FUNimation Entertainment announced on the company’s Facebook page that it would be delaying the stream for Episode 3 of the Assassination Classroom anime:
“Due to the delay of the broadcast in Japan, Episode 3 of Assassination Classroom is delayed until a TBD date and time. Stay tuned for updates.”
This airing of this episode was cancelled in Japan “in light of recent circumstances.” While no official explanation was given, it’s being assumed that the cancellation is due to the hostage situation by ISIS. The militant group posted a video online and gave the Japanese government a 72-hour deadline to pay a $200 million ransom for two Japanese hostages. In the video, a masked member of the group was holding a knife and intimidating the hostages and viewers with it. A knife is an iconic item in the Assassination Classroom franchise.
In a report by Yomiuri Shimbun, Fuji TV’s Public Relation Section confirmed that the episode was cancelled due to a scene where a character is swinging a knife to kill a monster in the episode.
Sources: FUNimation and Crunchyroll