History Main / NoSwastikas

* {{KISS}} has had problems with these laws in Germany, as another verboten symbol is the stylized 'lightning bolt' S used by the SS -- and also used by KISS in their logo bolts) cannot be used in Germany, and their merchandise in that country uses the more standard S. While the band has been accused of being Nazis, it seems unlikely that founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (both Jewish) intended the logo that way.

* The National Guard's 45th Infantry Division is from Oklahoma, and so during WWI its unit patch was a swastika. It has since been changed to a Thunderbird.
* In early 1942, one of the first American Army units to be sent to Britain was an Infantry division raised in Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. The men of the division had been extensively briefed on their duty to be courteous and well-behaved to the British people and to understand they were arriving in a country that had been at total war with the Germans for nearly three years. Above all it was vital to avoid misunderstandings and cultural misperceptions. However, it was only when this division left the South-West and was temporarily housed in barracks on the east coast prior to embarkation, that people remarked on what in New Mexico had been so commonplace as to be unremarkeable. For this division's shoulder-patches and distinguishing emblem was a Native American sun-wheel, a sign of good luck and safe return from journeys known by Navaho, Apaches, et c. It was only in New York and New Jersey that it was pointed out that 25,000 men arriving in Britain with a swastika on each shoulder would probably not give the desired impression on their British hosts, who in all probability were not especially up to speed with Navaho tribal customs and would perhaps see something different here, like an insult. The south-western division hastily commissioned a new shoulder patch...

** The Quincies have always had extremely strong Teutonic Knight themes. When they modernise, their Teutonic Knight themes morph into Nazi themes that also possess very heavy ImperialGermany overtones. This creates a military uniform that is extremely similar to the Nazi uniform and an organisational hierarchy that is inspired more by the Second Reich than Nazi Germany. The new Quincy Cross is influenced by the Iron Cross, not the swastika. So far, despite the Nazi themes of the Vandenreich, the swastika itself has barely been associated with them and predominantly remains Ichigo's symbol [[spoiler: who is revealed by the Vandenreich to be half-Quincy, half-Shinigami, and his bankai which had always possessed the swastika/manji symbol, was originally mostly powered by his Quincy abilities not his Shinigami abilities]].

** The Quincies have always had extremely strong Teutonic Knight themes. When they modernise, their Teutonic Knight themes morph into Nazi themes with very heavy imperialistic overtones. However, while the uniform is extremely similar to the Nazi uniform and the imperial reich is explored, the Quincy Cross itself is influenced by the Iron Cross, not the swastika. So far, despite the Nazi themes of the Vandenreich, the swastika itself has barely been associated with them and predominantly remains Ichigo's symbol [[spoiler: who is revealed by the Vandenreich to be half-Quincy, half-Shinigami, and his bankai which had always possessed the swastika/manji symbol, was originally mostly powered by his Quincy abilities not his Shinigami abilities]].

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Played with in the case of Ichigo. His sword's quillon is swastika-shaped. In keeping with the Buddhist symbolism for harmony of spirit, Ichigo's journey through the manga has been one of seeking balance and harmony with three different aspects of his soul. For much of the manga, this quillon only appears when he enters bankai. This is almost a pun as the kanji for "ban" in bankai is the manji symbol (which means "complete" or "final", although another interpretation of "Bankai" can indeed read as "Final Solution"). In the US version, this was all left in.
** In the Fullbringer arc, when Ichigo's power is developing and energy surrounds his hand in the shape of his sword's quillon, the anime [[{{Bowdlerise}} changes the shape]] slightly so the outline resembles a square. This is curious, since the anime retains the true shape on Ichigo's bankai sword.

That said, the older tradition about Buddhist and Hinduist swastikas, used as a protective symbol, can sometimes be found in supernatural series like ''KolchakTheNightStalker'' and ''{{The X-Files}}''.

* The episode of ''MythBusters'' dealing with the {{Hindenburg}} disaster omitted the swastikas from their models of the Hindenburg (justified as cosmetic accuracy is hardly a priority for them).

* While ''{{Superjail}}'' has gotten by with using swastikas and other Nazi symbols (SS insignia) on a few inmates, this trope was played straight when one of the Twins attempted to blend in as a Neo-Nazi in "Hot Chick". The censors balked at him having an obvious Nazi armband, leading the symbol to be erased in production of the episode and the armband recolored to be a solid red. One shot, however, did depict the armband with [[GettingCrapPastTheReader a happy face symbol bearing "SS" for eyes]].

* At least one of the younger versions of the original ''Day of Defeat'' ''{{Half-Life}}'' mod had the swastika as the German control point flag.

* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "The Savage Time" set during WorldWarII did exactly this, but justified it; a villain had used TimeTravel to hijack the Nazi war effort, and they used his symbols instead. Later episodes had no problem referring to said villain as a "Nazi war criminal", worth noting, though that the insignia he uses is the the SS insignia, Hitler's elite guard and it actually makes sense in the context of the story, making this an example of GettingCrapPastTheRadar: An ancient symbol that arose individually in almost every basket-weaving culture and which just happened to be used in the flag of a fascist nation? BAD! A symbol for a group of soldiers from said nation who were primarily responsible for the holocaust? A-OK!

* The cover of NormanMailer’s “The Castle in the Forrest” shows an archway. In the [[http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/0812978498/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0?ie=UTF8&index=0 American version]] there is a swastika on the capstone. That is gone in the [[http://www.manz.at/list.html?inline=1&back=63d488460ec9befe56ed2064fca49021&isbn=978-0-349-12070-6&xid=1091905&page=1 European version]].

*** That... '''[[FridgeBrilliance is brilliant]]'''.
*** '''[[CompletelyMissingThePoint but the bombers look like they're in someone's crosshairs!]]'''

** [[http://naziforest.ytmnd.com/ OMG, Secret Nazi Forest!]]

* In countries where the Swastika is banned, it is not unheard of for Neo-Nazi groups to just not use it at all. Instead, they use lesser known Nazi symbols, like the SA logo, the Life Rune, the SS runes, or the three point swastika (called a triskelion). Other groups, especially in English-speaking countries, are also known to use the Celtic cross.
** Which are mostly also forbidden in Germany. You can't even have the letters SS on your license plate.
*** In Germany, Neo-Nazis instead resort to symbols of Imperial Germany (since the Third Reich is legally off-limits, they use the symbols of the Second Reich instead).
** Also used (mostly for greeting) is the number 88. It corresponds to the letters HH (for "Heil Hitler").
*** So does that mean that they never got to see Film/BackToTheFuture?
**** [[FridgeLogic In the German Version, 140 km/h is used instead]].
** No triskelions? The Manx people are waiting with their army of angry cats, Germany...

* Not swastikas, but Lithuania (a former Soviet republic) and Hungary (a former Soviet satellite) outlaw the display of the hammer-and-sickle symbol.

* Italian model manufacturers such as ESCI/Italeri seem equally wary of causing offence. It is noticeable that models of Italian tanks and military vehicles of the WW2 period are issued with the green-white-red national tricolour flag used as a recognition insignia. However, this version of the flag is a post WW2 issue which omits the prominent ''fasces'' insignia in the central white band, the Italian fascist version of the swastika.

* In ''KidDracula'' for the Game Boy (''Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun'' in Japan), the first boss were hooded klansmen with swastikas on their head. The US version completely removed the swastikas and the klansmen's sprites were tweaked to look more like ghosts.

* The writers of ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' decided to create an alternate timeline with HYDRA as an enemy of the Allies during WWII, assisted by villains traditionally associated with Nazis. WordOfGod stated that this was the result of an ultimatum from Standards And Practices: they could avert either this trope or FamilyFriendlyFirearms, and they chose the latter. The head writer also tried to justify the change [[http://www.medinnus.com/AEMH/yost_01.html here]] by saying HYDRA served as merely a branch of the Nazis. In the episode "Meet CaptainAmerica", the Red Skull's SS uniform suggests the Nazis existed in this universe, but the opening newsreel only shows HYDRA taking over Europe. (As a result, viewers who have not read these WordOfGod statements tend to assume this series disregarded the existence of Nazis altogether.It doesn't help that the map depicting HYDRA's conquest of Europe shows them [[UnfortunateImplications steam-rolling out of Russia to conquer all of Europe, Germany included.]]) Unfortunately, the fact that HYDRA is still pretty powerful in the present suggests the Allies failed to eliminate the threat of another Axis takeover.

* The writers of ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' decided to create an alternate timeline with HYDRA as an enemy of the Allies during WWII, assisted by villains traditionally associated with Nazis. WordOfGod stated that this was the result of an ultimatum from Standards And Practices: they could avert either this trope or FamilyFriendlyFirearms, and they chose the latter. The head writer also tried to justify the change [[http://www.medinnus.com/AEMH/yost_01.html here]] by saying HYDRA served as merely a branch of the Nazis. In the episode "Meet CaptainAmerica", the Red Skull's SS uniform suggests the Nazis existed in this universe, but the opening newsreel only shows HYDRA taking over Europe. (As a result, viewers who have not read these WordOfGod statements tend to assume this series disregarded the existence of Nazis altogether.) Unfortunately, the fact that HYDRA is still pretty powerful in the present suggests the Allies failed to eliminate the threat of another Axis takeover.

* In the WesternAnimation/{{Spider-Man}} and WesternAnimation/{{X-Men}} cartoons from the 1990s, Captain America was shown in World War Two fighting nondescript Germans, there were plans from a Captain America series that would not feature any references to Nazis.

* In the WesternAnimation/SpiderMan and WesternAnimation/XMen cartoons from the 1990s, Captain America was shown in World War Two fighting nondescript Germans, there were plans from a Captain America series that would not feature any references to Nazis.

* In the Spider-Man and X Men animations from the 1990s, Captain America was shown in World War Two fighting nondescript Germans, there were plans from a Captain America series that would not feature any references to Nazis.