Xenosaga I - Side-by-side comparison of "censorship" in Albedo scene

[@Helsionium]

I know it's pretty pointless to comment on my own video, but did anyone else notice Albedo's chest emblem is different between the versions as well? It's an upside down V in the US version, and an X in the Japanese version. Could this have been edited for religious reasons (X = cross) ? Then again, that would be strange in a game that literally features the successor to the Catholic Church.

[@adripin13]

i was checking the comments to find this

[@Ragefat]

Maybe they changed because it looked like the logo for X-Men? I have no idea.

[@prettyflippingaverage1268]

The X was removed because it symbolises Christ just type in what does the letter x symbolize?

[@ladyaceina]

@@prettyflippingaverage1268 considering the xenosaga series has jesus as a playable character yea no that dont make sense this series is one of the few respectfull looks at christinaity to come out of japan

[@nonikita]

I never played this game, and I have no idea what is happening, but that voice actor is amazing.

[@Mr.VonStoogle]

1 & 3 are great, 2 has the Devil May Cry problem where its just boring and a step backwards from the original.

[@VailonofDespair]

Crispin Freeman is my all time favorite voice actor, one of the reasons i even played this game back in the day... and i wasnt disappointed it was ahead of its time i felt....

[@rickydiscord7671]

context of Albedo was an ok kid. but than one day he fall victim of the Song of Nephilim. it has a ability to drive anyone insane because of the sound waves it gives off. since that day his way of think changed and later became this psycho you see before you. he, momo (the little girl he's speaking to) and rubedo. are man made they're kinda androids and kinda not at the sametime. they are meant to be as maids and some like Albedo and rubedo are meant to be weapons. that's why he speaks at some parts as if they are not human.

[@EnragedSephiroth]

You goddamned right. Between him and the voice actor for Lezard Valeth in Valkyrie Profile 2, they're S tier.

[@nonreturn7386]

hope you ended up playing it

[@MarshmallowRadiation]

*Person 1:* Okay the censors want us to edit the part where Albedo wields a knife *Person 2:* Great! We can have him rip off his head with his bare hands! That'll be even creepier, it's a win-win! *Person 1:* What are we going to do about the censorship that's already there? *Person 2:* Take it out. Our audience can stand a talking decapitated head or two, right?

[@flynninfinite9116]

+Noah Fence The undub version of Xeno-games are also uncensored?

[@Helsionium]

+Flynn Infinite The undub version is the one on the right side. It's the Japanese version with English subtitles edited in. Which of the two versions is "censored" or "uncensored" is a matter of debate, though.

[@RpiesSPIES]

Then the English version has the blood on the floor at 5:10 onwards while the Japanese version (where he cuts his head off with a knife) has no trace of blood.

[@celestialki]

Noah Fence exactly it’s funny how in Japan 🇯🇵 they edit out grotesque violent scenes like the ones found in the God of War games but keep nudity and sexualized scenes in that other countries edit out localization I guess let’s just get rid of all censorship

[@Tetsugen_]

The censorship is super questionable. 3:20 when the camera angle changes, there's blood for the japanese version but none for the english. 4:24 The english version has a huge blood splat but the Japanese has little. 5:10 Huge blood splat behind Albedo despite the fact there was no blood for the twisting of his head, and no blood at all for the Japanese version despite the fact there was blood when he cut his head.

[@Mars_over_seer]

Albedo:Wait, this is stupid. Why would I need a knife? *Throws knife away* Momo: *internally* oh thank god! Albedo:When I could use my hands! Momo: *OH GOD NO!*

[@iviyohane]

Albedo: *laughs histerically*

[@bloodyidit4506]

The NA is superior. Him not using a knife places emphasis on his strength and how he treated the other people in the room. Him pulling MOMO in close to his chest randomly, without a knife, establishes he's unpredictable in this situation. It makes his self-harm much more intense, as people have pointed out. But because he DOESN'T have a knife, his movements and intentions are FAR more ambiguous and make his body language while he's "preaching" more unpredictable.

[@TheBeholderist]

Albedo... of the most psychopathical villains in the ps2's gaming history. Some people wouldn't stand a chance to see this if this scene is remade with modern motion capture, animation and special effects technology. Regardless, this is why i always will love these series.

[@Just.Kidding]

For those who don't know: Japan has *_VERY_* strict laws regarding the depiction of dismemberment, especially decapitation. This is because of some incredibly gruesome real-life crimes. Even in very violent vidya/anime, you almost never see decapitation. This is why the "uncensored" version censors the decapitation, but the "censored" version doesn't.

[@mmoarchives2542]

you can't deny the shear quality in the scripting and acting in this game

[@Just.Kidding]

sheer* shear is a verb; to shear a sheep

[@theminester7897]

Takahashi has always been great at that

[@mwsx1000]

One thing I just noticed was that they also censor him throwing kirschwasser’s body to the side like a rag doll, replacing it with Momo wincing at the thud of the body hitting the ground. Sucks they had to take that out cause it was a really subtle but effective showing of albedo’s cruelty, the way he handles the corpse like it’s a broken toy.

[@CryoJnik]

Eh, it's made up for in the end when he literally rips his own damn head off with his bare hands.

[@xviinaichi3793]

Actually I think both work well the reaction to her casually throwing that flinch she made but him casually continuing shows that cruelty still

[@Sessorous]

Well this takes me back quite a bit. It's interesting to see where the two different countries draw their lines. Each version had parts more violent than others in certain areas. Japan has less of the gore but way more raw brutality. I have to give credit to Namco though, they made the effort to edit the character models for the US version so as not to leave anyone confused about what was going on when they decided to censor it. Effort like that was almost non-existent back in the day. I'd have loved to gotten an HD re-release for all three games since it was one of my favorite RPG's but it just wasn't popular enough I'm not holding my breath.

[@lylatfox4]

Who knows, maybe nintendo and namco can work something out, namco said they want monolithsoft on it to manage a remaster, but obviously they're currently busy with xenoblade X, they could always however supervise whilst another team does it.

[@hyliastone286]

@@lylatfox4 My hope is that it'll happen after they're done with the Xenoblade series.

[@lpjetski8047]

@@hyliastone286hey bro after that xenoblade 3 dlc I can almost bet they will eventually now

[@hyliastone286]

@@lpjetski8047 I'm hoping for Xenoblade Saga now - Xenosaga reimagined as a Xenoblade game. Same plot and characters and all that, but Xenoblade gameplay and a more fleshed out and Xenoblade-quality soundtrack and explorable world.

[@hyliastone286]

@@lpjetski8047 And also new voice acting, preferably with as many returning VAs from Xenosaga 1 as possible, but with better direction and consistency

[@CheekyCheeky]

Crispin Freeman makes Albedo seem so perfectly insane. There hasn't been a character quite like him

[@RedDrought]

I think the removing of the knife was a good touch. When the knife is added it can be seen that Momo is afraid of the knife and what it can do, but the removal of it puts the scare back on Albedo and WHAT is he going to do. You know a knife can cut so you can expect an injury, you don't know what Albdeo can do so you do know what to expect.

[@Zephal42]

This is what happens to someone who can't die and eventually succumbs to the madness that comes with it.

[@TheBandkanon]

Everybody's always arguing about Kefka or Sephiroth being the best villain in all jrpgs, but really we all know it's actually Albedo.

[@Mngalahad]

+sorrynotsorry or yuriev (spoilers) #sorrynotsorry

[@TheBandkanon]

9/10 rpg villains have white hair

[@CycloneFox]

Oh yes. Albedo is such a great Villain. He has good reasons to be so wicked. He has a lot more backstory than any other villains. One of the good ones even cares for him and the game even makes the player care for him eventually. He's just a really really good villain. I place him right next to Jowy Blight as one of the best antagonists of all time.

[@TheBandkanon]

**clutches my heart** Jowy, my child....

[@prettyflippingaverage1268]

@@CycloneFox >.> He my husbando.

[@bloodyangel1]

I sometimes get the urge to come back and rewatch this for the umpteenth time. It never gets old.

[@EnragedSephiroth]

Same

[@ssgansta-m-j-t]

Albedo was one of the most craziest villains ive ever seen in a video game. when i seen this scene i had nightmares for days

[@NoToeLong]

It would be nice to see a version that combines the best of both.

[@HerotonAlmighty2011]

+NoToeLong you mean in the HD version we're never getting?

[@xviinaichi3793]

I made one with the start of the Japanese one and with the cutting his own arm and head from the English one.

[@tinyguy9398]

Strange that the final edit in the censored (American) version at the very end Momo’s mouth is closed, but in the Japanese version it is agape in absolute terror. I wonder why they opted of all things to change that small detail between versions. Bizarre.

[@anime-cu7sq]

its ironic because the japanese version is more censored than the american one

[@tinyguy9398]

Yeah. I read that decapitation in any form is strictly prohibited from being shown on screen in Japan so in a cultural context it makes sense, and that the American version is a bit more extreme. But conversely in America it’s okay to show him decapitating himself… but with a knife?! No way!!! Here in America we’re civilized. We rip our heads off with our bare hands! All that is to say, in America it’s okay to show the result but not the means and in Japan it’s okay to show the means but not the result. In both cases the violence is still there or heavily implied, so what does either country really accomplish other than offer its citizens a pastiche of moral superiority? We In America, we’d never show a man cutting off his own head with a knife! That might lead to some impressionable youths wanting to re-enact the scene at the Thanksgiving dinner table with dad’s carving knife! It’s better to show them someone ripping their head off with their own hands to give dad some time to reach for his taser. We in Japan, we’d never show the end result of someone taking a knife to their throat. That is messy and not at all pleasant to look at. Let’s just ignore that outcome and place a nebulous black blob over the naughty stuff and a few extra panty shots into the scene for good measure. That way instead of reaching for a knife, the audience will be reaching for… something else. In the end, it’s all just window dressing.

[@GlacierFox523]

If anything taking the knife away is more brutal then the original given I think it’s more scary watching a man rip his own head off then cut it

[@rickydiscord7671]

what really gets me the most is they keep exposing momo's panties with all 3 games. not one game even bother to fix those damn pervy angles. like guys there teens and adults you could've done those agnles with. but they chose to simp or worse on a small child acting like it's harmless. makes you think the one that make those angles are pervy on children. no shame at all.

[@drakechandler9014]

With the American version removing the brutality of the child, I personally think the knife was also removed because it was pointed at a child. We have a "protect the children" complex that likely led to this scene being weirdly half-censored.

[@EnragedSephiroth]

The funny thing is some of the most brutal years of my life were my childhood years. And it was me doing the brutalizing. We fought for sport.

[@demonslayer5122]

Funny considering we have so many games that have child deaths even in screen.

[@AzureRoxe]

Funny enough, they then REMOVED the censoring from the decapitated head.

[@Zeknif1]

Funny thing is… removing the knife makes the scene a hundred fold creepier… no longer threatening with a knife, he is instead almost caressing Momo’s cheeks at points. And then, with his bare hands, ripping off his arm and later his own head. My two youngest siblings had been sitting on the couch watching me play this game. They struggled with sleeping for about a week after they saw this cutscene.

[@ag9953]

No, it was to keep the T rating, back then ESRB allowed T-rated games to show violence as long as it was fantastical in nature, thus as long as the game didn't depict Albedo decapitating himself in a "realistic" way (Using a knife) the game could release under the T rating even with a scene that is significantly less censored than the original when depicting severed body parts, had they wanted to keep the knife ESRB would have simply bumped the rating up to M. Same thing for the arm-breaking, a grown man can actually break the arm of a woman so it was deemed unacceptable.

[@lostn65]

the problem with his immortality is that he can't die, but he can still age. Some day he'll be a very old man, and he won't stop aging from there. He'll be 200 years old, 300, 1000. What does a 1000 year old person even look like?

[@megaboss8140]

Probably mummified, like Ganondorf was in TOTK.

[@bloodyangel1]

God, I love this scene. I come back from time to time to just to watch it.

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

Considering Al has nail claws It makes sense as to why he wouldn't need the knife

[@Chaaderbox]

Holy shit that’s a real fucking Villian

[@sagethedragonfriend7853]

Japanese: I'mma remove my head with a small knife while you can't see because of random magic shadows. English: Whoops, no knife. How 'bout this? *RRRRRIP. Yoink!*

[@lpfan4491]

Yeah, this really is the strangest change ever. They remade the scene to be creeper and more violent, but they also censored out the blood, some expressions, the knive and 1:28. Really highlights how weird the censorship-standards back then were.

[@jacobmonks3722]

It's just a dfference in cultural norms. Japanese media standards outright forbid depictions of people being decapitated in most circumstances. But you can make implications and threats all you want, which is why the knife is okay. In the US, we don't like showing any harm or threats of harm done to children, hence the removal of the knife. But the brutality of the scene is fine as long as there isn't excessive gore. The standards are weird in both situations if you ask me.

[@Just.Kidding]

@@jacobmonks3722 The Japanese one makes a little more sense, since it was real-world incidents that led to decapitation (and dismemberment in general) being censored. It would be like how shooting in a school setting was soft-censored after Columbine.

[@omnimercurial5169]

The Censored Version actually is better.... The Knife is kind of Lame, Albedo is more terrifying just using his hands. the Decapitated Head in the Censored is cool too. The only thing I thought that worked better in the Uncensored was Albedo visibly breaking the Kirschwasser's Arm.

[@hyliastone286]

And the camera showing him tossing it aside. But overall, yeah, I do prefer the censored version.

[@JunDageki]

I think the knife was good to introduce Albedo, the knife is misleading on purpose, at first when you first see him one's thought is "oh it's just some thug with a knife" then things kept escalating the horror showing that the threat was not the knife, but him.

[@gerragotheallidile]

​@@JunDageki Imagine if he just got rid of the knife as he was about to rip his own head off. Like, as if he basically thought to himself "Fuck it. I don't need this anymore. Imma just TEAR OFF MY OWN FUCKING HEAD WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!" or something like this

[@RonJDuncan]

Storytelling is about building layers. The breaking of the arm and tossing it aside is to show his cruelty and indifference. The knife introduces tension and fear as she feels threatened by it, then when he cuts off his own head and continues on, he escalates. To that end, both versions are... censored, and both lose out on an otherwise marvelous scene. If we could blend the two together without censorship, it would really have had more impact.

[@xDragonInstallx]

US version is much better artistically. They didn't use shadow to censor but changed it completely or pan the camera to Momo to see her reaction. Japanese using shadow to censor the decapitation scene ruined it. Also Albedo using a knife seems a bit out of place. He never uses weapons in fights, just magic or raw strength. Makes more sense he would rip his arm off with force, no need to use a knife.

[@CosmicChris]

xDragonInstallx Ether is Magic, but not called it. XD But yeah. Ripping your head off is much more jarring than using a knife. The sheer power that goes into that just shows what kind of person you are dealing with.

[@Domanese]

xDragonInstallx This could very well be one of the few cases where the US is superior than the Japanese version at least in terms of censorship. I am very glad to have played it because these scenes made my jaw drop to the floor and made me pay attention to what was happening.

[@Kaucukovnik666]

And all the gestures he makes with the free hand are more expressive.

[@RayValdezPhotography]

the knife thing probably an issue in the US because at the time Jihadis was decapping a a few Americans on camera. Damn the times have changed...

[@baross2025]

The supposed "censored" na release is far more brutal I would say the Japanese version is the actual censored one. I mean the na one is an improvement in almost every way every way, a real rarity.

[@coolguy02536]

You can tell this scene is bizarre by her hair going through his arm at 2:00!

[@guillermomagallon7586]

This scene is iconic really appreciate the Hamlet reference!

[@Helsionium]

Hey guys, if any of you watching this video has some decent Japanese skills, could you please watch the Japanese version of this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHSvXqqIiK5gmac) and tell me what exactly he says at 2:12-2:26? Please read the pinned comment at the video I linked. Thank you all!

[@Skippygamer1]

......his acting and laugh.............he's one of my favorite villians now...............wow................

[@KratosAurionPlays]

2:00 You know as weird as it is for them to get rid of the knife it makes this scene that much more crazy to watch XD

[@tiki-nagasvoice7919]

I don't know which I prefer, if I can even say "prefer" for these two scenes X3 I think the right one was scarier, but less disturbing than the left (if that makes any sense at all).

[@KratosAurionPlays]

I think the disturbing nature of Albedo is what I like about him so much so that's why I have to prefer the censored version XD

[@gerragotheallidile]

Dude, literally SNAPS HIS OWN FUCKING NECK AND RIPS HIS OWN FUCKING HEAD OFF ALL WHILE LAUGHING MANIACALLY

[@DaftSheep]

Remember, rated T for Teens.

[@DragonBowser34]

this makes more sense, when I first played this I was wondering why she didn't just run. Makes more sense with the knife in her face.

[@gerragotheallidile]

To be fair, with someone like Albedo, his mere presence *alone* is enough to intimidate anyone. Especially when you're considering the fact that the dude literally *TWISTED* *HIS* *HEAD,* *BROKE* *HIS* *OWN* *NECK,* *AND* *LITERALLY* *RIPPED* *OFF* *HIS* *OWN* *FUCKING* *HEAD!!!*

[@DragonBowser34]

@@gerragotheallidile that is also true, i think anyone would be frozen in fear.

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

God damn, Albedo was so deliciously psychotic and evil

[@forfuchsake2254]

Every German thinks: Who the fuck thought Kirschwasser was a good name?

[@jaketozer6495]

He’s like a scarier version of ghirahim. He has many similar qualities. I actually prefer the censored version with the breaking of the arm, and how when he tears off his head, it looks like Shion just got tunnel vision from fear/starting to black out. It’s a cool effect even if it’s meant to censor it.

[@XanderVJ]

That's not Shion, it's MOMO. And it's the other way around, Ghirahim is a more family friendly version of Albedo ("Xenosaga 1" is from 2002, while "Skyward Sword" is from 2011).

[@jaketozer6495]

@@XanderVJ sorry mb, I don’t remember much of the game lol

[@SpringdayAutumnmoon]

the esrb really looked at this scene and said "we can't give it a T rating unless you ensure every 13 year old is guaranteed to shit themselves"

[@Mr.VonStoogle]

Id buy remasters of these games in a heartbeat, even force my way through episode II for a 2nd time then probably never play it again unless it were remade and a few gameplay elements were changed.

[@JunDageki]

3:45 Wait, did the CENSORED version UNCENSOR what the UNCENSORED version CENSORED?!

[@azazel166]

The censored version uncensored the severed head and the uncensored version censored the severed head.

[@wolfy8012]

I feel that rather than a censorship this is adapting to the US audience. And frankly, I like the adaptation a lot more.

[@gerragotheallidile]

That's exactly what I was thinking! It's not censorship at all, but rather, it's an adaptation.

[@nefarioussness]

*ominous chanting in the background as Albedo spouts out poetic bullshit* Damn, how did Namco discover my mind's theme song?

[@hbrant]

Very late comment. Yasunori Mitsuda is a genius. Namco's two composers did only worked on Xenosaga Episode II.

[@xBlueBugx]

The one time censorship worked in our favor. Huh

[@chrisfreitag7259]

Wow its been forever since I beat Xenosaga 1. I remember Albedo being horrible. But I forgot how truly sadistic and insane he was. Sad because Xenosaga 2 showed he had a heart once.

[@rickydiscord7671]

well in the 1st game he was normal. but he was one of the victims of Song of Nephilim that would drive you to insanity. and that what mostly changed his way of thinking.

[@fazu3222]

*W H E A T E H ?*

[@nicksjacku9750]

This game needs to be uncensored fully.

[@IzludeTingel]

2:04 - 2:08 lol her face on the right side seems to be enjoying herself

[@ergonomics_of_flatulence]

and the upskirt shot is present in both versions xD

[@rickydiscord7671]

"she's just a little girl is all good." and yet they make animes that pedos can have fun watching.

[@hbrant]

Surprisingly, Sony allowed this until Jim Ryan got too much power inside of the PlayStation division to censor everything with his woke bullshit agenda.

[@EbefrenRevo]

Both are extremly creepy.

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

A rare case of reverse censorship.

[@oroontheheels]

Man that music is on a another level 😍 Such a shame I didn’t play this game when I had ps2

[@pandathered9724]

You know, given that it was a T-rated game that acknowledged in the rating on the package that it contained blood and violence, I would really have thought that the line "useless, like a barren woman" would have been the most offensive part of this scene.

[@vanilla8956]

+Nathaniel Garro well he is a villain. Villains dont need to be politically correct, because there the bad guys. censoring that would make no sense

[@Flegan777]

@Black Mesa Zanza: The last thing we needed was a great game from the early 2000s getting censored because fragile little women can't handle an evil fictional character's diatribe about the frailty of females. Feminazis and the dumbass PC crowds have already ruined everything to this day that we enjoy. They can just piss off and choke on their idiocy.

[@vanilla8956]

Agreed.

[@kingofbel6499]

Even the uncensored version is censored. Thats one of the reasons why I dont think this trilogy will ever be remastered. It would just trigger a lot of people nowadays.

[@Black_Iron_Tarkus]

japan: "oh god violence! cover it in shadows so noone has any idea whats happening!" the west: "horrific violence is perfectly a-ok. oh wait its happening to a women, REDO THE WHOLE SCENE!"

[@psykloneja]

Yep.

[@CogniVision]

"Oh he's simply holding a knife to a woman, so horrible. Censor it now!" "He decapitated himself. That's fine, leave it in."

[@chiuxxtrain]

to be fair the kirschwassers ARE modeled after little girls. america is more sensitive about violence against children than japan is in media tbh american media has zero problem brutalizing women

[@Evilriku13]

@@chiuxxtrain also early 2000s, so it would have backfired probably if they let it in the way it was originally.

[@1SpicyMeataball]

They're young girls, children. 😑

[@HaeravonFAQs]

The best version is a mix of these two. Hoping these get ported some day.

[@Sperium3000]

At least they all characters' movements so the scene remains constant, if MOMO had winced like in JP version from Albedo just letting the girl's hand fall instead of breaking it the scene would be narm as shit.

[@scorpp149]

best scene in gaming history

[@lylatfox4]

Man, he censorship was just weird

[@DJB1PlanetFunksville]

Had. No idea that was censored that arm break made me jump I was like shit

[@JayEm1325]

Not gonna lie, i cant tell which is the censored version lmao

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

The actual censored version is on the left.

[@rickydiscord7671]

left: drops arm of a corpse and throws it away. gets really close to momo holding her close. twists his arm and head off. than crushes his head. right: breaks arm of a corpse and throws it away. gets really close to momo with a knife. cuts his arm and head off. than crushes his head. what's the difference? my opinion, the corpse part of the scene. but in this whole scene. we see momo's panties ALOT. compared to the rest of the 1st game. it's funny that in the anime they covered that up. like they finally realized there pervs that would look even at a child's underwear to get off. but that didn't stop them on making more pantie shots of momo in two other games. like what's wrong with the person that's doing those camera angles? XD sure she's one of the cutest characters we know. but that's no excuse to angle her like that. some people really need to keep there pants on. but what am I saying? XD those are the very same people that make beach outfits as character customs.

[@GrandAngel8000]

It's not censorship. It's localization. There's a big difference, and this scene portrays that fact brilliantly.

[@rachaelamber6490]

Make sure to read the censorship guidelines for each country.

[@pallafox]

So was the Japanese version always that dark, I mean, i couldn't see the head after Albedo decapitating himself. If so, despite the lack of blood, the US version was way more intense and graphic which is rare under these circumstances. Xenosaga teaches us how to cheat censorship there.

[@CarbuncleMotha9]

Seems like the scene with Albedo crushing his decapitated head with his feet actually has blood only in the English version, but not the JP one. I think the knife was the biggest issue with the American censors :/

[@PromKnight]

It's a bit late of a reply, but the reason you couldn't see the decapitated head in the Japanese release was because it was intentionally censored out there. They have issues with decapitation in media, but it was edited back into the scene for releases outside of Japan.

[@Nitro_0999]

The fuck did I just watch? Is this the tone through out all of this game? I'm not exactly sure of what to think right now bit one thing is for sure. I want to play this game now

[@kavya1638]

series needs an uncensored remake, everything's being remade. do this!!!!

[@godlessandlovingit]

I love a good psycopathic villain! and the creepy as hell music going in the background was perfect, what's the name of that music?

[@Helsionium]

The track is named "Albedo".

[@braydenb1581]

I find the cinematic with no blade more creepy.

[@SilentVinyl]

Interesting to see the differences

[@thelaughingdragon32]

If they remake or remaster this, I hope it's uncensored.

[@danarosenthal9472]

13 Reasons Why: Censored vs Uncensored... Too soon or too late?

[@ElZamo92]

HOLLY SHIT. I watched the anime because it’s easier than playing a twenty year old game, and this scene was nowhere nearly as creepy a this... poor MOMO...

[@jacobmonks3722]

The anime is weird. Sometimes it omits fairly crucial details like certain story beats, character motivations, and even entire characters, and other times it just adds in stuff that wasn't there previously or changes random things. I know the pacing of a TV show episode is radically different from a video game cutscene, but the discrepancies are odd. Especially when a lot of the anime just took a good chunk of lines word-for-word from the game's script. I can't tell if the show is trying to be a strict adaptation or its own thing. It's like it tries to do both and does neither.

[@stoopiddudz2634]

He reminds me of Kira and sephiroth I wish they'd rerelease these games so I can play them

[@youtuberguy123]

this is one of the worst censorship jobs ever. what the fuck.

[@jnut9494]

Sleep is for the weak.

[@ziel9474]

Cant believe albedo is fucking sundowner

[@alexsung3117]

And, this is rated T for teens. Which is true.

[@joetaylor197]

wtf the censored out him ripping off his head but they removed the censor of him playing with the corpse

[@Helsionium]

It's the other way around. Right is the original Japanese version.

[@joetaylor197]

Ohhhhhhj, that’s even weirder???

[@537CH]

how was he doing all the laughing, WITHOUT A FUCKING THORAX?!!!!!

[@Osirah]

Can we please get the uncensored version in the eventual HD remake?

[@metazare]

I always felt the decisions made in censoring parts of this scene made little sense. Albedo tearing his head off with his bare hands is certainly more fucked up than cutting it off. Series had quite a bit of censorship for it's time, one scene in particular makes zero sense in the censored version unless you've seen the original.

[@aramondehasashi3324]

+metazare What scene?

[@SkyExplosion]

+Aramonde Hasashi Most likely the scene where he sticks his hand inside of Momo that everyone sees as rapeof every single scene in Episode 3.

[@metazare]

+Aramonde Hasashi KZbin decided to delete my comment that linked to the video. But search for "xenosaga 3 censorship" The video in question should be the first result, 5:30 minutes in was the one I was referring to. In this young shions holding a pool of her mothers blood in her hands, but in the censored version they removed the blood. So she's just holding her hands out speaking the dialogue and you have no context as to what she's talking about because there's no blood.

[@rachaelrandomassname1848]

It shows how strong he is too like threatening, it shows that he doesn't need the use of "pathetic" knives. Thus he uses his hands. I didn't really give shit about the censorship really. Albedo seemed threatening either way.

[@GAURON123]

US: Ah yes robbing cars, killing people, use of large guns against citizens, intens violence in an urban enviorement THATS OK Also US: OHHH NOOOO VIOLENCE ON ANIME CHARACTERSSSSSS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@deedoubs]

Scenes like this are why XS part 1 goes hard and the other two parts don't even come close.

[@someguy4405]

HOW DOES HE TALK WITHOUT LUNGS

[@Alucard_FahrenheitTepes]

It's so cute at the end when the girl just faints with that voice lol, oh btw censorship is stupid we all live and die short lives, why bother waste it on censorship and why not let us see all the artists glory, even some Japanese scenes were censored fucking ridiculous. No censorship should exist in any country we are supposed to be united FULLSTOP.

[@ardanhr9348]

You know, people could faint if they're terrified af

[@megalonoobiacinc4863]

what's the point of albedo if you can't have his insane japanese voice :/

[@DragonBowser34]

They take out a knife, but leave in a fucking, talking head?

[@VolkColopatrion]

Censorship is death

[@danielstriker3739]

Uncensored kind of sucks. Doesn't even show the head falling to the ground. Censored was better in that regard.

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

I believe it is because of laws in Japan. (take this with a grain of salt) In Japan, there are laws on censorship, where decapitated heads cannot be shown, yet the rest of the body can. I'm not entirely sure myself but that was something I did hear about.

[@broden4838]

I've noticed some of the subtitles in the Japanese version blurred out, I wonder what that's all about...

[@Helsionium]

The creator(s) of the "undubbed" version, from which I have taken the Japanese part, edited out the Japanese subtitles by blurring them and pasting English subtitles over them.

[@icecreamorc]

Can anyone give me context on why the emblem on his chest changed from an X shape in the orginal vs the the upside down V in the western version?

[@Helsionium]

I'm afraid nobody really knows why. But it is V-/Y-shaped in the Japanese version of Episode II and in the anime as well, so it's possible it's just a general redesign of the character that came too late for the Japanese release of Episode I, but was included in all subsequent releases.

[@icecreamorc]

@@Helsionium honestly that is great context on the matter. Thank you!

[@RocketPropelledGuy]

The head talking and and making expressions on the ground is far more disturbing than anything else. That is a very failed censorship, I think on purpose lol

[@mizucallow1662]

The US decal was far more graphic overall wtf were they thinking? So at the it was okay for a player in gta3 to rape women and threaten them with knives but not for Xenosaga to show a self decapitation with a knife that you don't even see because it is too dark? Xenophobia is the only way to explain it.

[@GrandAngel8000]

... No. That's fucking dumb.

[@1SpicyMeataball]

You're penalized in gta3 for doing those things ya know...and you can't rape anyone. It's censored because it's violence with young children being threatened with knives and such. But sure, twist the narrative how you like.

[@acesamm]

ah yes, cause they are totally twisting the narrative as they see fit… How does one ACCIDENTALLY twist what they actually see, cause it sounded like they were speaking out of their mind. Not sure what my point is either, replying to an old comment.

[@InTheMindOfDavid]

Hold on, so the one WITHOUT the knife is the “censored” one right? Really? So it’s ok to show a severed human head get tossed to the ground and have that head in frame but holding a knife to an Android that looks like a kid is where the line gets crossed? The fuck? What really weird though is the one WITH the knife showed blood yet had to have the severed head censored? So technically they’re both the censored versions. What weird and arbitrary inconsistencies of censorship material. 5 out of 10. Would not recommend. lmao.

[@cosmoslaw]

I don't know what this game is but uhm, interesting.

[@windwaker0rules]

i know its part of the censorship but where is his hand in the censored scene then XD

[@Pogohg]

Jeez laweez, that was kind of grusome! Xenoblade was bad enough considering it being a Nintendo game, but this takes the cake!

[@gerragotheallidile]

All the Xeno series games have their own equally dark and fucked up moments.

[@crookedlybent822]

Wheat, eh?

[@TheV8maverick]

I'm pretty sure it's a reference to the Bible

[@AngelArm1110]

is there some way I can patch the English version with the animations from the Japanese version??

[@Helsionium]

+Robert Johnson Unfortunately not. The cutscene is pre-rendered, so if you just put the Japanese file in the English version, you'd have Japanese audio and Japanese subtitles (they are hardcoded) as well. The fan-made "undub" version I used for the Japanese part of this video went further and edited English subtitles over the Japanese video (but still with Japanese audio). No other version exists, as far as I know.