality, or due to disturbing images. So, you may think that anime without violence and sexuality is free from being banned. Think again. PG-13 anime like Pokemon and My Hero Academia was also banned. Some of it was entirely due to political agenda, and some were due to fandom backlash.