Remember the senseless censorships in One Piece!
Although many are happy with the dubbing of One Piece that is gradually arriving on Netflix’s streaming services, the show has had several seasons aired on SBT back in the 2000s. The editing came from the American version of the anime adapted by 4Kids, a company that licenses audiovisual productions.
The version became very well known due to its extremely bizarre censorships so that the product could be aired during prime time in the United States and also in Brazil. In this list, you’ll check out 5 moments of bizarre censorship from this version of One Piece!
Lollipop Cigarette
This might be the most iconic moment of censorship in the anime. Sanji is one of the main characters of the Straw Hats and joins the pirate crew quite early on. One of the main details about the cook is his suit, his blonde hair, and that he is always smoking.
For some reason, no cigarettes could appear on screen, for a reason that is incomprehensible. Some characters like Smoker or Crocodile had their cigars removed, but for Sanji, they had a different idea. His cigarette, which was always there, was transformed into a lollipop. So at all times, the cook is smoking a lollipop, which makes absolutely no sense.
Shotgun Becomes a Shovel
Weapons were also another problem, as many times they were either removed or altered into some item that made little sense. During the Arlong Park arc, we are introduced to Nami’s sad story, where Bellemere, the pirate’s adoptive mother, tries to confront Arlong.
Originally, she throws the fish-man to the ground and points a shotgun at his face to threaten him. In the censored version, the gun becomes a shovel, which nullifies any sense and any chance Bellemere had against the pirate.
Cuts Without Blood
If weapons and cigarettes were something that could not appear on screen at all, blood was no different. Although One Piece is not very violent, especially when compared to the early sagas of Dragon Ball Z or Saint Seiya, it’s normal for a character to bleed due to an injury during battles.
But since blood was something that could not appear, it often gets removed, nullifying any impact the blow could have. A good example is the fight between Mihawk and Zoro, where the Shichibukai uses only a knife to cut bread to face him. In the battle, he makes two cuts on the chest of the Straw Hat swordsman, leaving him seriously injured. In the censored version, only one cut is made, and without any blood, making it look as if his shirt was just torn.
Stake Becomes a Plunger
Another moment when a character receives blows that leave him quite hurt, but the weight of the moment is erased by censorship, is during the battle with Don Krieg. The character and his pirates attack the Straw Hats and the Baratie chefs, leaving some, like Luffy, quite injured.
The protagonist is shot with several stakes in his arm, leaving him hurt and bleeding. The blood was removed, but the stakes needed to be replaced with something else. So it was decided that plungers would be the best choice. And now the tense scene seems as if the villains are playing with toy weapons.
Weapon Becomes a Showerhead
As previously mentioned in this list, firearms cannot appear on screen, and sometimes they are even replaced by water guns. But there is a moment early on in the first episodes that loses all its dramatic weight. During the initial arc, where Zoro is joining the crew, they face Lieutenant Morgan.
At this moment, Coby is still with Luffy, and Helmeppo, Morgan’s son, kidnaps the little boy. When the protagonist reaches the villain, he is pointing a gun at Coby’s head, ready to shoot. In the censored version, the revolver is swapped for a showerhead, making it impossible to take this moment seriously.