This article contains and discusses instances of foul language.
When watching dubbed anime, most audiences understandably assume that what the English-speaking actors say are word-for-word translations of the original Japanese scripts and performances. This was true for the most part, but there are some exceptions to the rule. In fact, some anime quotes were made exclusively for the dub.
Localizers reword or rewrite an anime's script and most famous lines more often than most casual viewers realize. This was almost always due to the stark differences between how the Japanese and English languages work, or because the original Japanese line's cultural context and references would be lost on international viewers.
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10 “Have You Accepted Jesus as Your Personal Savior?”
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories' dub didn't just rewrite the original Japanese script; it spoofed it beyond recognition. Momoko Koigakubo perfectly embodied this shift. If she was originally a caring upperclassman, she was a rabidly conservative Christian in the dub. Her unofficial catchphrase was "Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?"
Momoko's original script was unremarkable and generic. It just helped move the story along. But in the dub, Momoko never missed the opportunity to try and force her friends into converting. Momoko's quote is debatably not the dub's most popular joke, but it's the safest one that could be discussed without heavy censorship.
9 “Heart of the Cards, Guide Me!”
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
One of the most infamous additions in 4Kids Entertainment's dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters was "The Heart of the Cards." This was the bond that a duelist had (or didn't have) with their deck of cards. The concept has been mocked endlessly by viewers, especially since it never appeared in the original Japanese dubs.
In Japanese, Yami Yugi and other duelists either wished themselves luck, or prayed to "the Goddess of Luck" (aka "Lady Luck"). Although any quote about the Heart of the Cards sounds hilarious out of context, it actually helped the dub do a better job of emphasizing the players' connection to their cards than the original did.
8 "Zippy Zappy Angel Eyes."
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (4-Koma Theater)
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's DVDs came with the bonus "4-Koma Theater" shorts. The most famous one had Scar and Führer King Bradley revealing their true names to be deliberately long and pretentious lists of fancy names. Both had uniquely lengthy names that coincidentally ended with "Zippy Zappy Angel Eyes."
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's original Japanese dub, Scar and Bradley claimed their names were the entirety of the famous rakugo story, "Jugemu." The joke was that Jugemu was a needlessly long list of regal Japanese names. What's more, Scar's and Bradley's full Japanese names (not just the last parts) were exactly the same.
7 "You Fellas Know Full Well What This Badass Mother Can Do!"
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Dubbed anime from the 2000s like Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion have a hilarious reputation for sprinkling dialogue with too much swearing just to sound "cool." Code Geass did this in its very first episode, where Kallen Kozuki yelled "You fellas know full well what this badass mother can do!" right before killing the pursuing Britannians.
Conversely, her original version in Code Geass' Japanese dub was a bit more serious. In Japanese, Kallen said "You know how powerful this thing is, don't you?" more as a tough rhetorical question than a battle cry. The dubbed quote has since become a genuine fan-favorite and a routinely mocked example of American dubbing tendencies.
6 "Holy Stinking Super C**p!"
My Hero Academia
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All Might was the Superman of My Hero Academia in many ways. When he was in his empowered form, All Might was the perfect straight-laced hero. When he reverted to Toshinori Yagi, he was a polite mentor. These made his sudden outburst and mild swearing upon seeing Izuku Midoriya's progress in the dub so hilarious.
In the dub, All Might couldn't contain his excitement and blurted out "Holy stinking super crap!" The original joke wouldn't have worked at all because it was simply All Might yelling "Oh my goodness!" The use of random English is a popular joke in Japan, but not so much in English-speaking countries.
5 “Hey B*****s and Bros, and Nonbinary H***s!”
Sk8 the Infinity
The subbed and the dubbed Sk8 the Infinity had very distinct and unique takes on the same villain, Adam (aka Ainosuke Shindo). In the English dub, Adam was a flamboyant and playful rogue. His dubbed personality was best summarized by his (in)famously inclusive dub quote, "Hey b*****s and bros, and nonbinary h***s!"
In Sk8 the Infinity's original Japanese dub, Adam was an arrogant skater with a god complex. The dubbed quote's original Japanese line proved this, since it was a simple boast that was best translated as "All you fools who love skateboarding!" Adam's dubbed version tends to have more fans due to his louder and more fun personality.
4 "You Look Like That American Guy. You Know, Like Bill Clinton."
Azumanga Daioh
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One of Azumanga Daioh's most famous bits was Osaka and Chiyo-Dad's conversation. The punchline was Chiyo-Dad asking Osaka almost losing his temper when Osaka confessed that he reminded her of Bill Clinton. Not only was Osaka's line different in Japanese, but the dub changed the original joke and weakened it.
Originally, Osaka said "Your face sort of looks like [Yoshiro] Mori, the previous Prime Minister." The dub replaced Mori with Bill Clinton. The problem was that Mori was one of the most despised politicians in Japan's history, where Clinton was divisive at worst. The dub also switched Cat-Dad's use of awkward English to Spanish.
3 "Believe It!"
Naruto
One reason why the Naruto dub was belittled by so many was because of Naruto Uzuamki's catchphrase "Believe it!" Naruto ended almost every sentence with this. Many found this grating, while others thought it was harmlessly silly. Naruto never said this in the original Japanese dub because it's almost impossible to translate his actual line.
Originally, Naruto capped his sentences with "dattebayo." This phrase has no exact English counterpart. The closest one would be "Y'know?," which somewhat evoked Naruto's desire to sound cool and be taken seriously. "Believe it!" did a good job of expressing Naruto's bravado in English, but annoyed more viewers than expected.
2 "Meat..."
Attack on Titan: The Final Season
The shock of Sasha Braus' death in Attack on Titan: The Final Season's dub was nullified when her last words were "Meat." In the dub, this seemed like a weird callback to the anime's more innocent days, when Sasha's entire personality was loving food. But in Japanese, it was her tragically calling out to Niccolo, the Marleyan cook she fell for.
The Japanese word for "meat" is "niku." When Sasha said "niku," other characters thought she was talking about meat, when she was really referring to Niccolo. Everyone only figured it out when Niccolo revealed their mutual feelings during his emotional breakdown. This sad misreading was lost in Attack on Titan's translation.
1 "I'm So F****d Up."
The End of Evangelion
The End of Evangelion became one of the most notorious anime movies ever made thanks to Shinji Ikari's sexual violation of Asuka Langley Soryu when she was hospitalized. Shinji capped off the controversial moment when he looked at his hand and said "I'm so f---ed up." The swearing was exclusive to the dub, and the line was softer in Japanese.
Originally, Shinji said "I'm the lowest." This made sense, but it lacked the visceral impact and palpable self-loathing of the dub. It got to the point where when Netflix restored the original line in the new dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion's finale, it caused an uproar among fans who accused Netflix of watering down the dark movie.
