Adaptational Modesty / Anime & Manga

• The anime adaptation of Basilisk censors some of the scenes where the manga which it was based on featured bare breasts. The most prominent example being a scene in which female ninja Akeginu covers her breasts with a scarf whereas she was topless in the manga. Strangely, a later OP, and a couple of scenes featuring Okoi naked are redesigned so that we see slightly less of her than was shown in the manga.
• Both the original manga and OVA versions of Birdy the Mighty features a scene where Birdy leaps out of a bathtub to confront Bachilus and Tsutomu pleads "Please Put Some Clothes On". In the original manga, she ignored this and confronted Bachilus in the nude. In the OVA, however, she did don her uniform after Tsutomu made the request.
• The anime version of Bleach removed Harribel's Underboobs and made Nelliel's torn-up rags a little bit less torn up so that her breasts and undersides weren't as exposed as they are in the manga. Likewise, Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng's Shunko outfits are given an undershirt so they don't show off sideboob, and a couple of scenes featuring a character naked are redesigned so that we see slightly less of them than was shown in the manga.
• Berserk:
  • In the '90s adaptation of Berserk, the sexual aspects of the manga are heavily toned down or removed (e.g Guts getting assaulted as a child) and the sex scenes between Griffith and Charlotte and Guts and Casca are skimmed over. Casca's nipples are only shown twice as opposed to the frequent times in the manga, Guts' genitalia is also censored in their love scene as opposed to manga where it isn't, and Zodd has some pants on. Griffith/Femto's rape of Casca during the Eclipse is also toned down though fans actually considered this a blessing compared to the manga.
  • Subverted with the Berserk anime movies. The sex and nudity are dialed up with Casca's nipples and vulva having more screen time than some main characters. However surprisingly the love scene between Guts and Casca while more graphic than the 1998 version is still less explicit than the manga, which is very displeasing as Griffith/Femto violating Casca on the other hand is shown in its full brutal entirety. This is likely intentional to contrast between love and lust.
  • Berserk (2016) plays this trope so straight it makes the original '90s Berserk look like a hard R-rating, all the nudity is given a Barbie Doll Anatomy e.g Farnese the nippleless woman◊ and thanks to the CG the sexual content has as much impact as rag dolls rubbing together in Garry's Mod.
• Sarada's design in the Boruto anime doesn't match her design as shown in the Distant Finale of Naruto, despite the fact both depict her as an academy student. Her clothes are instead based on her design from the Boruto manga. Sarada's manga design is very controversial amongst fans due to being Age-Inappropriate Dress. Sarada's design in the anime was edited to add a shirt, instead of sarashi, and include pants.
• In the Yasogami Lake arc of Dimension W, Leide knocks out Kiyomi, the hotel's maid, in order to get to Marisa. In the manga, Kiyomi is found Bound and Gagged in her bra and panties after Leide steals her uniform to use as a disguise, while in the anime, she's left unconscious and fully clothed against a wall.
• Dragon Ball:
  • In the original Dragon Ball, Bulma's nudity is heavily censored in the anime and re-releases of the manga with Bulma's nipples being obscured by either soap, comedic stars, light reflecting off glass or just cutting away from the sexy stuff entirely. The Ocean Dub went even further changing panties into money, though one edit makes absolutely no sense i.e the edited panty shot which changed the color of Bulma's underwear... white with pinks dots was apparently too obscene. However, the anime was crafty enough to slip some female nudity in, but you'll need to press the pause button quickly.
  • In Dragon Ball Z Kai, kid Gohan's little dick and balls are understandably censored. Ditto for Kid Goku in some versions of Dragon Ball. Japan tends to let it fly, but Western audiences frown upon child nudity.
  • Zig-zagged with Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. In the present, Broly is first seen as a Walking Shirtless Scene somewhat similar to his original incarnation but is later outfitted with (somewhat ill-fitting) chest armor once he's recruited by Frieza. He later loses the armour in battle, going right back to being shirtless.
  • In the same movie, Goku is depicted in full Saiyan armor as a toddler while in previous depictions Goku was in his birthday suit when he arrived on Earth. This clothing change is due to Goku, Vegeta, and Broly getting an Age Lift because Akira Toriyama ignored previous Saiyan continuity in favour of the Dragon Ball Minus version.
• In the manga version of Dragonar Academy, Avdocha the Executioner wears nothing but a metal snake-thing that's coiled around her to hide her naughty bits. In the anime, she wears a sort of tribal bandeau and skirt.
• The anime adaptation of Dorohedoro removes some of the nudity, such as the scene where Noi gives a Bound and Gagged Nikaido a bath being changed so that Noi is fully clothed and Nikaido's breasts are covered by bandages.
• Fate/Extra Last Encore: Saber's infamous see-through skirt has a flap of cloth that covers up the leotard she wears underneath, though it can still be seen from time to time.
• Fairy Tail:
  • Fairy Tail is full of fanservice in both the manga and anime versions, but the anime is somewhat tamer as it leaves out things like panty shots, naked asses, and some sexual actions like Natsu grabbing Lucy's bare boobs. It also cuts longer fanservice scenes (unless they're very plot-relevant) from the broadcast episodes and uses them for OVAs in which the series can get away with riskier things.
  • In both the manga and anime, Erza Scarlet's clash with Erza Knightwalker ends with her knocking Knightwalker out and pulling an Impersonating the Evil Twin. In the manga, she accomplishes this by stealing Knightwalker's armor, leaving her in little more than a pair of panties and a cloth to cover her breasts when she wakes up. In the anime, she doesn't take Knightwalker's outfit and instead uses magic to impersonate her.
  • During the Tartaros arc, Erza, Natsu, and Lisanna were stripped naked during their captivity in the manga, but are left with some clothing in the anime.
• In one scene in the manga version of Fushigi Yuugi, Miaka is tested by the ghosts of Tomite and Hikitsu, two of the Genbu warriors in order to get the MacGuffin. In the manga version, she is made to take off all her clothes, to be frozen by Tomite's ice arrows. In the anime, she still undergoes the test, but she only strips down to a slip, even Breaking the Fourth Wall and explaining that this is as far as she is allowed to strip down on network television. (Curiously, in other parts of the anime, Miaka is seen in just a bra and panties, and even completely naked. And several other characters have nude scenes as well.)
• Gate:
  • In the anime, the citizens of the Empire wear Medieval-style clothing instead of togas. Some started appearing in togas in episode 11. In the anime, togas and such seem to be formal wear instead of everyday wear.
  • In the anime, Bozes' nightgown is not see-through.
  • After Rory massacres the men who tried to kidnap the Special Region guests and is covered with blood, Itami makes her strip out of her kimono and then hoses her down to get rid of the blood. In the anime, it cuts directly to Rory back in her street clothes and clean.
  • During the bathhouse shootout, many of the girls' robes were open exposing their underwear. Their robes were closed in the anime.
  • Princess Piña's formal dress is not as revealing and Delilah's waitress uniform does not expose her cleavage as much in the anime. One scene where Delilah removes her clothes and takes a nap while naked is changed to her just taking her shoes off before taking a nap.
  • Zorzal's Sex Slaves wear rags instead of being naked.
  • In the anime, the prostitutes are still dressed indecently, but they wear actual clothes instead of see-through togas.
• Motoko Kusanagi's outfit in Ghost in the Shell: Arise is far more conservative than what she wore in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. In fact, Motoko's Arise look is arguably her most subdued design in the entire franchise.
• The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody:
  • Ginny and Ireena sneak into Ard's room to try to seduce him. In the light novel and manga, Ginny wears nothing but ribbons over her privates and Ireena wears lingerie. In the anime, they are both in nightgowns.
  • Elzard kidnaps Ireena to use her as a Human Sacrifice. In the light novel and manga, Ireena is stripped naked, forcing Ard to cover her with his jacket when he arrives to rescue her. In the anime, she is fully clothed.
• The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter: Olivia Servant gets caught in a trap and is shackled in a dungeon for over 200 years, unaging and with her powers keeping her alive. In the original light novel, when Noir discovers her, she is completely naked and explains that her clothes rotted until they fell off and turned to dust. In the manga and anime, her clothes are intact.
• Hybrid × Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia: The light novel version doesn't describe what Aine was wearing when the amnesiac girl was discovered as a child. In the manga version, she was completely naked. In the anime version, she was wearing a simple dress with no shoes.
• The anime adaptation of K-On! almost completely removes any fanservice the manga had. Mio's infamous panty shot at the school festival was fully visible in the manga but was made off-screen in the anime, and the costumes Sawako makes the girls wear aren't as revealing as they are in the manga.
• The anime adaptation of Konohana Kitan doesn't draw nipples in the onsen scenes as the manga did.
• The Legend of Zelda:
  • In The Hyrule Fantasy by Kobayashi Susumu this is used for historical accuracy, not censorship. Zelda in the game is a girl with '80s Hair and a puffy pink dress, despite it being a high fantasy setting. The manga gives Zelda a more medieval-inspired design with her hair in a veil.
  • In a separate manga based on the first game, Link wears overalls instead of a tunic.
• Lupin III:
  • Lupin Family All-Stars: A 10-minute animation based on a story in the second manga volume. Goemon just slices Lupin's chair apart; in the original, he did both the chair and the sexy puppet show Lupin puts on. There was more Fanservice in the original manga story, especially on Fujiko and Goemon's part; Fujiko wasn't wearing any underwear when Jigen shot her disguise apart, and Goemon spent most of the story in his Fundoshi.
  • In an example crossing over with Adaptational Nice Guy / Adaptational Heroism, the manga has a lot of Black Comedy Rape scenes involving Lupin forcing himself on women and tearing their clothes away, all of which are removed from the various anime adaptations. (He's usually depicted as a Chivalrous Pervert or a Handsome Lech instead.}
  • Episode 40 of Red Jacket adapts a Shin Lupin III story where Lupin steals the identity of the chief in charge of a missile launch. In the manga, the real Bound and Gagged chief is left completely nude after Lupin steals his clothes, but in the anime episode, he's left in an undershirt and underwear.
  • Fujiko is usually known for her skimpy outfits and is one of the most iconic examples of the Ms. Fanservice character in all of anime. However, she was given more sensible and practical redesigns in The Castle of Cagliostro film and The Fuma Conspiracy OVA, with her sporting military fatigues in the former and motorcycle gear in the latter.
• The first anime adaptation of Negima! Magister Negi Magi, added clothes (usually swimsuits) to nude scenes and reduced all the Clothing Damage the series is known for to almost nothing.
• One Piece
  • The 4Kids dub was infamous for this, editing the cleavaged of female characters like Nami and Robin, and even giving Nami and Vivi conspicuous swimsuits in their bath scene while the males run around wearing nothing but Modesty Towels.
  • On rare occasions the anime censors stuff from the manga e.g in the manga Marguerite was topless◊ while washing Luffy in Amazon Lily but in the anime she’s given a top.
• The manga of Outlaw Star has more frequent, detailed nudity than the anime did (including Full-Frontal Assault from Melfina on the very first page), as well as some explicit sex scenes which were simply implied in the anime.
• Several characters in Pokémon: The Series are given more modest outfits compared to their video game counterparts:
  • Brock goes from a Walking Shirtless Scene to an orange shirt and green vest in the original series, followed by a green shirt under a brown jacket with orange accents in Advanced Generation and an orange-and-gray vest and green shirt in Diamond & Pearl. While this design choice would influence Brock's appearance in both Gen II and the remakes (particularly the latter), Brock's battle with Kiawe in SM043 has him remove his shirt right before he Mega Evolves his Steelix as a nod to his original sprites, complete with Brock posing in the exact same manner by crossing his arms in front of his chest.
  • Misty goes from a bikini top and swim trunks to a Shorttank. In the games, she's rarely depicted far from her Gym, which has a pool, while in the anime she travels around and thus wearing a swimsuit wouldn't be suitable. Her design was later updated during Chronicles and later again for Advanced Generation to cover her up more, instead of Misty baring her midriff. According to Episode 42 of Sun & Moon, Misty wears her original blue swimsuit underneath her clothes. Misty also reappeared in her original Kanto outfit in that episode.
  • Olivia wears a sleeveless jacket over her usual attire, likely because the writers felt she was too revealing. She never takes the jacket off while going underwater even.
• Pokémon Adventures: In the Red and Blue games, Misty is fought inside her Gym, which has a pool, which explains why she wears a swimsuit. In Adventures, she spends most of her screentime outside her Gym. As a result, Misty is initially seen wearing a black spaghetti-top and jean shorts instead of a swimsuit.
• The Compilation Movie version of Puella Magi Madoka Magica altered the scene of Madoka and Homura embracing as Madoka ascends into the manifestation of hope for all magical girls. While they were nude in the TV anime version, the movie put some white, lacey dresses on them.
• Rosario + Vampire: In the manga, Lilith only wears a transparent dress, making her breasts, butt, and privates fully visible. In the anime, her dress is only transparent in close-ups.
• Sgt. Frog is very fanservice-y in the manga, even down to the art style and how the female characters are portrayed. The anime tones down the fanservice since it caters to a younger audience.
  • In the manga, the platoon invents a gun to zap Natsumi with that leads to her wearing a skimpy oni-girl outfit. In the anime, the outfit is still skimpy but the bottom is changed from bikini briefs to a pair of shorts.
  • An episode of the anime from Season 1 shows Koyuki hanging upside-down, where the skirt part of her ninja uniform flips over and we see her wearing a black pair of shorts. Had this happened in the manga we would have had a view of her panties.
  • In the manga chapter where Keroro gets ill, Angol Mois transforms into a different, more revealing outfit in order to destroy the Earth. In the anime version of this episode, she stays in her regular outfit.
• The Soul Eater manga gives main character Maka Albarn many, many panty shots, all of which were removed for the anime. Although by the time the anime was made, the manga had basically stopped doing this.
• The girls' costumes in Sorcerer Hunters, while still risque, are far tamer in the anime than in the manga, apart from one scene in the climax. Most prominently done with Chocolat, who in the anime had a halter top, and in the manga didn't wear any top in battle, only protecting her modesty with the thin suspenders holding her pants up. In the scene where she wears that outfit in the anime, she moves as if the suspenders are glued to her torso, which is pretty much the only way a woman could wear an outfit like that without flashing her nipples with every step.
• Tokyo Mew Mew New gives Mew Lettuce and Pudding slightly more modest redesigns, as they now sport skirts instead of leotards. Mew Mint's skirt is also slightly longer and puffier.
• In Toriko, Bei's speedo was lengthened into shorts for the anime.
• Trinity Seven: The character Lilim debuted in the light novel Eternity Library & Alchemic Girl. When she, a grimiore, is turned into a human for the first time, she is Naked on Arrival. In the equivalent scenes of the manga and anime, she appears fully clothed.
• Vampire Hunter D:
  • Doris Lang was fully naked and nubile several times in the light novel and manga, she even nearly seduces D himself. In the '80s anime adaptation, Doris is mostly clothed throughout and doesn’t make D seriously consider succumbing to temptation.
  • Similarly Leila Marcus was nude in light novel and manga, being repeatedly raped by her brothers. In The Movie she keeps her jumpsuit on and the incest subplot is removed.
• Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!: In the light novel, whenever the dragon Wridra transforms into a human, she is naked until she uses magic to conjure up clothes. In the manga, her transformation automatically comes with clothes.

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