New Delhi: US President Donald Trump recently posted an AI-generated video that featured him as Naruto Uzumaki, the titular character of the popular anime series. The Japanese aren’t having it. An online petition on Change.org has called for Trump and the White House to respect the “cultural value and context” of Japanese anime and manga. It has over 24,000 signatures.
“Many fans feel concerned when images from these (anime) works appear to be used in political or military contexts that may differ from the intentions of the original creators or rights holders,” said the petition, titled ‘Protect Japanese Manga’.
The clip, posted on Truth Social, is part of an AI-generated music video, Thank You President Trump, by Republican Anthony Constantino. The US president for Congress has endorsed the New York-based politician. It’s not the first time Trump has used AI-generated content to boost his image.
Naruto Uzumaki is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto.
‘Apalled by use of anime by troublemakers’
The petition was launched by Nana Suzuki, a 34-year-old anime fan based in Kanagawa. It continues to gain support across fan communities.
It’s not the first time Trump has used anime characters for political purposes.
The petition was originally created in March, after the White House posted a video that combined footage of US strikes on Iran with clips from Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball.
In another post, Trump used an image with the phrase “Make America Great Again” with a screengrab from the Pokemon Pokopia video game.
“Subsequently, the ministry of foreign affairs made a request to the US embassy in Japan regarding the unauthorised use of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Nintendo games on the official White House X account,” the petition read.
The core problem is that Trump’s use of these cultural symbols doesn’t align with the themes of the shows they’re from.
“For many years, these works have inspired audiences around the world by conveying values such as courage, friendship and perseverance,” the petition said.
The document was revived Tuesday after Trump posted the recent video on Truth Social.
“As a long timer fan of anime and manga culinary am appalled of its use by pro-trump trouble makers,” commented a Japanese fan on Change.org.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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