Japanese anime and manga fans and supporters are protesting against US President Donald Trump and the White House for using imagery and characters from popular Japanese franchises in social media posts. Reports say a Change.org petition titled “Protect Japanese Manga” has gathered tens of thousands of signatures, reaching about 20,000 to more than 23,000 depending on the outlet and timing. The criticism centers on posts and videos shared on platforms such as Truth Social and the White House’s X account that depict Trump using anime-style or character imagery without authorization. One widely cited example is an AI-generated video that portrays Trump as ninja Naruto Uzumaki from “Naruto,” which draws anger from fans of the series. Other outlets also mention earlier posts that used recognizable characters and references from franchises including “Dragon Ball,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!” and Pokémon/Pikachu. Some coverage links the dispute to copyright and unauthorized use concerns, while also noting that fans have used social media to express their objections and pressure the accounts to stop.
Japan backlash over Trump social media use of anime and manga characters prompts petition
Japanese anime and manga fans and supporters are protesting against US President Donald Trump and the White House for using imagery and characters from popular Japanese franchises in social media post...
- Japanese fans create and sign an online petition, “Protect Japanese Manga,” protesting Trump and White House social media posts using anime and manga characters.
- The petition reaches tens of thousands of signatures, reported around 20,000 to over 23,000 across outlets.
- Outlets cite an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting Trump as ninja Naruto Uzumaki from “Naruto.”
- Earlier posts referenced or depicted other franchises, including “Dragon Ball,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!” and Pokémon/Pikachu.
- Criticism focuses on unauthorized use and copyright concerns, with fans also protesting on social media.
Both fans and the Japanese government push back after a series of Trump administration posts using images from popular anime and manga.
2 months agoDonald Trump is facing criticism in Japan after AI-generated posts featuring Naruto and other anime characters sparked copyright concerns and a growing online petition.
2 months agoPresident Donald Trump's use of Japanese anime-style imagery on his social media account has not gone over well in Japan.
2 months agoThe use of anime imagery online by President Trump and his administration has strained diplomatic ties with Japan and drawn criticism from creators and fans.
2 months agoTump's continued use of anime for polticial gain has led to a petition with over 23,000 signatures and counting.
2 months agoA petition with over 23,000 signatures said using the creative works that aim to convey ‘courage, friendship, and perseverance’ in a ‘military context’ has caused concerns among anime and manga fans
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