Top 10 Most Controversial Cartoon Episodes
Cartoon episodes that caused a lot of controversy and garnered negative reception, leading to some of them being banned.
The international dubbing made several edits. They could've easily removed the flashing lights and replaced them with a single color (white or yellow) lightning bolt, as they did in other episodes.
Really, they didn't need to ban a 22-minute episode for a 3-second moment that could have easily been edited.
If you know Pokémon, then you should be familiar with this one. In this episode, there's a scene where Pikachu attacks missiles with Thunderbolt, causing an explosion. This episode was banned because the strobe effect caused many seizures.
After it got banned, Porygon was never featured in the anime again.
The swearing in this episode was edgy, but it shouldn't be taken seriously. Many other children's cartoons had episodes using the same method, such as SpongeBob, The Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, and Tiny Toon Adventures.
The title card for Rude Removal goes a bit beyond that, though, showing Dee Dee holding up the middle finger.
This happens to be my favorite episode from Dexter's Laboratory. However, what shocks me is that this episode, which features swearing, was never aired because it was intended for kids. But SpongeBob did something similar, and that episode was aired and is still being shown on TV.
Since the prophet Muhammad was controversial by his appearance and they managed to censor it permanently, a bunch of Muslim groups warned Trey and Matt that if they revealed the prophet in the next episode, they would be targeted for retribution.
Along with the second part, 201, this episode was controversial mainly because the show's creators once again included the Prophet Muhammad in the storyline. Both Parker and Stone received threats from Revolution Muslim.
The Prophet Muhammad was involved in the plot, and Trey and Matt received death threats from an Islamic terrorist group.
I am a fan of this show, so I heard about the episode. This episode was not the only reason John K. got fired. He was fired because he treated his crew horribly, missed deadlines, and turned in late work.
The episode was banned for being too "violent" for Nickelodeon, and a rerun replaced the episode. But here's what's more stupid and hypocritical: SpongeBob had a suicide joke in one episode, "One Coarse Meal."
I am a big fan of The Ren and Stimpy Show (I watch full episodes online), so I was interested in hearing about their banned episode. But what the heck was this?!
Tobacco references were all over the place, but what really got it banned was the scene where Ren beats his owner with a paddle. It was INCREDIBLY violent and definitely went too far for a kids' show.
You could actually get killed just for watching this episode because it depicts an image of Muhammad, which is forbidden. This was the first and only time they showed an image of Muhammad.
This is the only episode that actually shows an image of Muhammad.
This episode was banned in the United States because of the plot involving the subject of abortion.
I saw the episode on YouTube today, and I'm guessing it was banned because it featured a supervillain, Silver Spooner, who was portrayed as a stereotypical homosexual. Additionally, Krunk gets drunk in the episode, which is ironic because it rhymes.
This is controversial because the villain, The Silver Spooner, falls under the Camp Gay trope.
From what I heard, the Silver Spooner is depicted as a stereotypical homosexual.
Controversial due to an infamous scene where Kira and Flay engage in sexual activity with each other.
This episode is probably controversial due to the cutaway where Marlee Matlin calls Moviefone and asks for The Last Mimzy, but ends up getting 300 because the announcer misheard her due to her impaired speech. Matlin was very upset about the gag, leading to a confrontation between her and Alex Borstein at a Seth MacFarlane roast.
Matlin was later hired to voice Peter's deaf co-worker, Stella.
There was also the scene where Jesus made Lois' breasts grow to massive proportions at the dinner table.
Controversial due to the tsunami that happened in Southeast Asia at the time.
The Newcomers
This episode offers an unfaithful recreation of Brazil, insinuating the country is full of rats, monkeys, and robbers. No wonder it is one of the most controversial episodes of The Simpsons.
So stereotypical and xenophobic that the Brazilian government threatened to sue Fox.
Brazil was so infuriated by the episode that they actually threatened to sue Fox.
The dance scene seemed to be a clear incest joke.
I'm shocked that 4Kids would do that!
Der Fuehrer's Face (also known as Donald Duck in Nutziland) is a propaganda cartoon created by Walt Disney during World War II. It shows Donald Duck being a Nazi, working in a missile factory, and saluting Hitler. However, the story takes a turn when Hitler convinces Donald that he will go on vacation if he works harder and harder. The situation becomes increasingly absurd until it's revealed that the entire story was just a dream. The cartoon ends with Donald hugging the Statue of Liberty, expressing his love for being an American.
This short did win an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, but I think the Academy's decision to give an accolade to Frozen years later diminishes the value of that award.
I'm glad this cartoon won't air on TV.
Not surprisingly, the show's creators came under fire from sociologists. Even Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, quit when they refused to pull the episode.
This episode was so bad that even Marc Brown, the author of the Arthur book series, hated it.
It was the Japanese version of the episode that garnered the most controversy.
This episode makes me sick. This is the debut of the antagonist Mr. Krabs that we see later on in the series. He drives Plankton to near suicide and then laughs about it.
I'm glad that this episode was banned. I hope there were severe repercussions for whoever wrote that. Newsflash: Suicide jokes are NOT FUNNY.
The worst SpongeBob episode. This episode made me feel sick and disgusted that such a serious issue like suicide could be made fun of.
Yes, Plankton is a villain, but this episode really made me feel bad for him. Whoever wrote this episode was clearly an idiot.
I love this show and this episode. I have it downloaded, and it's amazing despite its disturbing imagery.
A criminal was allegedly inspired by this episode.
Makoto is killed by Sekai because he cheated on her. Kotonoha beheads Makoto's corpse, kills Sekai, and opens her uterus to see if she is pregnant with Makoto's child. In the end, Kotonoha goes on a trip in her boat, embracing Makoto's head.
This episode was supposed to inform everyone about the dangers of alcohol. In it, the characters drink a beer and steal a car. Then they start drunk driving, fall off a cliff, and die.
If you said this was banned, then you are right. I think this sent the wrong message.
I watched the actual episode. It consists of the friends getting drunk and then driving a car off a cliff.
Warner Bros. probably received a lot of complaints from angry parents after this episode aired.
Chris dates a girl with Down syndrome, and at one point, she says her mother was the former Governor of Alaska. Sarah Palin was outraged over the episode, claiming they were making fun of her son, who has Down syndrome.
Is the only reason this episode is controversial because of that girl with Down syndrome?
The girl with Down syndrome was played by an actual girl with Down syndrome.
This is understandable. They decide to kill themselves because their girlfriends turned out to be 'gold diggers' - women who marry for wealth.
Why would they put suicide jokes in a kid's cartoon? They showed Tom drinking, and in the end, they committed suicide.
Oh no! They actually try to kill themselves? I thought Tom and Jerry was for kids.
The main character is depicted as Hitler in the form of a duck.