Banned in China

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Thus making it fashionable Forbidden Fruit.

Sometimes the government can outright ban a work from being consumed in their country. It usually happens in more authoritarian countries whose governments try to micromanage what their citizens can see. But even in more liberal countries, public pressure on retailers or broadcasters can lead to an effective ban on the work (although sometimes — but not always — you can get around it by importing it from somewhere else).

Works that get this treatment tend to be excessively violent or sexual in nature, feature content that is considered "taboo" locally, criticize or mock the country or its government, inflame national or ethnic tensions, or otherwise depict behavior that might undermine the government's authority. The more authoritarian and/or conservative the government, the more works get censored. Even comparatively liberal countries have standards about what can be shown in works, which tends to affect the importation of erotica the most.

This kind of thing is often associated with the government of the People's Republic of China, hence the name "Banned in China". But the trope name is actually a modern twist on the older term, "Banned in Boston" — the city was once a bastion of Moral Guardians, particularly given the Puritan and Catholic influence, and a local "benevolent group" known as the Watch and Ward Society held immense sway over what could be displayed or sold in the city. Paradoxically, a ban in Boston could make a work more marketable elsewhere. Nowadays, Boston is considered a bastion of liberal politics in the US, and it lost its puritanical reputation in the 1970s. China has taken up the city's mantle, given its frequent (and often arbitrary) censorship of anything it finds contrary to government policy or "harmful to the Chinese youth". As Hollywood focuses on overseas markets, they often have to water down their movies for China and other culturally conservative countries.

In Real Life this is an Enforced Trope. Compare New Media Are Evil, No Swastikas, Media Watchdog, Moral Guardians, and Values Dissonance. Bowdlerization can happen if the government requires substantial content editing before allowing the work to be imported. See Persona Non Grata for when people are banned from certain places.

Countries with their own pages:

Other countries:

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Multiple countries

Anime & Manga

The Philippines and South Korea had a ban on Super Robot anime, such as Voltes V, Mobile Suit Gundam and Mazinger Z. The former is because of the show's premise resembled rebels fighting against a brutal dictator, and the latter is a reaction to the Japanese occupation of Korea (Japan branded Korea as a colony, Japan even tried to abolish Korean culture). The latter also had a ban on Magical Girl anime (one of the few exceptions in The '90s were Sailor Moon and Wedding Peach). The bans were lifted in 1986 (during the EDSA Revolution) and 1998 (lifting the ban on Japanese cultural products in stages) respectively.
Assassination Classroom has been banned in China in 2015, probably due to its depiction of violence, especially gun violence and towards teachers. The manga series has also been removed from some US school libraries after a series of complaints from Moral Guardians over its content.
The Crayon Shin-chan series was not released in multiple Arabic-speaking countries due to its adult, risque, and sexual content. In India, the anime series was banned for a while in 2009 for promoting the use of inappropriate language and sexual exploitation of minors, particularly nudity. A heavily censored version, which made the show more appropriate to the target audience, was allowed into the country, leading to a huge fan following there. In Spain's Valencia region, the anime series was pulled from the air by RTVV (Radiotelevisió Valenciana) on November 29, 2002, due to the show's content not being "suitable" for children's programming. In Vietnam, the manga was banned in 2006 after six volumes because of intense backlash from Moral Guardians. Years later, the manga was eventually rereleased in the country in a censored form.
In Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, The Dictator was removed from the French, German, and Hebrew dub due to Those Wacky Nazis and strict laws in Germany about references to the Nazi regime and to avoid insulting Israelis and Holocaust survivors after World War II. All swastikas are also replaced with red X's. Additionally, all "third reich" references are removed. Even the entire scenes with the dictator were removed in Toonami and Nicktoons USA airings of the film for the reason above.

Comic Books

Persepolis is banned in Iran for its negative portrayal of the Iranian government. The film adaptation was briefly banned in Lebanon for the same reason, but was lifted following outcries from the country's intellectuals and politicians.
English-language publishers refused to publish the Tintin comic book Tintin in the Congo until 2005, due to its racist depictions of Africans and pro-colonial message. When it was finally published in the UK, it carried a forward that placed these elements in a historical context. Ironically, the book is pretty popular in sub-Saharan Africa, including the Congo. Contrary to popular belief, the comic was never banned in South Africa as commonly reported.

Films — Animated

Abominable was banned in Vietnam and eventually pulled from Malaysia and the Philippines because an onscreen map showed the nine-dash line over the South China Sea. This line represents China's territorial claims in the region, which are disputed by several countries in Southeast Asia. However the movie would later be allowed onto streaming services in those countries with the offending map removed.
Fritz the Cat was banned in Malaysia, the Maldives, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain for its transgressive content, including violence, drugs, profanity and sexual content. As if all of this wasn't bad enough on its own, having it in an animated cartoon with antropomorphic cats probably didn't go over well at all with these countries.
Lightyear has been banned in 14 countries across the Middle East (including Syria) and Southeast Asia (including Indonesia and Malaysia) over a 10-second same sex kissing scene (with Commander Hawthorne and her wife), as the authorities in those countries consider LGBT characters and themes as offensive. It is reported that Indonesian censors stated that they didn't ban the movie in the country, "but suggested the owner of the movie think about their audience in Indonesia where an LGBT kissing scene is still considered sensitive.", while in Malaysia officials claim Disney took offense to their suggestion to cut the kissing scene and not distribute the movie there on their own accord, and that they would have totally allowed the movie to screen with the 10 second cut. It was also banned in Kazakhstan for the same reasons after the country's Culture and Sports Minister responded to calls from local conservative and religious groups to ban the film. Despite that, the film was allowed to be screened in Singapore as the ban was overturned in that country not much later, but with an NC16 rating, and the film was later put on Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia with an 18 rating and in Indonesia with an 21+ rating (over typical 17+).
The Disney- Pixar film Onward experienced some international censorship due to the presence of a minor character who is openly lesbian. The movie was outright banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, though it was still legally screened in several other Arab/Muslim countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Meanwhile in Russia, the local dub altered the character's dialogue to remove any mention of homosexuality, due to a Russian law which prohibits any "pro-gay propaganda" in children's media.
The Prince of Egypt was banned in the Maldives, Malaysia, and Egypt. In the former two countries, it was because of Islamic custom of never portraying the image of the prophets, which includes Moses, his brother Aaron, and his father-in-law Jethro. In Egypt, it was mostly because of the villainous portrayal of Pharaoh Rameses, a well-respected historical leader whom the Egyptians hold to be separate from the Pharaoh of Exodus.^note Malaysia has since rescinded the ban in 2001, allowing the film to finally went straight to video and air on Pay TV. Malaysia later had one local theme park play it regularly in their in-park cinema as well as on video monitors throughout the park in heavy rotation.
Disney announced that Strange World theatrical release has been skipped (and not submitted to local authorities) in Bangladesh, China, the Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, and Vietnam, among many others, which was tantamount to a ban in those regions. This was due to a subplot regarding Ethan's gay relationship with Daizo in the film.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was banned in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE because of a transgender pride flag with the words "Protect Trans Kids" written on it hanging in Gwen's bedroom in one scene.

Films — Live-Action

All Quiet on the Western Front was banned in both Austria and Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 for its anti-war and perceived anti-German messages. It was also banned in Germany between 1930 and 1931 due to violent protests staged by the Nazis, some of which were led by future Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels; it was briefly unbanned following heavy censorship. Conversely, the film was banned in Poland because it was seen as pro-German.
Barbie was preemptively banned in Vietnam due to one scene featuring a map that includes the Nine-Dash Line, a marking used by China to claim ownership of disputed territories in the South China Sea. It has since also been banned in Kuwait, Lebanon and Algeria over alleged references to homosexuality.
The Battleship Potemkin was banned in Finland, France, Nazi Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom at various points for fears it would spark a communist revolution.
Borat got banned in every single Arab country except for Lebanon as the film censors in those countries found it impossible to even censor without leaving plot holes open. In one account, a censor in the United Arab Emirates stated that only half an hour of the film would have been left had they censored the offensive scenes rather than ban it outright. In fact, he and his colleagues walked out of the room before it even ended. Similarly, Kazakhstan banned the film for similar reasons, as well portraying the country in a negative light, but later relented after the government admitted to a tourist boom linked to the film's popularity. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Culture recommended that the film not be shown in theaters, at least partly out of fear that the film would stoke racial tensions against the country's substantial Central Asian minority population.
Caligula was banned on initial release in Australia, Canada (except in Quebec, where it was rated 18+), Iceland, and the United Kingdom for its explicit sexual content. The uncut version was eventually rated by the BBFC in 2008. Various cities in the United States also unsuccessfully tried to block its distribution.
Cannibal Holocaust was banned in Australia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom at various points for is graphic violence and unsimulated animal cruelty. It briefly saw a theatrical release in the United States before being pulled due to the film's controversy. It was eventually released uncensored in Australia, Italy, and the United States, with the former two rating it R18+ and VM18 respectively, and the BBFC eventually allowed for it to be released after trimming 15 seconds from the scene of a coati being killed. Bootleg copies continue to proliferate in the Philippines, however.
A Clockwork Orange was banned in Brazil, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia, Ireland, South Africa, and South Korea for excessive violence and strong sexual content. A censored version that placed Censor Boxes over the nudity was eventually permitted in Brazil, while the rest eventually allowed for it to be released uncensored. Stanley Kubrick voluntarily withdrew it from distribution in the United Kingdom after hearing of copycat crimes and rapes inspired by the movie and fearing for his own safety (likening himself to the film's Reclusive Artist); it was eventually released there following his death in 1999.
The film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code is banned in Egypt, parts of India, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and by the Vatican because its content was deemed blasphemous. Conservative groups in the Philippines tried to pressure the government to ban it, but only succeeded in banning it in Manilia. SM Supermalls, the largest chain of shopping malls in the country, also prohibited the showing of movie in all of their theaters, but only because it was rated R18.
The 2022 adaptation of Death on the Nile is banned in Kuwait, Lebanon, and Tunisia because a major character is played by Gal Gadot, who is Israeli and supports the IDF (being a former IDF soldier herself).
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle-Eastern countries because of the prominent role of America Chavez; while the movie does not show if like in the comics she's a lesbian, there is a brief scene revealing she has two moms.
Eternals is banned in the Gulf States due to containing many sexually intimate scenes, including a scene where Phastos kisses his husband, and its plot centering around deities.
The Evil Dead was banned in Iceland, Ireland, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and West Germany for its extreme violence and gore. It was eventually released uncensored in 2001 in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, it was never part of the Video Nasties list.
Infamous Mondo film Faces of Death claims on its blurb that is "Banned in 46 countries!", but the actual number is unknown. Australia, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom each banned it on its initial release. Australia eventually allowed it uncensored with the R18+ rating, but its sequels remain banned.
Malaysia banned Fifty Shades of Grey for its "sadistic" and "unnatural" content. It's also been banned in Kenya, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and India, for unspecified reasons. Interestingly, the novels are not banned in UAE, and can be displayed quite prominently in bookstores, including, of all places, Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Freaks was banned on initial release in Ireland, Italy, Finland, and the United Kingdom.
The Great Dictator was banned under the various dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, Nazi Germany, Paraguay, and Spain for its satire of fascism. Adolf Hitler, the main subject of satire, nonetheless managed to obtain a private copy and viewed it twice. His opinion on the film has been a matter of debate.
The 1985 Jean-Luc Godard film Hail Mary, which is a modern retelling of the Virgin Birth, was banned in both Argentina and Brazil for mixing sexual content with religious content, something the countries' large Catholic population considered blasphemous. Brazil later pulled the ban, though.
The uncut version of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was initially banned in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom for its graphic violence. The BBFC finally approved the uncut version in 2003 after numerous unsuccessful appeals throughout The '90s, while the former two countries eventually lifted their bans by the end of the 2000s. The film also couldn't find a distributor in the United States, despite receiving glowing praise from critics like Roger Ebert, due to the MPAA giving it an "X" rating (severely limiting the theaters it could be shown in) and announcing it was not possible for it to be cut down to an "R". This, alongside similar controversies with The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, played a significant role in the MPAA eventually replacing the "X" rating it with the "NC-17" rating.
The live-action adaptation of Ichi the Killer is banned outright in Norway and Malaysia, and distribution is prohibited in Germany, for its extreme violence. It was refused classification by the BBFC, necessitating a censored version that cut over three minutes for it to be released in the UK. The Hong Kong version also removed close to 17 minutes of film.
Last Tango in Paris was banned on initial release in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and Venezuela for strong sexual content and its graphic depiction of sexual violence. It was unbanned in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, and Portugal following the ends of their respective military dictatorships, and Italy allowed for its release in 1986. The Canadian province of Nova Scotia banned it, leading to the landmark Nova Scotia (Board of Censors) v McNeil decision, which ruled that individual provinces had the right to censor films.
The Last Temptation of Christ was banned in Argentina, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, and Turkey for its allegedly blashphemous content. It was unbanned in Chile in 2003 after the film became a symbol in the 90s for the fight against censorship and conservatism in Chilean society, and was only unbanned in Mexico in 2005. Unlike with the aformentioned Cannibal Holocaust and Da Vinci Code, bootlegs of this film can not be found in the Philippines.
Monty Python's Life of Brian was banned in Ireland and Norway, the former from 1979 until 1987 and the latter for just one year, due to its satire of early Christianity. As a result, the movie was marketed in Sweden with the Tag Line "The film so funny it was banned in Norway!"
Nekromantik is banned in Australia, Iceland, and Norway for its disgusting subject matter.
Darren Aronofsky's Noah is banned in the Gulf States and Indonesia as it contradicts the Islamic teachings where Noah is considered one of the important prophets of Allah.
The 1948 film of Oliver Twist was banned in Israel because it was felt Alec Guinness's Fagin was an anti-Semitic stereotype. It was banned in Egypt because they felt Fagin was portrayed sympathetically.
Padmaavat is banned in Malaysia. It was also banned in four Indian states until the Supreme Court of India overruled the ban.
Paths of Glory was banned in France and Switzerland until the death of President Charles de Gaulle in 1970 due to its critical depiction of the French Army during World War I. Germany also banned it until 1959 to avoid straining relations with France, while Spain banned it until 1986 due to its anti-militarism themes.
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom was banned in Australia, Finland, Iran, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka for its graphic violence and nudity. The bans were eventually lifted in Australia, Finland, and New Zealand.
Savage Man, Savage Beast was banned in Australia and Finland for containing actual scenes of animal cruelty and human deaths. Australia eventually permitted the release of a censored version with a R18+ rating. The uncensored version was also immediately banned in the UK, and nearly ten minutes' worth of footage had to be removed before it could be passed (with an X rating) by the BBFC.
The extremely graphic and disturbing nature of A Serbian Film resulted in the movie being banned in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Norway. It was also temporarily banned in Brazil and Spain until it was eventually released with some cuts made to the film to excise the more disgusting scenes.
The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been banned in various countries for its intense violence. Notable countries include Australia, Brazil, Chile, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. It was eventually released uncensored in Australia and the United Kingdom. Like with Evil Dead it was never part of the Video Nasties list as popularly believed, as it was banned before the list was created.
Thor: Love and Thunder was banned from multiple Arabic-speaking countries, and was also originally postponed for a few times in Malaysia before being cancelled there, with the official reason given was due to one scene where Chris Hemsworth appeared completely naked (although only his back was shown) and that Disney refused the film board's demands to pixellate or blur out Hemsworth's butt in that scene. However, those who watched the movie thought that the character Gorr the God Butcher was the real reason why it was banned. Either that, or a scene of a pair of male humanoid aliens kissing to produce a new offspring. The film was later quietly released onto Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia without any fanfare and with a 18+ rating.
Wonder Woman (2017) is banned in Lebanon, Qatar, and Tunisia because the title character is played by Israeli actress Gal Gadot. It didn't happen with Wonder Woman 1984 however.

Literature

There are entire lists of "challenged books", the most famous of which being that of the American Library Association (ALA)'s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), who states the top three reasons for challenging books are because they had "sexually explicit" content, "offensive" language, or were "unsuited to age group".
Animal Farm was banned in various communist countries due to being an unflattering allegory for Josef Stalin's reign, and was banned in the United Arab Emirates because pigs serve as the book's protagonists. The bans have since been lifted in their respective countries, though mentions of it was censored on the Chinese internet.
Brave New World was banned on initial publication in Australia and Ireland due to its depictions of drug use, sexuality, and suicide. Both bans have since been lifted.
Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms was banned in Italy, Nazi Germany, Ireland, and the U.S. city of Boston. The former two was due to its anti-militarism themes (and its depiction of Italy's abysmal performance at the Battle of Caporetto during World War I), and the latter two for its sexual content.
Lolita was banned in Argentina, Canada, France, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom due to its controversial subject matter.
Mein Kampf is banned in Austria, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Poland, and Russia for being Adolf Hitler's manifesto. In the case of the Netherlands, it's because the government claims copyright of it, and has used its claim to barr printing, sales, and purchases of the book (except for an annotated scientific edition sold at the Kamp Westerbork museum, a former Nazi concentration camp on Dutch soil, which they permitted since 2018); owning it is still legal. It is not banned in Germany as commonly believed;^note the state of Bavaria (Hitler's legal residence at the time of his death) held the copyright and simply chose not to publish it. The book became public domain in 2016 and is now published and sold within the country again.
The Satanic Verses was so notoriously controversial for its blasphemous depiction of The Prophet Muhammad, that it was banned in over 15 countries due to its offensiveness to Muslims.
Sophie's Choice was banned in South Africa and the author's native Poland for its frank depiction of Polish antisemitism, and in Lebanon for its positive portrayal of Jewish characters.
Children's novel The Story of Ferdinand was banned in Italy, Nazi Germany, and Spain under their respective fascist regimes because the story of a bull who doesn't want to partake in bullfighting was considered to be pacifist/communist brainwashing.
Tropic of Cancer was banned in Australia, Canada, Finland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom for its explicit sexual content. The book was also banned in the United States for over 30 years, until the Supreme Court ruled in 1964 that it was not obscene.
The Turner Diaries is banned in Austria, Canada, France, and Germany for its extremely racist content. Digital and physical copies were also pulled from Amazon following the 2021 US Capitol attack.

Live Action TV

A lesbian "kiss" was cut from the Doctor Who episode ''Deep Breath'' when it aired in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, although it is available uncut for streaming on BBC Player in Malaysia and Singapore. The hot air balloon made of human skin in the same episode was apparently just fine, though.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council once declared Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers to be too violent for children's programming, which resulted in the series being barred from airing on Canadian airwaves.^note The Power Rangers franchise was also once banned from TV in New Zealand after its first season (until the Power Rangers Samurai season) due to complaints from parents whose children injured themselves trying to imitate the show's fight scenes. What's weird is that every series from Power Rangers Ninja Storm onward is filmed on location in New Zealand with New Zealand-born actors and actresses. Also, while the Power Rangers franchise wasn't outright banned in Malaysia (although there are episodes that are withheld from broadcast), the Malaysian censors rather hilariously refused to allow use of the word "morphin'", largely due to outcry from helicopter mums that the word was too close to the word "morphine" and would convince young viewers to use drugs.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The High Ground" was banned by the national broadcasters for Ireland and the United Kingdom because Data mention that Ireland was reunited in 2024 after a successful "terrorist" campaign. Not helping matters was the plot was based around a Fantastic Racism metaphor for The Troubles. It wasn't until 2006 and 2007 that the full version was broadcasted in Ireland and the UK respectively.

Music

The Beatles were banned in Greece because their music and appearances were deemed corrupting to the youth, were informally banned in the Philippines after they failed to attend an event hosted by Imelda Marcos that involved dozens of school kids during their 1965 World Tour,^note and were banned in the Soviet Union because they were deemed "subversive" (although they did flourish on the black market; the documentary How the Beatles Rocked The Kremlin addresses this topic.). This mean that "Back in the U.S.S.R." could not be legally played in the actual U.S.S.R. "Norwegian Wood" was once banned in South Korea for its 'indecent' lyrics; the novel of the same name by Haruki Murakami had its title translated to The Age of Loss because most readers would not have heard of the song.
Snoop Dogg was banned from performing live in Australia and Norway due to his copious drug use, and he was briefly banned from the United Kingdom because of his role in the killing of a rival gang member.

Video Games

Fallout 3 was initially refused classification in Australia for drug use, while Microsoft refused to allow the Xbox 360 version to be sold in India likely due to the appearance of mutated cattle called Brahmin possibly being offensive to Hindus. It was eventually released in the former with a MA15+ rating after the aforementioned drug was changed from morphine to the generically named "Med-X", a change made to all versions. Japan almost banned it due to "The Power of the Atom" sidequest, which gave the main character the option to either disarm or detonate a nuclear bomb worshipped by residents of a town, but ultimately gave it a "Z" (Adults Only) rating after the detonation option was disabled.
Taiwanese indie fighting game Fight Of Gods is banned in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand because its premise, a fighting game where various deities and prophets such as Jesus and Buddha were playable characters, was considered offensive. In Malaysia's case, it resulted in the entire Steam store being blocked for 24 hours (and due to poor communication, the ban came into effect four hours after Valve has quietly pulled the game from the country's storefront). Ironically, Singaporean media was one of the many foreign news outlets who ridiculed Malaysia when they first banned it, even publishing a side article on why Singapore will never ban the game.
Gungho Entertainment, makers of Puzzle & Dragons, Ninjala, among others, is an odd case in that they were not banned, strictly speaking, but chose not to compromise: in response to anti-gambling laws in Belgium and the Netherlands declaring lootboxes as a form of gambling, Gungho Entertainment stopped selling to these two countries completely.
Luck be a Landlord is banned from the Google Play Store in the UAE, Algeria, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen for violating their gambling policies. The ban in South Korea was then lifted on January 22, 2024.
Manhunt 2 is banned in Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom (the only video game to be refused classification by the BBFC) due to its excessive violence. The ban in New Zealand was lifted two weeks after release, and a censored version was eventually approved in the UK after initially being rejected. The ESRB also rated the uncut version for consoles AO (Adults Only), effectively banning in from major retailers in the United States, Canada and Mexico, necessitating a censored version to get an M rating. The PC version nonetheless was released uncut in those territories.
In a rather odd in-game example the casino in Grand Theft Auto Online will be locked out if the Rockstar servers detect that you're in one of the 55 countries that prohibit online gambling.^note You can go in the building and spin the wheel for the free car each day, but you won't be able to purchase chips or sit down at any of the tables.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is banned in Afghanistan, India, Iraq, and Nepal on the grounds that it had a negative impact on the youth and, in India's case, for being distributed by Tencent following border clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in 2020. Nepal's ban has since been lifted.
Pokémon GO was banned in Iran, and several provinces in the Philippines for security reasons and (in the case of the Philippines) negative press attention the pre-release got. Contrary to popular belief tho, the game was never banned in Malaysia (it only appeared that way due to Late Export for You owing to Niantic's being secretive of their schedule), although the government has made it clear that government officials and military personnel are not allowed to play the game.
Postal 2 is banned in Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for its extreme violence and use of ethnic stereotypes. The game was banned in Germany a decade after its release, but one can still purchase the game digitally in Malaysia and Pakistan.
Rape simulator RapeLay is banned in Argentina (the only video game to be banned there), Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Thailand for condoning and glamorizing sexual violence.
In 2023, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was reportedly being banned or delayed in some Middle Eastern countries due to the presence of LGBT content. A censored Arabic version of the game was released, which removed Pride flags and altered a side mission featuring a gay couple.

Web Original

Various popular websites have frequently been banned or censored in numerous countries around the world for political reasons. They include Facebook ([1]), Twitter ([2]), Wikipedia ([3]), and YouTube ([4]), just to name a few.
The streaming service Netflix has released a list of 9 movies and shows that it removed based on pressures from various national governments.
Archive of Our Own:
- As of February 2020, the site has apparently been banned in China. On the 29th of February, Archive staff responded to reports that the site was inaccessible that the matter had been investigated and the problem was not on their end. There have been some rumors that this was due to complaints by one of the actors in the Chinese drama, The Untamed, over the portrayals of his character in fandom, especially ones involving queer content. This makes the situation quite ironic if the rumors are true. The Untamed is adapted from a popular Boys Love web novel, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi.
- On 13 December 2022, the site was "indexed" in Germany due to "child pornography content", temporarily removing it from Google search results for German IP addresses. In January 2023, the ban was lifted as a result of administrative errors.
- In March 2023, Roskomnadzor had requested the site to delete 16 fics, containing "child pornography". The site was subsequently blocked in Russia on 14 April 2023, after failing to comply with the request. A Ukrainian Twitter user claimed responsibility for the report in a deleted tweet.
The Best Page in the Universe:
- The site is banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And the creator is proud of it. He even once traveled to Dubai to verify that his site is indeed banned there and to litter printouts of his website around the city to taunt the ban. (Turns out he was banned for a technicality, not content, but he thinks it still counts.) He also made a dick out of their largest skyscraper.
- In a case of Un-person, the site is also banned in stores or other workplaces associated with Apple, in such a way that suggests the site doesn't even exist at all (attempts to access it from those IPs instead redirect to a MacBook Pro ad).
  Yes, the company that once alluded to an Orwellian future with controlled media, is now controlling media.
The OverSimplified videos on Adolf Hitler are blocked on YouTube in some of the European countries, for obvious reasons. This fact is even acknowledged during some of the NordVPN sponsor sections in some videos. Here's the full list of countries which banned the videos.◊

Western Animation

Family Guy has been banned in numerous countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan, most likely due to its mature content and the Animation Age Ghetto having a strong presence. It was banned in Malaysia at one point, but the ban has been rescinded, although it now only airs in a heavily butchered form on satellite TV. According to one of the writers, the show did receive a short-lived Korean dub in South Korea before it got axed. Despite this, the show still has its animation outsourced there. Also, South Africa rescinded the ban around 2010, and aired until 2021 on FOX Africa via the South African cable provider DS TV until that channel closed ahead of the country's Disney+ launch in May 2022 (where it currently streams there). Taiwan had since lifted the ban and is currently showing on FOX Taiwan with dubs and cuts.
Some episodes of The Loud House are banned in certain European and Asian countries (such as Poland, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and even the Nordic countries^note) due to the depiction of same-gender relationships (specifically, Clyde's dads and Luna's relationship with Sam, though some dubs got around this by changing their genders). "Cheater by the Dozen" is also banned in both Indonesia and Malaysia due to sexual innuendo.
The Owl House had some difficulty releasing on Disney+ in Singapore, but eventually managed to squeak it onto the platform, albeit not without multiple missing episodes and an abnormally high NC16 rating.
- The Hungarian and Czech dubs were supposed to air on Disney Channel in 2021, but instead premiered on Disney+ in June 2022.
South Park was banned in Middle Eastern countries (and Sri Lanka^note) for its offensive content. The show was also once banned in India and South Korea for similar reasons, though the show was later made available on Netflix in the latter country for few years. The show was also semi-banned in Malaysia, while in China, it was banned as a whole there due to its political jokes about that country. Some episodes were banned in some countries, but "200" and "201" were banned worldwide due to a major religious controversy surrounding the two-parter episode.
Three Teen Titans Go! episodes are banned from the Asian feed of Cartoon Network for numerous reasons:
- "The Chaff" was banned due to the episode containing multiple instances of Toilet Humor, including a giant butt and the ending scene where Beast Boy and Cyborg sing about poop.
- "Butt Atoms" was banned because of excessive Toilet Humor.
- "Lucky Stars" was banned due to the plot revolving around superstitions related to romance.

Afghanistan

General

The Taliban was notorious for banning any work of art considered contrary to the values of their particular brand of Islam. At its worst, from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned all movies, television, and non-religious music, as the regime deemed any sort of artistic or literary depiction of anyone to be a form of idolatry, which was far worse so than the taboo on depicting the Prophet Muhammed.

Film

The film adaptation of The Kite Runner was banned in 2007 for containing a rape scene, and fears it would exacerbate tensions between the country's ethnic groups.

Albania

General

It should be noted that Albania was the most repressed country in Europe and also was one of the isolated countries in the world until The '90s (especially under Enver Hoxha). The country followed the Stalinist style, thus it banned anything foreign, banned international travel, forbade religion (with atheism in place of Islam or Christianity) and outlawed private property.

Video Games

Albania banned video games from 1975 until Albania's transition to democracy and the fall of Communism in 1990.
In 2018, Albania made sports betting and online gambling illegal.

Argentina

Music

The lyrics^note of Maria Elena Walsh's song "Como la cigarra" led to its prohibition during the last four years of the Argentinian National Reorganization Process. Singer Mercedes Sosa was not allowed to include it in her record "Serenata para la tierra de uno" (serenade for one's homeland). In 1978 she got away with featuring it in the Mexican edition.

Western Animation

The season 19 Simpsons episode "E Pluribus Wiggum", although nominally about Ralph Wiggum being written in as a candidate for U.S. President, was temporarily banned in Argentina for a side conversation that made fun of Argentina. Specifically, Lenny and Carl call Juan Peron the country's best leader because "when he 'disappeared' you, you stayed 'disappeared'!" and equate Peron's wife Evita with the singer Madonna (who did play her in a film adaptation of the musical Evita). Many other Latin American countries followed suit, taking it as a mockery of their culture as a whole. This kind of thing never stopped The Simpsons, though, which appears several more times on this page for similar reasons.

Austria

Theatre

The French play The Marriage of Figaro was banned by Emperor Joseph due to its political subject matter and fears of a copycat unrest similar to that which would later claim the life of his sister. Contrary to popular belief, though, he approved Mozart's opera adaptation from the start, as being a self-admitted apolitical he had already removed the offending material.

Azerbaijan

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Alternative Title(s): Banned In Australia, Banned In Boston

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