Summary
Animegetting dubbed is a great way to get more people into a certain franchise. Usually, there is a talented team working behind the scenes with great voice acting and scripts to keep the translation as close to the source material as possible. So what happens when the effort fails miserably?
Some of the most infamous dubs in anime history can become memorable due to how cheesy they are, which turns into a fond childhood memory. Other times, the dub removes much of what gives the show its identity as it tries desperately to cater to the wrong demographic. Here are ten of the most infamous anime dubs.
10Yu-Gi-Oh!
It’s Time To Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh! is king of the playground. The anime served as an introduction to the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game even before official rules were established. While the dub is still fondly remembered for itsclassic monsters, it is quite infamous for other reasons.
Due to censorship, the show removed plenty of guns, making them invisible during critical moments. Any mention of death is also replaced with the infamous Shadow Realm. The dub voices in the first season are also filled with corny lines that ruin the tension.
9Digimon
More Puns And A Funny Movie
Digimon is far from the most infamous anime dub, but it does have a few qualities that set it apart from its source material. For starters, the show has way more puns, which can sometimes undercut the tone. It also has more one-liners that weren’t present in the original.
One of the most infamous Digimon dub-related media is the first movie, which is a combination of three films spliced into one very convoluted narrative. The Digimon dub also tends to censor death a bit more, muddying the waters of an already confusing reincarnation system.
8Dragon Ball Z Big Green
The Word Dragon Ball Dub
Dragon Ball Z has had many dubs in the past, each with its own unique spins and possibly even advantages over the others. However, one dub, dubbed the Big Green dub took the cake for the worst, as characters sounded high-pitched and Goku was stripped of all personality.
Screaming to power upis also half-baked with some of the worst sounds imaginable. One of the funniest changes is having Piccolo constantly referred to as Big Green, thus giving the dub an official fan name and spawning a joke in fan-made content.
7Devilman: The Birth (OVA)
Seriousness Turned Goofy
Devilman Crybaby turned out to have a pretty decent dub, but the same cannot be said about some of the franchise’s original dips into the Western world. The original story is geared towards adults and dives into some dark territories. The dub almost makes it feel like a comedy.
Dialogue is some of the worst ever seen on screen, turning what should be compelling conversations and characters into parodies of themselves. It almost feels as if all emotions were exorcised from the two main leads, resulting in stale performances.
6Sonic X
Unnecessary Changes
Infamous dubs are often the ones that try to censor too much or miss the mark in representing their characters. Sonic X suffered from many unnecessary cuts to the content that ultimately lowered the quality of the dub; from exaggerated characters to changed dialogue, it paled in comparison to the Japanese version.
While many of the voices are either hit or miss, the biggest offender is the background music. Playing the same repetitive tunes can get tiring and Sonic X’s dub score will go in your ears like nails on a chalkboard.
5Speed Racer
Speeding Through Lines
Anyone who has taken potshots at anime usually makes fun of Speed Racer’s faster-than-average line reads. This is because the dialogue is more of a one-for-one translation than an adaptation and thus, the timing is thrown off.
Aside from forcing dubbers to rush through lines, it also added in unnecessary gasps and rather lackluster responses in conversations. Regardless, the dub of Speed Racer is one of the first dubs ever made so, while infamous, it was also a new undertaking and fun for a quick laugh.
4Astro Boy
Even The Creator Hated It
Astro Boy is an interesting anime in hindsight; for starters, some aspects of the dub haven’t aged well and the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. One notable removal that caught even the creator’s eye is the removal of an episode where a dog received an operation.
Astro Boy may be loved by children, but the subject matter can also get pretty dark as well. For starters, Astro Boy isn’t just about a robot child, but about replacing one who gets hit by a truck and dies.
3Cardcaptor Sakura Got Cut In Half
Changing The Target Demographic
What happens when you take an anime intended for young girls and try to sell it to boys instead? You get the Cardcaptor Sakura dub. From missing content to a complete change in tone, this dub has all the ingredients to make it infamous.
One character, Li Shaoran, who was only a supporting character, is bumped up to a secondary protagonist by cutting down on Sakura’s screentime and cutting almost half of the show’s 70-episode runtime. It also moved the setting from the Japanese Tomoeda to the American sounding, Reedington.
2One Piece 4Kids Entertainment
Rubber Knives And Water Pistols
One Piece may have a normal dub now, but when it was first introduced to American audiences, the show was an entirely different experience. This is due to an unfamiliarity with the One Piece franchise as a whole, which resulted in executives receiving a much darker show than expected.
From cuttingvital arcsto censoring weapons with water pistols, 4Kids did everything in their power to make One Piece a kid-friendly pirate show with treasure and PG booty. They even replaced Sanji’s signature cigarette with a lollipop.
1Ghost Stories
An Anime Free For All
Ghost Stories is one of the most infamous anime dubs of all time. Tasked with selling a somewhat mediocre show to American audiences, the dub crew threw out most of the script. Completely ignoring any of the existing lore, Ghost Stories turned into a gag reel-style anime.
From political references to fourth-wall-breaking jokes, Ghost Stories keeps only the basic framework of children solving mysteries and confronting ghosts. Characterizations are also wild due to the chaotic nature behind the scenes, with many of the lines being made up on the spot.
