Censorship in Dragon Ball Z

It's no secret that Japanese and Western audiences have very different views on animation in general. Where the West traditionally views anime as a children's medium, Japan has a long and proud history of anime titles filled with violence, sex and gore. The balance has nevertheless been restored somewhat today now that anime can claim to be a truly global phenomenon known to all generations. ⏲

Following Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series, Dragon Ball Z tells the story of adult Goku , transforming the franchise into an action universe by delving deeper into the world of science fiction. Dragon Ball Z has also exploded in popularity, bringing a wave of international interest in new anime such as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and My Hero Academia, which today owe it a great debt.

Unfortunately, the version of DBZ once loved by Japanese fans is not exactly the one shown on American and French screens. So to what extent was the Dragon Ball Z animated series censored during its trip to Europe and the United States? Let’s find out without further ado! 👊🏻

1. VIOLENCE IN DBZ

Dragon Ball Z is an inherently violent story, and the Western edition retained a lot of intense action scenes, however it was still toned down considerably compared to the Japanese version. During the battle between the Z-Fighters against the Saiyan invaders ( who are the Z-Fighters in Dragon Ball? ) the corpses of Yamcha and Piccolo disappear quickly after their respective defeats, in order to avoid showing the dead bodies of these important secondary characters. 💀

The same thing also happens with Goku after his clash with Raditz. Meanwhile, several scenes where Vegeta brutally attacks Yajirobe were removed from the original Japanese Dragon Ball Z series, making their fight less impressive and shocking. 💥

2. WEAPONS IN DBZ

When it comes to gun violence, it's obviously a more oppressive topic in the United States than in Asia or at home, and while guns don't play a major role in DBZ, there is a famous scene involving M .Satan and Buu . Majin Boo befriends a dog and begins to live peacefully with Mr. Satan, but a shooter will kill the animal, highlighting Buu's violent nature. 🔫

Toonami heavily downplayed this sequence, merely hinting at the action rather than explicitly showing it, and changing the sound effects to make gunfire sounds less realistic. During Goku's Journey on the Path of the Serpent , a filler scene during which one of Princess Hebi Hime 's assistants dies while playing Russian roulette, was also dropped for similar reasons. 🐍

Even the word "kill" was taboo in the Western cut of Dragon Ball Z. For the 2002 Toonami broadcast, Gohan threatens to "destroy" Buu rather than kill him, and when Piccolo tries to distract Boo by telling him to play with Earth's cities, he does not specify killing the citizens, as in the original Japanese edit. 🌍

3. THE DEATH OF CIVILIANS IN DBZ

During the Saiyan invasion of Earth, dialogue was added to emphasize that Nappa's attacks were aimed at empty or evacuated cities, assuring viewers that no innocents were killed. Civilian deaths were subjected to even greater censorship when Dragon Ball Z moved the action to the planet Namek.

Virtually all of the Namekians who died in the original cut were recreated to appear alive in the Western version, which involved removing neck wounds and holes in the torso, adding breathing sounds to corpses, and reorienting ki attacks. Strangely, DBZ also toned down the elder Namekian's death, even though Guru's passing was completely natural. ⚰

If hiding the deaths of innocents was tricky during the Saiyan and Namek saga, it was almost impossible during the Majin Buu saga, in which the pink and soft villain destroys the entire population. Although the apocalypse on Earth could not be entirely removed from Dragon Ball Z, Buu's massacre was greatly reduced, and any scene of killing ordinary people was instantly ousted. 🙄

4. CHILD AND ANIMAL ABUSE IN DBZ

This is the very nature of anime: young characters are and often must be involved in deadly and prolonged fights in the plot of the series. Although characters like Goku and Krillin have reached adulthood by the time of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan is still a child, and some of this young man's most upsetting scenes have been deemed too cruel for Western television. 👶🏻

To make the character look less distressed, Gohan's tears are cut when Raditz captures him, and a scene in which Raditz slaps Goku's son is also omitted. Instead, Gohan rolls on the ground as if his vile uncle had just thrown him aside... Convincing isn't it? 😶

While the violence against animals obviously wasn't too much of a problem for Dragon Ball Z's censors, one particular scene still went too far. During the battle between Frieza and Vegeta on Namek, the Saiyan is thrown into a lake. When he emerges from the water, a crab clings to Vegeta's back, and Frieza eagerly ate the creature, which many spectators around the world had therefore not seen. 🦀

5. NUDITY IN DBZ

Fans of the first Dragon Ball series had the unpleasant experience of seeing a naked Goku parading around without clothes on several occasions. Dragon Ball Z tried to repeat the scene with Gohan, but European censors were ready and waiting with a piece of foliage to cover the half-Saiyan 's dignity. A piece of Vegeta's blue costume will also fall on Gohan's bare back after he returns to his human form during the final battle of the Saiyan saga. 🍃

It's no surprise, however, that most of the sexual censorship in Dragon Ball Z can be attributed solely to Master Roshi , aka Awesome Turtle. In the Saiyan saga, Roshi receives a slap for trying to grope Bulma's chest, but this moment was wisely removed, and the same fate is reserved for a later scene where the pervert hands him his butt. This awkward back and forth between Bulma and Kamé Sennin is a pillar of Dragon Ball Z, present from the arrival of Raditz until the final stages of the Buu saga. Bulma wasn't the only beneficiary of Roshi's unwanted advances either, and a scene between Goku's sensei and a nurse was rightfully omitted. 👩🏻‍⚕️

As the list of female characters in Dragon Ball Z has grown, Roshi's inappropriate behavior has unfortunately also increased. As he has done far too often with Bulma in the past, Roshi has made breast-related sexual advances on both C-18 and Videl, usually receiving a slap in return. These light-hearted depictions of sexual assault were not included for viewers on the American and French coasts. When Roshi isn't busy trying to impress women, he collects adult magazines - something Western audiences wouldn't know, because the covers are blank! 📖

6. ALCOHOL IN DBZ

Master Roshi is a sexual predator in Dragon Ball Z , it is well known. But the perverted sensei also enjoys the alcoholic beverage, although it has been deemed too mature by European censors, who will regularly change the appearance of the bottles. The beers in Dragon Ball Z were replaced with blue water or milk, to avoid looking like alcohol and to promote alcohol consumption to young, impressionable viewers. 🍺

Even the word "beer" proved too rich for Funimation , and was digitally replaced with "root" instead, suggesting a non-alcoholic alternative. Cigarettes are subject to similar treatment. In the very first episode of Dragon Ball Z, Raditz encounters a smoking farmer, but the American version removed the offending piece of tobacco, leaving the character's mouth empty. Other smokers, like the Ox King and Bulma's father, Dr. Brief, were also deprived of their fix. 🚬

7. BLOOD IN DBZ

To Western viewers of the late 80s and early 90s, blood in anime was virtually unknown and incidences of this red substance were largely removed in the original Dragon Ball Z series. Raditz's death is a scene gore in the Japanese anime , but the English version will change Piccolo's blood from red to green, making it less realistic, while the Namekian's special beam cannon will pass through Raditz without piercing Goku and, remarkably, without spilling any blood. 🩸

The fight between Zarbon and Vegeta on Namek is also an all-out fight, with the Saiyans taking out years of pent-up anger on Frieza's henchman. However, their duel was much more appreciated by American viewers thanks to the removal of blood from both characters, as well as a general toning down of the action. Vegeta first pierced Zarbon with a punch and again with a Garlic Cannon, but neither penetrated him in the edited version broadcast here. Zarbon's turquoise blood was then cleaned from Vegeta's gloves to match the less adult tone of the fight. 🧤

8. INSULTS IN DBZ

In order to satisfy the Christian demographic of the United States, all mention of Hell was removed from Goku's journey into the afterlife. The name itself has been replaced. The Western version of Dragon Ball moved away from the term "afterlife", preferring to use "other dimension" and even changing the halos for orbs in an English dub. This theme continued with the introduction of Earth's Mightiest Charlatan, and the name " Mr. Satan " was replaced with " Hercules " - a reference to the muscular character of Hercules in Greek mythology. ⚡

The censorship of curse words in Dragon Ball Z wasn't just for religious reasons, as instances of swearing were also removed. Both Recoome and Babidi the Sorcerer insulted Goku out of frustration, and these moments were naturally removed for the benefit of American audiences. In another case of censorship, the phrase "piss off" used by Dende was first removed in the English dub, but was later removed for subsequent broadcasts. 🥱

9. THE BIZARRE CENSORSHIP IN DBZ

It's no surprise that nudity and sexual harassment were removed from Dragon Ball Z before the Western version's release, and while fans may regret not seeing more violence, the decision to reduce the brutality is , to say the least, understandable. But, sometimes, scenes disappear without an obvious explanation. 😑

For example, Yajirobe is seen picking his nose during one episode, but this image was edited to depict him shaking his hand. If censors want to protect young people from the dangers of booger picking, most children were probably already doing it before Yajirobe came along. 👃🏻

One of the most notable moments of Gohan's battle against Cell is when the young Super Saiyan delivers a violent blow to Cell's stomach, forcing him to vomit up C-18, which he had already swallowed. For American viewers, this gross process was glossed over, focusing more on Gohan's reaction and its aftermath than the actual regurgitation. 🤮

In an even stranger example of censorship, Goku telepathically contacts Awesome Turtle from the afterlife. Roshi is then busy in the toilet and rushes out of the stall, pulling up his pants. Where Kamé Sennin's leg was originally exposed when he came out of the toilet, the American editorial team pulled his pants all the way up.

Always equal to himself, our international Kamé Sennin also has the right to his exclusive Figurine! So make up your mind quickly and get your new Master Roshi Figurine before everyone else!

10. FOR OR AGAINST CENSORSHIP IN DRAGON BALL Z?

And there you have it, now you know absolutely everything about the scenes of censorship that the Dragon Ball and DBZ series may have encountered during its transcription in our Western countries.

Don't hesitate to tell us if you are for or against this censorship in the comments and if you have already watched the saga directly in Japanese (with subtitles of course) young saiyan! 😉