What anime do you consider 'forbidden'?

Members of a forum on Reddit have opened an intense debate around a question that has captured the curiosity of many: "What are some of the most infamous or banned anime?" In one of the most active subcommunities, a user raised this question, seeking to know the anime titles that have generated the most controversy or rejection in the past. The initial comment was simple and straightforward: "For some reason I can't find answers to this anywhere. Call me curious, I just want to know which anime are really infamous and why they have this reputation."

The post soon caught the attention of the community, and the conversation escalated as users began to share their experiences and opinions on works that they consider "difficult to see" or that address sensitive topics. The discussion quickly turned into a space where participants shared not only series names, but also anecdotes and insights about the topics that some find problematic or even disturbing.

The debate has shown a diversity of opinions, between those who believe that the controversy is a reflection of the deep themes that anime can explore, and those who believe that certain limits should be respected. The publication is still active and, apparently, this type of question always manages to generate an intense exchange of opinions and a review of the most controversial works of the anime industry.

"School Days postponed the airing of its final episode due to a murder that occurred in Japan the day before it aired, as the episode's content was eerily similar to the actual murder. Instead, they broadcast an image of a scenic river in Norway during TV time, hence the 'Nice Boat' meme."
"Copying my comment from the last time this was published: anime made by cults, such as Choutsu Sekai, produced by the Aum Shinrikyo sect, which then organized the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The Happy Science cult also produces quite a few. I'm sure there are others."
"Kite's uncensored version is pretty infamous, as it's essentially H at some points; even the director recommends the censored version, I think."
"The Pokémon episode 'Dennō Senshi Porygon' was banned after its only broadcast in Japan due to causing epileptic seizures in children. Watching the clip on the Wikipedia page, I can understand why; I don't know how the production team thought it was a good idea."
"Another answer: The original broadcast of Cowboy Bebop in Japan was partially banned due to Japanese censorship laws being in a state of flux when it was released. This spawned a kind of underground marketing when it was released in the U.S./Western markets, and eventually the entire series aired in Japan once those laws were adjusted, which gave it its eventual fame as one of the best anime of all time."
"Interspecies Reviewers was removed from the chains."
"The Fist of the North Star movie was too grotesque and ended up being censored. The uncensored version is considered 'lost media'. The episode of the woman with the severed mouth in Ghost Stories was canceled just before its release due to controversies and was never available."
"Funny story. In my country, about ten years ago, there was a trend of cheap DVDs with movies. They were available in almost every market, and it was an inexpensive way to get some old movies like Evangelion or Mononoke. But what I mean is that no one verified the contents of those DVDs. And somehow Bible Black was among them. It was sold in markets alongside children's movies because people thought it was normal anime like Mononoke. When they discovered it, they quickly removed it."
"Legend of the Overfiend or Urotsukidoji. It is what introduced the West to the 'H for Tentacles' and it is... explicit".
"In the UK we used to have the BBFC, which removed any content that they didn't consider suitable for consumption. The anime was not spared."
"Interspecies Reviewers aired an episode on CR, and then it was removed from the schedule."
"Zankyou No Terror was banned in China for its terrorism themes, although it is mild compared to other anime that were banned for being 'too bloody'. Apparently, the character Twelve was going to be named Eleven, but they changed it because of the connection to 9/11, as the other villainous character is named Nine."
"Kodomo no Jikan. The manga had one volume published in the West before the head of Seven Seas saw content from the later volumes. He decided it was too controversial and suspended the translation."
"Ninja Scroll was considered controversial when I was younger, but it's probably pretty mild by today's standards."
"Midori is not very nice. It has been banned in several countries at some point. Of all its unpleasant parts, it was the cruelty to animals that affected me the most."
"The second episode of Pastel Memories was removed from all legal streaming services and published physical copies due to copyright issues. It's a magical girl show where they go into anime and parody video games, and in the second episode they were too close to the original Is the Order a Rabbit and they got sued."
"The onsen episode in Outlaw Star. A plot point was omitted because that episode didn't air on Toonami."
"That episode of Pokémon where James puts on breasts."
"Paranoia Agent was banned in the UK for a long time because of the suicide issue. It eventually had an uncensored release years later."
"Bible Black was one of my first approaches to 'taboo' anime when I was young and it was always used to make an impact on the internet. Most of my classmates knew it or had seen it, and it was almost like an urban legend of horrible things/horror stories. Upon research, I discovered that Teletoon (formerly Cartoon Network) apparently aired it in Canada one night during an anime show. I can't imagine how that came out."
"Voltes V was banned during martial law in the Philippines due to it being used as a symbol of protest by government opponents."
"The original Japanese version of Angel Cop is incredibly anti-Semitic. Dubbing eliminated all those references."
"Boku no Pico. When I started watching anime, I couldn't ask for recommendations without it appearing as a joke. I never saw him. Reading the synopsis was enough to know that I was not interested in seeing it. And before anyone asks, it's a story about a grown man in his 20s seducing a little boy (about 10 years old, I don't know exactly)."
"Cross Ange. Because it shows a very ugly version of racism and the girls are torn apart by dragons. Some other scenes are better not mentioned here."
"Death Note was quite controversial for a while, with young people taking 'death notes' to school with teachers' names on them."
"Does the Porygon episode in Pokémon, the episode where they show a gun, or the one of James pretending to be a girl, count?"
"I once played Devil Man Crybaby for my roommates. I don't know if it's related, but I was evicted a few weeks later."
"Inukai's Dog. It's a horrendous show. Basically, a boy is reincarnated as a dog and his crush (who loves animals too much) finds him and takes him home... I'll just say that one of the labels of this show is 'breastfeeding.'"