It's much less common now thankfully, but back when anime in particular got heavily localised and censored, they would often change the names and locations of the work (not to mention the title), to the point where it was a whole other story. One of the most infamous examples is Cardcaptor Sakura, which became Cardcaptors, and attempts were made to make Li look like the protagonist or at least deuteragonist because God forbid magical girls being just as appealing to... girls ^^;
Nonetheless it made me think; as someone who likes to ignore dubs, sometimes it's interesting to see what details they sneak in/tweak for the local culture, which can even kind of enhance the story. I'm watching the Death Note anime currently, and (spoilers) I heard the different dubs of Light's breakdown when he reveals himself as Kira, and I have to agree that there's something special about the Italian dub, where you can really feel how Light's just lost it and it lines up beautifully with the animation. It even makes him sound more dangerous, more villainous, and the fact that it was dubbed on the first take by an actor who was 18 at the time... phew.
Spoilers again, but another instance is the final line of Perfect Blue, where Mima says "I'm the real one"... in Rumi's voice in the original Japanese, and in Mima's voice in the English dub. The Japanese makes it more disturbing, the English hopeful. With one single line, the entire ending changes your perception.
And a final one, the ending for Final Fantasy X: in the Japanese, Yuna thanks Tidus for freeing Spira just before he fades away. In the English, she declares her love for him. Both times he hugs her goodbye. One voices the emotions, the other acts it. Totally different feelings.
What's your favourite bit of dubtext that shows the same story but tweaked in international versions, like several people adding their bit to the creative mosaic?
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This made me think of (the tangentially related topic of) "TV appropriate" dubs of movies with lots of profanity. Such as, Scarface where on the opening scene, Tony Montana is mocked for his facial scar with: "Where'd you get that scar? Eating pineapple?" The original is more to the tone of the violent crime drama that proceeds, but this dub is also a harbinger to the oddity of the movie's TV edit.
It's hilarious in a way, almost surreal, since you know what they're saying, but also know that a non-cable TV version in the 1980s and 1990s wouldn't have that.