Cartoon Episodes So Controversial They Were Banned

Anime exploded in popularity in the late 1990s, and Toonami, a Cartoon Network programming block aimed at the action-hungry after-school crowd, was a huge part of why. From Sailor Moon to Dragon Ball Z, Toonami aired the coolest, edgiest, often weirdest cartoons Western kids had ever seen — and it kept them coming. New episodes appeared daily, movie-length specials were hyped for weeks prior to airing, and sometimes, occasionally, Toonami even pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable. Action was tougher, faster, and more intense on Toonami, and jokes were a bit more edgy.

Outlaw Star, a spacefaring action series, often pushed that line. But one whole episode, "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei," was deemed unacceptable, impossible to edit into suitability, and unceremoniously dumped. It's no surprise as to why: "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei" sees hero Gene Starwind sent to world of beautiful saunas filled with even-more-beautiful — and always unclothed — ladies. Editing a topless shot here and there was doable, but this episode was simply too dependent on many, many scenes full of flesh. In the end, kiddie viewers just had to deal with the lack of continuity — until, many years later, it aired on the late-night reimagined Toonami, intended for just those kids who'd loved it the first time around.