Down with 4Kids Entertainment!!!!!

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"<strong>I think manga is a problem...kids today don't read, they read less today</strong>."-Alfred R. Kahn

So what, Mr. Kahn?! We read manga and reading is good for everyone!! Uh, almost everyone knows who this man is, what company he (used to) owned and what he did to anime. Yes, we're talking about 4Shame (4Kids) Entertainment, the most despicable US anime dubbing company since DiC Entertainment. Almost everyone knows how 4Kids ruined anime, edited lots of things that made them awesome and give them and us otaku a bad name. One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Tokyo Mew Mew, Shaman King, Pokemon, you name it, they messed it up.

Here's the list of vict....uh I mean, acquisitions of 4Kid$.

Pokemon (Now acquired by Pokemon USA)
Yu-Gi-Oh series
One Piece (saved by FUNimation Entertainment)
Sonic X (on hiatus)
Tama & Friends
Fighting Foodons
Shaman King
Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Tokyo Mew Mew (canceled)
Ojamajo Doremi
Ultimate Muscle
Futari wa Pretty Cure (never aired)

Tired of seeing awesome anime being minced up into pieces? Then join!

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Club Discussion

Poll: What do you Guys think? 4kids Dubs MonjaElisa - Dec 3, 2010	3 replies	by funtime43_tr »» Jul 10, 2022 3:27 AM
Theme songs Frankencastle - Sep 26, 2008	6 replies	by terminador_2397 »» Aug 6, 2015 10:24 PM
Date A Live by 4Kids??? AnimeFan2013 - Jul 3, 2013	1 replies	by terminador_2397 »» Aug 6, 2015 10:22 PM
For the Yu-Gi-Oh lovers, we have good news! =) EnvitChan - Mar 30, 2011	2 replies	by EnvitChan »» Aug 3, 2011 1:00 PM
Another insulting words from the owner himself. MomoHime125 - Jan 16, 2008	18 replies	by ckam »» Aug 11, 2010 8:01 PM

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Club Comments

funtime43_tr | Jul 10, 2022 3:25 AM

This is crazy, but 4kids only good dubs are Pokémon(seasons and movies 1,2,4, and 5), Yugioh(DM, Pyramid of Light, Capsule Monsters, and GX), and Shaman King. And they did wonderfully with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) series because they sold well and were on Kids WB. All the other dubs created by them suck so hard!

5TAR5TORM | Aug 10, 2017 9:07 AM

The anime dub vs sub war has long been a topic of contention in the community. Whether or not it is more appropriate to watch a show in the original Japanese or its English rendition is never going to end. However, there is one type dub that both sides of the argument almost unanimously agree as being terrible: 4Kids dubs. Through much censorship and “localization”, 4Kids has garnered a very poor reputation. However, though 4Kids by no means accurately replicates the Japanese content of its dubs, the criticisms of the company are often over exaggerated and misguided.

The first complaint that many people have is the voice actors. Many of the voice actors from all 4Kids dubs often have corny voices, give weak deliverance, and are borderline racist at times (I’m looking at you, Paradox Brothers). Though fair accusations, they are not entirely true. It is quite possible that many of the voice actors were not experienced, which is why it took longer for them to settle into the voices of their roles. One example of this is Tristan from Yugioh, as he his voice acting was especially poor at the beginning of the series, but it eventually became passable and often enjoyable. However, this does cause a major problem for the minor characters in the dubs who receive less lines, allowing less time for practice in specific roles. Though the voice acting does have many notable flaws (Sanji in One Piece is downright laughable), it would still be a disservice to say that all of the 4Kids voice actors are bad. In fact many of them are rather talented, such as Dan Greene (Yugi Muto), Veronica Taylor (Ash Ketchum), and Eric Stuart (Brock/ Seto Kaiba). So though much of the voice acting is often poor, the main cast almost always delivers their lines successfully.

Another criticism is the way in which the series was localized. This is the hardest criticism to defend, as much of what 4Kids changed was done to westernize it. Foreign foods were either edited into more recognizable forms or just called different names (jelly filled donuts, anyone?). It also completely removes all other respects of Japanese culture by almost completely removing all Japanese text. Removing all of the cultural references serves little to no purpose, and most of what was existed probably should have been left alone. However, this is not to say that every change made to localization was terrible, as many notable additions were made to the dubs. First and foremost are the anime openings, three of which are iconic. Pokémon’s first opening is far better than the original Japanese version, and is probably the most iconic song in all of anime (I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS). Yugioh’s, though not as iconic, adds a sense of mysticism and tension to it opening (IT’S TIME TO D D D D DDDD DUEL). One Piece also adds something to it’s opening; it replaces the amazing original with a poorly done rap. Though not every opening was perfect, the changes to some are still an improvement. There is also many changes to dialogue that make the shows much more entertaining. Pokémon had many of its jokes redone in order to appeal to a western audience, and many jokes were even added to the series to increase entertainment (drying pans, anyone). The localization process also made team Rocket far more entertaining than they were in the original Japanese version. Yugioh also had a similar treatment, as there were many roasts added to the character dialogue (which I still find hilarious), making it feel like the characters are real rivals who would actually trash talk to each other. Ultimately, though many changes were poorly executed, the additions to many of the dubs works in 4Kids’s favor.

Possibly the most common problem people have with 4Kids is their abundance of censorship. There is no hiding the fact that there is an over abundance of censorship in 4Kids dubs, and much if it is either poorly done, or completely unnecessary. It is at its worst in their One Piece dub. This is in part because of One Piece being more violent than the other works the company has done. Cigarettes turn into lollipops, poison darts become poison suction cups, and all blood and guns vanish (though neither allowed in all of their other works, to be fair). People tend to focus not these aspects when they look at 4Kids dubs, but they forget one very important aspect of the what the company is aiming to accomplish. 4Kids is as its title implies: 4Kids is meant to be for kids’ viewing experience, and many often look over that. The time period in which these shows were dubbed gives even more allowance for censorship. After the tradedy of 9/11, is it any wonder that a Pokémon episode depicting a city wide destruction would be removed from airing; after the Columbine School shooting, is it any wonder that any references to gun violence would be edited out? People seem to forget just how much controversy even minor offenses could generate around a children’s series. So 4Kids had two choices: they could try to get away with as much “adult” content as possible and risk some parents disallowing their kids to watch those series, or they could remove darker content in order to appeal to a wider demographic. They chose the latter of the options, and can anyone blame them? It is also worth noting that 4Kids did not remove every profound moment from their series. Can any one ever forget their sorrow when Ash released Butterfree or died in the first movie. In Yugioh, was Kaiba threatening suicide less impactful, or the shadow realm less terrifying? Was Sonic vs Knuckles less entertaining, or the comedy less funny in Sonic X? No, those moments carried the same impact on children worldwide, and if any company deserves recognition, even praise, for attempting to bring anime to a worldwide audience, it’s 4Kids.

To conclude, 4Kids’s voice acting, localization, and censorship, though often criticized, do add some merit to their dubs. Though far from perfect, 4Kids was doing something that few other companies at the time were doing: they were distributing anime to a young western audience. Many people today would not be fans of the genre today if it wasn't for 4Kids (on a personal note, I'm not sure I would be a fan of anime or writing this today if it wasn't for 4Kids Yugioh. My mom thought the idea of summoning monsters, as well as their designs, was slightly satanic. She wouldn't even let me watch the show or play the card game on Sundays, so I doubt her seeing pentagram, guns, and “revealing” imagery would have resulted in my allowance to continue watching). 4Kids was never perfect, but whether one prefers sub or dub, or if they hate 4Kids or appreciate it, it can not be argued that 4Kids did not do its job in appealing to kids. Hopefully, dubbing companies shall learn from the mistakes 4Kids made, and bring anime to today’s children in order to usher in the future generation of anime fans, as 4Kids did before them.

Sp0UtDuDe03 | Jul 25, 2014 10:09 PM

Well, it's been quite a romp, guys, but aside from that lumbering sack of DEVIL being, inexplicably, STILL ALIVE (see also: Anti AK-Guy), I think it's safe to say that 4krap is a former shadow of its old self (I would have much rather preferred their being wiped from existence COMPLETELY, but oh well...). I don't see any more reason for this club to be active. Let's just leave those echoes of a dark, frail and incoherent past behind, and look into other, MUCH MORE MATERIAL things that need our attention.

Sp0UtDuDe03 | Sep 22, 2013 12:17 AM

As somebody who returned from the darkest depths of boredom a Yu-Gi-Oh!(sub) fan, I can promise you all this: "George Fisher (the current lead vocalist of Cannibal Corpse) shall "sing" Kaisei Joshou Hallelujah (using the Sentenced to Burn PV as a base) while he who was responsible for producing the vapid, cringeworthy and overall, inexcusable GX dub is tortured to death and cremated."

And yes, the 4Krap we loved to hate has been condemned to the Seventh Concentric Circle of Marketing Hell, now to remain ONLY AS a standard licensing company. Nothing can be done to bring back their victims, but rest assured, the most infectious threat to Anime is gone.... AFTER STEVEN FOSTER.

AnimeFan2012 | Jan 25, 2012 3:35 AM

4Kids was an extremely Unfavorable company to Anime Fans.

Well, at lest Al Kahn Retires.

Go Funimation, NEVER 4KIDS!!!

Gibz0matic | Jul 9, 2011 7:17 AM

Hey if everything seems to be moving to slow here and your bored, come join this RP:
http://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=26825

bleachman99 | Jul 8, 2011 4:09 PM

plz watch these funny videos i made with my friends outside of school there really funny and i need to help with the views thanks u http://www.youtube.com/user/bleachman9991?feature=mhee#p/u

Handyheart | Jun 4, 2010 5:24 PM

I hate 4kids. What the did to One Piece was criminal!!!!
CRIMINAL!!!!

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Category: Anime

Created: Jan 14, 2008

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