“The Encounter” was the Twilight Zone episode pulled from U.S. syndication for many years because of its racial themes. It first aired on May 1, 1964, during the show’s fifth season, but was withheld from American reruns until 2016.
The episode centers on Fenton, an American World War II veteran, and Arthur Takamori, a young Japanese American man who comes to his attic looking for work. Fenton displays a katana taken from a Japanese soldier he killed during the war. As the conversation becomes increasingly hostile, the sword appears to awaken buried resentment and racial hatred in both men.
George Takei played Arthur, and Neville Brand played Fenton. Takei objected to the episode’s treatment of Japanese Americans and initially declined to promote it. “The Encounter” is unusual in the original series because it was the only episode removed from U.S. syndication for such an extended period; it was not permanently banned from the series itself.