4kids entertainment

4Kids Entertainment was a prominent and controversial American licensing and dubbing company, known for adapting Japanese anime for North American children between the 1990s and 2000s. It was famous for heavily censoring series such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and One Piece to "Westernize" them, removing violence, weapons, and changing storylines.
This video details the history of 4Kids and its impact on anime adaptations:
Key aspects of 4Kids Entertainment:
Adaptation and Censorship: They modified names, music, openings and removed violent scenes (e.g., firearms changed to lollipops in One Piece or censored blood) for audiences under 10 years old.
Popular Series: They handled licenses for major hits, including the first eight seasons of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sonic X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Winx Club.
Television Blocks: They operated the children's block "FoxBox" (later 4Kids TV) on Saturday mornings on the Fox network.
Decline: After controversies, lawsuits and the loss of licenses, the company declared bankruptcy and restructured as 4Licensing Corporation before disappearing.
Note: There is another entity, 4KIDS, focused on family foster care services in Florida (4kids.us), which is not related to the audiovisual production company.