History Main / CensorSteam

->''"If those wisps of smoke are meant to hide Omega Red’s 'carbonadium tentacle' in order to make sure this thing could still be approved by the Comics Code, then Arkady’s genitals are positioned in a weirdly high spot on his crotch. Congratulations: You now know more about Omega Red’s ding-dang than you did five minutes ago."''
-->-- '''Chris Sims''' [[http://comicsalliance.com/bizarro-back-issues-omega-red-and-his-mutant-death-factor/ on]] Jim Lee's ''ComicBook/XMen''

A similar phenomenon is noted in more recent U.S. superhero comics, and is most strongly associated with the Comicbook/XMen character Storm.

* Lampshaded in episode 3 of ''[[LightNovel/MyMentalChoicesAre My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy]]'', when censoring efforts prevent Kanade from fulfilling his mission of seeing panties.
* Occurs when Yoruichi changes from a cat to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerai/1108697944926.png a (naked) woman]] in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', complete with conveniently-placed smoke.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has a special ninja technique he created known as the "Sexy Jutsu," where he changes into a beautiful, naked woman to throw opponents off guard. Every time he does this, clouds of smoke cover the naughty bits. This can be partly written off, however, as just about ''every'' jutsu that ninja perform creates smoke.
** Although in the Creator/DisneyXD version of ''Shippuden'', it's expanded so much that it covers pretty much everything but the head.
** Related to Jiraiya, a more explicit panel in the manga showed his view while peeping on women in the hot springs. In this case, censor steam was present, but was apparently in short supply as virtually nothing was left to the imagination.
** In the episode where the Harem Jutsu is first used, it shows the Harem Jutsu is basically the same thing; only that multiple clones of the naked girl they have transformed into have appeared. Of course, smoke that slowly moves out of the way covers their chest and groin.

* Oddly present during Subaru and Teana's ShowerScene in the ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' [[ComicBookAdaptation supplementary manga]]. Oddly, because the manga isn't shy about displaying the characters in all their [[BarbieDollAnatomy undetailed glory]].
** It's also used during Rinne's ShowerScene in the third episode of ''Anime/VividStrike''.
* Used every now and then in ''Manga/OnePiece'' ''especially'' when Nami gets naked ([[MsFanservice which is quite a few times]]). The author even lampshaded this in his question-and-answer corner:

* Lampshaded in Ujiie Tozen's Petit Petit Tantan Petit Tantan manga in chapter 13. Steam censors appear over the girls' genitals, with the words "Steam Guard" appearing on the steam itself.

* Played for laughs in ''Manga/Oddman11'' (which normally averts this trope completely.) During the PublicBathhouseScene, Setsu is convinced to show off her breasts to Nuida, Inuta and Chouko, only for them to be covered up in a combination of steam and a LensFlareCensor that not even the ''characters themselves'' can see through.
* Invoked in ''Manga/VigilantesMyHeroAcademiaIllegals''. Oboro Shirakumo shows up to class sopping wet while trying to get a kitten out of the rain. Rather than stay in wet underwear, he strips down in the middle of class while using his own cloud-producing Quirk to censor himself "just enough" to remain decent.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' is quite fond of this. The aforementioned ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} (whose culture doesn't have much of a nudity taboo) is the queen of [[InnocentFanserviceGirl Innocent Fanservice]], and then there are the numerous occasions on which someone proves to be MadeOfIron and their [[ClothingDamage outfits don't.]] This happens to men and women alike. Equal opportunity {{Fanservice}}!

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In a ''WebComic/NerfNow'' story arc that crossed it over with ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'', Morgan's Quirk was to produce this (or more often beams of light) to censor nudity, demonstrated by Jane attempting to flash the class. Predictably, Mineta doesn't take it well.

* ''Film/DrJekyllAndMsHyde'': Helen Hyde is introduced showering in a glass cabinet, but the glass is steamed over to prevent showing too much detail. When she steps out a moment later, a whole cloud of (added in post-production) obscures her even further, probably to hide the use of a body double for the actress.

* In the Music/{{Genesis}} song "The Fountain of Salmacis", when Hermaphroditus first meets the title character: "He turned and saw her, in a cloak of mist alone".

* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' deliberately invokes this trope in a TakeThat to Website/YouTube's takedown of the uncensored panty shot video. When characters are getting changed or are in the buff, they're surrounded by a white haze that blocks the view of certain restricted areas of their bodies... and only those parts of their bodies. However, more recent updates of the game have the characters wear [[ModestyTowel towels]] instead.

* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' deliberately invokes this trope in a TakeThat to Website/YouTube's takedown of the uncensored PantyShot video. When characters are getting changed or are in the buff, they're surrounded by a white haze that blocks the view of certain restricted areas of their bodies... and only those parts of their bodies. However, more recent updates of the game have the characters wear [[ModestyTowel towels]] instead.

* Used every now and then in ''Manga/OnePiece''. The author even lampshaded this in his question-and-answer corner:

* ''ComicBook/Calico2020'': When [[TheProtagonist Calico]] is having a shower after some speed bag training, there's enough steam to keep the reader from seeing anything explicit.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' is quite fond of this. The aforementioned ComicBook/{{Storm}} (whose culture doesn't have much of a nudity taboo) is the queen of [[InnocentFanserviceGirl Innocent Fanservice]], and then there are the numerous occasions on which someone proves to be MadeOfIron and their [[ClothingDamage outfits don't.]] This happens to men and women alike. Equal opportunity {{Fanservice}}!

* In a ''WebComic/NerfNow'' story arc that crossed it over with ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'', Morgan's Quirk was to produce this (or more often beams of light) to censor nudity. Predictably, Mineta doesn't take it well.

* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' deliberately invokes this trope in a TakeThat to Website/YouTube's takedown of the uncensored PantyShot video. When characters are getting changed or are in the buff, they're surrounded by a white haze that blocks the view of certain restricted areas of their bodies... and only those parts of their bodies.

* An (interrupted) almost-sex scene in the B-picture ''Film/HellComesToFrogtown'' uses the shadow of the female character's own leg as her CensorSteam.

* An (interrupted) almost-sex scene in the B-picture ''Film/HellComesToFrogtown'' uses the shadow of the the female character's own leg as her CensorSteam.
* [[FilmOfTheBook "Measure Of A Man"]] uses this to adapt ''Literature/OneFatSummer'''s Bobby Marks's internal musings. While looking in a mirror after a hot bath, Bobby wipes away just enough steam to uncover his face, leaving the rest of his overweight body obscured as he contemplates having a skinnier body.

* Pick any anime based on manga by Creator/KenAkamatsu; ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has this in ''spades''. In his mangas there is often no steam, and the outlines of breasts and buttocks will be plainly displayed, but the characters will be drawn without [[BarbieDollAnatomy "naughty"]] details.

* ''Anime/DigimonSavers'': When [[BigBad Kurata]] is upgrading the QuirkyMinibossSquad, they're in [[PeopleJars tubes]] half-full of CensorSteam. The two males are sufficiently covered, while the lone female is sitting down for some reason.

* ''Anime/NogizakaHarukaNoHimitsu'' is fast becoming infamous for the nearly comic overuse of this, including multiple frames where the screen essentially goes totally white. Odder still, unedited shots reveal that the characters are quite covered.

* In one chapter of the manga version of ''{{VideoGame/Neptunia}}'', in which Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram were turned into babies, their private parts are convieniently censored by this and GodivaHair when they return to their normal ages.
* The first episode of ''Manga/OnePunchMan'' has a censorship ''cloud''.

* ''Comicbook/XMen'' is quite fond of this. The aforementioned ComicBook/{{Storm}} (whose culture doesn't have much of a nudity taboo) is the queen of [[InnocentFanserviceGirl Innocent Fanservice]], and then there are the numerous occasions on which someone proves to be MadeOfIron and their [[ClothingDamage outfits don't.]] This happens to men and women alike. Equal opportunity {{Fanservice}}!

* Lampshaded in episode 3 of ''LightNovel/OreNoNounaiSentakushiGaGakuenLoveComeOZenryokuDeJamaShiteiru'', when censoring efforts prevent Kanade from fulfilling his mission of seeing panties.

* In the 1990s ''Superboy'' comic book, Roxy Leech is covered in censor steam when Superboy pulls her out of the chamber used to graft her DNA onto Superboy's to prevent him from total degeneration.

* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' engineers a fog lingerine [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/lingerie here]].