Television censorship

Television censorship is the censorship of television content, either through the excising of certain frames or scenes, or outright banning of televisions in their entirety. Television censorship typically occurs as a result of political or moral objections to a television's content; controversial content subject to censorship include the depiction of graphic violence, sexual situations, or racial themes. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time.

Rating systems

A Television content rating system is designated to classify television with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of obscene content. A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate.

By country

China

See also: Censorship in China

The Chinese government has repeatedly censored anime shows that the country considers immoral, especially those that include bloody and violent scenes. Blood-C , a Japanese anime television series, has been banned since it includes a "particularly bloody" scene which may cause "extreme discomfort". ^[1] In 2021, China announced to ban violent, vulgar, and bloody children's TV shows. A statement released by the National Radio and Television Administration said that "the content of broadcasts should be healthy and progressive and should promote truth, good, and beauty in cartoons". ^[2]

The battle part of first episode of the eighth season of Game of Thrones is cut in China. ^[3]

Japan

See also: Censorship in Japan and Editing of anime in distribution

Russia

See also: Censorship in Russia

South Korea

See also: Censorship in South Korea

United Kingdom

See also: Censorship in the United Kingdom and Editing of anime in distribution

United States

See also: Censorship in the United States, Editing of anime in distribution, and 4Kids Entertainment

List of banned television series

For nearly the entire history of television production, certain televisions have been banned by television censorship or review organizations for political or moral reasons or for controversial content, such as racism, copyright violation, and underage immorality. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time due to political or moral change.

Many countries have government-appointed or private commissions to censor and rate productions for film and television exhibition. While it is common for television (including episodes) to be edited to fall into certain rating classifications, this list includes only television that have been explicitly prohibited from public screening. In some countries, television are banned on a wide scale; these are not listed in this table.

Australia

Date	Title	Notes
2017	Peppa Pig	Banned due to a scene which shows the main character, Peppa Pig, holding a spider. [4]
2023	How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω	On 4 January 2023, the Australian Classification Board refused classification for How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω but did not provide a reason, thus banning the series from being sold, hired, advertised or imported to Australia, despite being available for streaming. [5] [6]

China

Date	Title	Notes
2014	The Big Bang Theory	Banned due to copyright violations problems of clause 16 of the rules of online broadcasting. [7]
2014	The Good Wife	Banned due to copyright violations problems of clause 16 of the rules of online broadcasting. [7]
2014	NCIS	Banned due to copyright violations problems of clause 16 of the rules of online broadcasting. [7]
2014	The Practice	Banned due to copyright violations problems of clause 16 of the rules of online broadcasting. [7]
2015	Afro Samurai	Banned due to extremely violence scenes. [8]
2015	Another	Banned due to gore scenes. [8]
2015	Attack on Titan	In 2015, the series was banned by the Chinese Military of Culture due to gore and violence scenes. [8] [9]
2015	Blood-C	Banned due to bloody violence scene. [1] [8]
2015	Corpse Party	Banned due to bloody violence scene. [8]
2015	Date A Live II	Banned due to sexuality explicit scene. [8]
2015	Deadman Wonderland	Banned due to graphic violence scene. [8]
2015	Death Note	Banned due to violence scene. [8]
2015	Devilman Lady	Banned due to explicit nudity and violence scene. [8]
2015	Devil May Cry: The Animated Series	Banned due to graphic violence scene. [8]
2015	Elfen Lied	Banned due to extreme violence and nudity scenes.
2015	Ergo Proxy	[8]
2015	Highschool of the Dead	Banned due to bloody violence and sexually explicits. [1] [8]
2015	Inferno Cop	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	Mnemosyne	[8]
2015	Parasyte: The Maxim	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	Psycho-Pass	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	School Days	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	The Skull Man	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	Strike the Blood	Banned due to strong violence and nudity scene. [8]
2015	Sword Art Online II	Banned due to strong violence scene. [8]
2015	Terror in Resonance	Banned due to terrorist based on the real life. [1] [8]
2015	The Testament of Sister New Devil’’	Banned due to graphic sex and nudity scenes. [8]
2015	Those Who Hunt Elves	[8]
2015	Tokyo ESP	[8]
2015	Tokyo Ravens	[8]
2015	Tokyo Ghoul √A	[8]
2016	Doctor Who	[10]
?	Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero
?	High School DxD	Banned due to many nudity scenes.
2018	Peppa Pig	Banned due to character is being used subversively. [11]
2019	South Park	After the episode Band in China aired in Hong Kong, the series was completely banned from deleting all Chinese websites that they were apologizing to their series. [12] [13] [14]
2020	My Hero Academia	Banned due to horrific war crime characters' names referencing to Unit 731. [15] [16] [17] [18]
2023	The Simpsons	[10] [19]

Egypt

Date	Title	Notes
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Florida

Date	Title	Notes
	Assassination Classroom	[21]

France

Date	Title	Notes
1990	Kinnikuman	[22]

India

Date	Title	Notes
1997	Cow and Chicken	[23]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]
2008	Crayon Shin-chan	[24] [25]
2021	Record of Ragnarok	[26] [27]

Indonesia

Date	Title	Notes
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Iran

Date	Title	Notes
	Modern Family	[28]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]
2024	The Assassins	[29]

Japan

Date	Title	Notes
2000	Excel Saga	The final episode never aired on TV Tokyo for causing to be banned for explicit violence and nudity scenes. [30]
2015	Mr. Osomatsu	Banned due to copyright law problems. [23]

Kazakhstan

Date	Title	Notes
2000	Da Ali G Show	[10]

Kuwait

Date	Title	Notes
2000	South Park	[28]

New Zealand

Date	Title	Notes
1995	Mighty Morphin Power Rangers	[31]
?	Puni Puni Poemy	[32]
2014	High School DxD	Banned on the grounds of sexual exploitation of children. The OFLC stated in their report publications were banned if containing what the board felt was "to reinforce the notion that young persons are sexually desirable and available". [33]

Malaysia

Date	Title	Notes
1995	Mighty Morphin Power Rangers	[34]
	Monty Python's Flying Circus	[28]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Philippines

Date	Title	Notes
1979	Voltes V	Banned due to "harmful effects on children". [35] [36]

Russia

Date	Title	Notes
?	Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya	Banned due to "child pornography laws". [23]
2021	Death Note	In 2021, the series was banned by St. Petersburg due to depiction of violence, murder and cruelty scenes. [37]
2021	Inuyashiki	Banned, due to depiction of violence, murder and cruelty scenes. [37]
2021	Tokyo Ghoul	Banned, due to depiction of violence, murder and cruelty scenes. [37]
2021	Elfen Lied	Banned due to nudity and violence scenes. [37]
2021	Interspecies Reviewers	Banned due to sexually explicit scenes. [38]
2021	Naruto	Banned due to depiction of violence, murder and cruelty scenes. [38] [37]
2021	Aki Sora	Banned due to incest sexuality explicit scenes. [37] [39]
2021	Terror in Resonance	Banned due to terrorist based on the real life. [37] [39]
2021	Demon King Daimao	[39]
2021	The Fruit of Grisaia	[39]
2021	Maoyu	[39]
2021	Manyu Scroll	[39]
2021	Darwin's Game	[40]
2021	In/Spectre	[40]
2021	Happy Sugar Life	[40]
2021	That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime	[41]
2021	KonoSuba	[41]
2021	Zombie Land Saga	[41]
2021	Princess Lover!	[41]
2021	Nekopara	[41]
2021	Happy Tree Friends	Banned due to violence scenes based on for children's. [42]
2021	Attack on Titan	Banned due to "concern for the welfare of youth." [43] [44]
2022	No Game No Life	Banned due to child pornography scenes. [45]
2023	Family Guy	[46]

Saudi Arabia

Date	Title	Notes
?	Pokémon	[47] [ unreliable source? ]
?	Sailor Moon	[23] [ unreliable source? ]

Singapore

Date	Title	Notes
1990	Sex and the City	[48] [49] [10]
2018	South Park	[50]

South Africa

Date	Title	Notes
	Knots Landing	[10] [ unreliable source? ]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

South Korea

Date	Title	Notes
	M*A*S*H	Banned due to Korean war. [10] M*A*S*H-ish 7: 70th Anniversary of the End of the Korean War
2001	South Park	Banned due to episode Death scene before airing on Tooniverse. [51]
2009	Hetalia: Axis Powers	On January 11, 2009, after the series aired Kids Station in Japan, the series was completely banned in South Korea due to appearing Korean characters. [52] [53]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Taiwan

Date	Title	Notes
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Vietnam

Date	Title	Notes
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Venezuela

Date	Title	Notes
?	The Simpsons	[54]
	Family Guy	[10] [20]

Wisconsin

Date	Title	Notes
	Assassination Classroom	[21]

See also

• Freedom of speech portal
• Media portal

• List of books banned by governments
• List of banned films
• List of banned video games
• Streisand effect

References

1. Kelion, Leo (1 April 2015). "China cracks down on violent anime online cartoons". BBC News . Retrieved 6 February 2023.
2. Schlitz, Heather (27 September 2021). "China bans violent or vulgar cartoons and anime as its crackdown on the entertainment industry continues". Business Insider . Retrieved 6 February 2023.
3. "Game of Thrones: Chinese fans angry as censorship results in 'castrated' debut". The Guardian . Agence France-Presse. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
4. "Peppa Pig 'spiders can't hurt you' episode pulled off air in Australia – again". theguardian.com. September 5, 2017.
5. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 13, 2023). "Australia Bans Import, Sales of How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord Omega Anime". Anime News Network . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
6. "How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Season Two". www.classification.gov.au.
7. "China bans streaming of four US TV shows including The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife". RTÉ. April 28, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
8. "China bans 38 anime & manga titles including Attack on Titan". Special Broadcasting Service. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
9. Blum, Jeremy (June 16, 2015). "Forget Attack on Titan - China issues its own attack on anime" . South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
10. "10 Popular TV Shows That Are Banned In Other Countries (& Why)". CBR. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
11. Kerry, Allen (30 April 2018). "Peppa Pig blocked from China's Douyin video platform". BBC News . Retrieved 10 September 2024.
12. Brito, Christopher (2019-10-08). ""South Park" creators offer fake apology to China after reported ban". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
13. Victor, Daniel (October 8, 2019). "'South Park' Creators Offer Fake Apology After Show Is Erased in China". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
14. "South Park banned in China for new episode, 'Band In China'". Tone Deaf. The Brag. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
15. Loveridge, Lynzee (February 3, 2020). "My Hero Academia Character Gets Name Change Following Controversy". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2020. The character's original given name was revealed in chapter 259 as "Maruta Shiga." "Maruta" refers to the code-name for human experimentation undertaken by the Imperial Japanese Army's Unit 731 during the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II. The Chinese victims of the experiments were called "maruta," the Japanese word for "logs" as a reference to the facilities cover story that it was a lumber mill. Victims, including children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the mentally handicapped, were purposefully infected with diseases, dissected, lobotomized, and amputated while still alive.
16. Loveridge, Lynzee (February 5, 2020). "My Hero Academia Manga, Anime Removed from Chinese Digital Platforms". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020. The manga character's name reopening wounds in China and Korea that lead to the series' manga and anime being pulled from bilibili and Tencent and the possible cancellation of the mobile game My Hero Academia: Strongest Hero by Chinese studio Xin Yuan.
17. Loveridge, Lynzee (February 7, 2020). "Shueisha Issues Formal Apology for My Hero Academia Character's Name". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
18. Loveridge, Lynzee (February 10, 2020). "My Hero Academia Manga Updated With Villain's New Name". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2020. The character's real name was changed to Kyudai Garaki in the update. The new name maintains elements from creator Kōhei Horikoshi's original name; "Kyudai" is written with the kanji for "ball" and "big" and "Garaki" takes the last three syllables of the villain's mentor's name "Shigaraki" while also including the kanji for "tree."
19. "Simpsons censored in Hong Kong for mentioning China 'labour camps". theguardian.com. February 7, 2023.
20. "Countries Say "No" to 'Family Guy'". May 21, 2021.
21. https://www.cbr.com/assassination-classroom-banned-florida-wisconsin/
22. "TF1 : symbole nazi dans le dessin animé "Muscleman"". Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel. April 15, 1990. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
24. "Shin Chan has parents worried". The Times of India . January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.
25. "Adorable Shin Chan shown the door". Hindustan Times. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
26. Naik, Kshiteej (June 22, 2021). "Netflix Hasn't Released Record of Ragnarok in India". IGN . India. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
27. Hazra, Adriana (June 27, 2021). "Netflix Removes Record of Ragnarok Anime in India". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
28. "15 TV Shows You Didn't Know Were Banned in Other Countries". Screen Rant . 23 June 2017.
29. staff, T. O. I. "Iran bans Egyptian TV series on Persian leader of medieval 'Assassins' sect". www.timesofisrael.com.
30. Unattributed (November 2002). "Interview with Excel Saga director Shinichi Watanabe". Newtype USA. 1 (1): 84–8.
31. O'Neill, Patrick Daniel (March 1995). "Morphin Prohibited in the Great North". Heroes on Screen. Wizard #43. pp. 68–69.
32. Brady, Simon. "Puni Puni Poemy: (No Longer) Banned in New Zealand". hikari.org.nz. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
33. "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Office of Film and Literature Classification. June 30, 2014. p. 4 (Our Vision), 9 (Discussion of Outcome and Outputs), 12 (DVD: High School DXD Series Collection Disc 1: Classified Objectionable). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
34. "One Good Fact about Banned Kid Shows". www.britannica.com. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
35. Sison, Norman (June 7, 2015). "Revenge of the Voltes V generation". ABS-CBN News. ABS-CBN Interactive. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
36. Montemayor, Tony (14 April 2009). "Searching for Voltes V". The Philippine Star . Retrieved 23 January 2015.
37. Pineda, Rafael; Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 14, 2021). "Death Note, Inuyashiki, Tokyo Ghoul, Elfen Lied Anime Banned from Streaming in Russia on Some Sites Due to Lack of Age Restriction". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
38. "Russia Bans 'Death Note,' 'Inuyashiki,' 'Tokyo Ghoul' Animes". The Moscow Times . 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
39. "Суд в Петербурге запретил распространять в России еще пять аниме". February 17, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
40. "Петербургский суд признал аниме "Игра Дарвина" запрещенным к распространению в России". February 3, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
41. Peters, Megan (2021-05-03). "Russia May Ban Isekai Anime Over Reincarnation Controversy". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
42. "Russian Court Bans 'Happy Tree Friends,' Anime Films". The Moscow Times . 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
43. Fernika Dian Rakasiwi (December 3, 2023). "Waduh! Attack on Titan Dilarang Tayang Di 4 Negara, Kenapa?" [Oops! Attack On Titan Banned From Airing In 4 Countries, Why?]. Pikiran Rakyat (in Indonesian).
44. "Russia Bans 'Attack on Titan,' Other Anime For Causing 'Violet' Behavior in Children". News18. July 14, 2021. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
45. "Петербургский суд запретил аниме-сериал "Нет игры - нет жизни"". Interfax. August 3, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
46. Jamie, Burton (May 10, 2023). "Russia Wants 'Family Guy' Banned Over 'Offensive' Depiction of Country". www.newsweek.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
47. "15 Anime That Are Banned In Certain Countries". CBR. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
48. "Broadcast". www.mda.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
49. "FREE-TO-AIR TELEVISION PROGRAMME CODE" (PDF). www.mda.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2009.
50. Blustien, Andrew (September 25, 2018). "'The Daily Show's' Ronny Chieng on How Singapore Banned 'South Park,' Making Him Love It More — Turn It On Podcast". Yahoo . Retrieved September 10, 2024.
51. "방송위, 성인만화 '사우스파크' 중징계" [Korea Broadcasting Commission, severe punishment for adult cartoon 'South Park']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). May 14, 2001. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
52. "Korean Protests Call for Hetalia Anime's Cancellation (Update 2)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
53. "Hetalia is like a criminal act. Koreans are furious. - YouTube". YouTube . 2013-06-16. Archived from the original on 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
54. Venezuela axes "The Simpsons" as bad for kids reuters.com, 9 April 2008 6:49 PM EDT