It has been a while since we broached the topic of censorship in anime and manga. Censorship is frequently seen in anime, as evidenced by South Korea’s practice of censoring undergarments and China’s efforts to reduce the depiction of cleavage. However, the issue of censorship in manga is rarely discussed.
The arrival of an Attack on Titan manga panel in Japan, in which colossal Titans can be seen wearing pants, has astounded Japanese fans. This is likely the first time such a level of censorship has been seen on a large scale.
A Twitter user, @FJ_GGS, posted the Attack on Titan manga panel allegedly censored in Malaysia. The tweet translates to: “The Attack on Titan version with the Malaysian version corrections is so amusing that I can’t stop laughing.”
The tweet went viral and has accumulated over 13 million views, 137k likes, and 30k retweets.
マレーシア版の修正が入った進撃単行版面白すぎてずっと笑ってる pic.twitter.com/EIFnUFHISK
— 藤/FJ (@FJ_GGS) May 26, 2023
It sparked a range of reactions from Japanese fans, including comments like, “Why is it okay to depict massive human slaughter, but it’s not okay to show the lower half of a giant?” and “I don’t understand the point of making them wear something when they don’t have genitals. Is there some kind of human anatomy model fetishist out there?”
Naturally, the tweet reached Malaysian Attack on Titan fans, who seemed displeased about the attention Malaysia was receiving for this act of censorship. Some reactions from Malaysian fans included:
“This is not how I want my country to become famous,” “The Japanese have discovered our AOT version,” and “LMAO, Japanese people laughing at our version.”
Attack on Titan Censorship in Malaysia
We reported on the ‘pants-wearing Titans’ in Malaysia two years ago, but it seems only now that Japanese fans are discovering this particular form of censorship. The question that arises is whether this censorship is truly authentic or merely a fan edit.
While we don’t have any solid evidence that the image being shared on Twitter originates from the Malaysian version of the Attack on Titan manga, there are numerous other censored images from Attack on Titan that have been confirmed to originate from a Malaysian local magazine.
Sources state that the translated version of Attack on Titan was published in a Malaysian magazine called Kreko. Intriguingly, not many Malaysian fans are aware of the existence of this heavily censored version of the manga.
Regrettably, the magazine’s physical edition was discontinued in December 2019, so it’s no longer possible to purchase it.
Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga penned by Hajime Isayama, who started publishing the manga in September 2009 and ended the publication in April 2021. The manga series has been collected into 34 volumes.
Wit Studio adapted the manga into anime for the first three seasons while Mappa Studio animated the fourth season of the series. Attack on Titan season 4 final part finale is set to release in Fall 2023.