7 Worst Anime English Dub Translations That Ruined the Original Sub

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As a huge anime fan, I’ve seen this argument everywhere – dubs versus subs! It always seems to split people right down the middle. Honestly, I get why people love dubs. They make anime so much easier to jump into, especially if you’re new to it or just want to relax and watch without having to read constantly. And let me tell you, the quality of English dubs has gotten amazing over the years! The voice actors are seriously talented now, and they really put effort into making the dialogue sound natural and staying true to the original Japanese version.

While everyone has their own preference when it comes to watching anime with dubs or subtitles, it’s true that some bad dubs have really bothered fans over the years. This history of disappointing dubs explains why many anime enthusiasts strongly prefer to stick with subtitles.

7. Speed Racer

The English dub of Speed Racer is a well-known example of early, poorly localized anime. It’s famous for its incredibly fast-paced dialogue, which was forced to sync with the characters’ lip movements. This resulted in rushed, flat delivery that often didn’t make sense, and it stripped away the characters’ personalities, prioritizing explaining the plot over showing their emotions. While the original Japanese version was a serious racing story, the dub unintentionally turned it into a comedy, with lines delivered so urgently that dramatic scenes became unintentionally funny. Despite its many flaws, the Speed Racer dub remains a memorable part of anime history.

6. Digimon Adventure

The English dub of Digimon Adventure is often criticized for its uneven and sometimes silly tone. The original Japanese version skillfully blended humor with serious and emotional moments, but the dub relied too much on comedy, which diminished the impact of important scenes. Jokes were frequently added to moments that should have been tense or sad, making it harder to feel connected to the characters’ challenges. The dub also changed the story and characters quite a bit, simplifying their development and exaggerating the rivalry between Tai and Matt.

5. Naruto (Early Dubbed Episodes)

Oh man, the early English dubs of Naruto were… rough! The voice acting just didn’t quite hit the mark, and a lot of the dialogue felt really off. The biggest example? Naruto’s iconic “Dattebayo!” They turned it into “Believe it!” which just sounded so forced and didn’t fit his character at all. What was meant to be a cute quirk ended up being this really irritating thing you heard constantly. And it wasn’t just the dialogue – the dub really struggled to capture the emotional weight of the original series, which was a huge bummer.

4. Sailor Moon (DiC Entertainment Dub)

The English dub of Sailor Moon produced by DiC Entertainment is frequently criticized for heavily editing and changing the original Japanese version. The anime originally had complex characters, dealt with serious topics, and showed realistic relationships, but the dub simplified these things to try and attract a younger audience in Western countries. A key example is the romantic relationship between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, which was removed and replaced with a familial one – they were portrayed as cousins. This change not only harmed LGBTQ+ representation but also made their scenes feel strange and unnatural.

3. Dragon Ball Z (Early Funimation Dub)

Many fans recall the first English dub of Dragon Ball Z as being overly dramatic, often turning serious scenes into loud shouting matches and losing the characters’ original depth. Goku, who was initially presented as a simple but kind-hearted warrior, became a typical superhero figure. The script frequently replaced thoughtful conversations with cheesy lines, which diminished the impact of important moments. A famous example of this is the line “It’s over 9000!,” which was actually a mistranslation of the original Japanese line, “It’s over 8000!”

2. One Piece (4Kids Entertainment Dub)

I remember watching the 4Kids dub of One Piece as a kid, and it’s definitely infamous for how much they changed it. They were clearly trying to make it suitable for a younger audience, so they cut out almost everything violent, sad, or even a little bit mature. The edits were pretty ridiculous – they’d swap guns for squirt guns, and they really rushed the story by just cutting out whole storylines. Some really important and emotional parts, like the story with Laboon the whale and the Little Garden arc, were completely removed, which took away a lot of the heart and meaning of the show.

The English dub also included awkward jokes and changes to make it feel more American. They replaced Sanji’s cigarette with a lollipop and inexplicably changed Zoro’s name to Zolo. These changes upset fans of the original Japanese manga and anime, so FUNimation stepped in to redo the dub and fix the issues.

1. Ghost Stories

Okay, so Ghost Stories is a really interesting case. The original Japanese anime was pretty standard – a decent, but not amazing, spooky series about kids and ghosts. But when it came to the English dub… wow. They threw the script out the window! The voice actors were basically told to just make stuff up, and it turned into this hilariously crude comedy. It was a conscious decision – the show hadn’t done great in Japan, so they wanted to try something totally different. But honestly, it really annoyed a lot of fans who actually wanted to see the original story! It’s infamous for being so different, it’s almost a separate entity entirely.

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2025-12-20 08:12