In the South Korean release of the game, the character sprites in "Samurai Kirby" are edited to remove Japanese cultural elements. These changes are owed to widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea following a 35-year period from 1910 to 1945 where the Korean peninsula was occupied and culturally assimilated by the Japanese Empire. After this period ended, Japanese cultural imports were banned in South Korea for almost 60 years, and while most restrictions were gradually rescinded by 2004, some remain in place.