Petition targets Trump over use of Japanese manga characters on social media – National

U.S. President Donald Trump is facing growing backlash from Japan and fans of the country’s popular anime and manga characters over his use of them in his social media posts.

Discontent among fans began months ago when they noticed Trump using images of famous Japanese anime characters, including Naruto, Pikachu and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and launched a Change.org petition — which now has more than 20,000 signatures — to protect the sanctity and cultural value of the imagery.

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The petition was submitted to the Japanese government, according to its creators, after the White House posted a video that spliced footage of U.S. strikes on Iran with anime scenes and cutaways from several other movies.

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“Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a request to the US Embassy in Japan regarding the unauthorized use of Yu-Gi-Oh!” the petition reads.

“For many years, these works have inspired audiences around the world by conveying values such as courage, friendship, and perseverance. Because of this, many fans feel concerned when images from these works appear to be used in political or military contexts that may differ from the intentions of the original creators or rights holders,” it continued.

“These concerns are not limited to Japan. Fans in international communities have also expressed the view that the context of these works and the intentions of their creators should be respected,” it added.

An official Yu-Gi-Oh! statement at the time addressed the post, saying, “The original creators and anime staff were not involved in any way, and no permission was given for the use of the intellectual property in question.”

An image shared on Truth Social as part of an AI-generated video depicted Trump as the ninja Naruto Uzumaki from the Naruto franchise, once again angering fans over the weekend and reviving the petition on Tuesday.

Naruto Uzumaki is the protagonist and namesake of a popular anime and manga series about a young ninja’s journey to become the village leader, created by Masashi Kishimoto.

A fan of anime and the manga franchise in particular, Nana Suzuki, told the BBC in an interview that she felt a responsibility to take action on behalf of the creators of the Manga universe.

Suzuki, who started the petition, according to the British outlet, said,”Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!, passed away after attempting to rescue someone in the ocean. It deeply saddened me that his noble spirit, someone who tried to save others and the message of his work, was used in a military context, and that he is no longer alive to speak up himself.”

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