Xcancel doesn't work again, I posted the whole tweet here so you don't have to open twitter.
the tweet only mentions Israel, but in reality all country names were removed like the Japanese raw, only the manga has the real names
United States changed to MAG Union
USSR changed to Volgarena, this name is directly inspired by the Volga River
Israel changed to Ghorantl (or Guranto), made-up word combining “Golan Heights” with “Toru” (to seize).
Syria changed to Mesamia, inspired by Mesopotamia
The mention of Israel in the Latin Spanish dub of The Ghost in the Shell (2026) has been removed...
A few days ago, a clip from the Latin Spanish dub went viral, where Israel was mentioned directly. Fans pointed out that this version was the only one that kept this reference present in the manga, while other versions, including the Japanese one, mentioned the fictional country Ghorantl.
However, after the clip went viral, the dub would have been modified. Now, instead of mentioning Israel directly, expressions like “they” and “other nations” are used.
What do you all think?
The original GitS Manga was from the 1980ies and at least this show, and I assume the Manga as well, takes place in the late 2020ies to early 2030ies, so basically NOW. And I don't see any Fujikomas whizzing about out there, much less cybernetic implants of any sort being common. Again, it's all made up. For any political or other messaging it does, it does not need real life place names.
Did they change names to avoid some superficial controversies? Possibly.
Does it actually matter? Not really.
Except to those who read Macbeth only in the original Klingon, I guess.