Fans petition White House over unauthorized anime use
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- White House X account posted videos that combined footage of U.S. strikes on Iran with anime images from Dragon Ball, Yu‑Gi‑Oh! and Naruto, prompting fan backlash.
- Change.org petition titled “Protect Japanese Manga” gathered roughly 20,000 signatures and was submitted to the Japanese government following the White House video.
- Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the U.S. embassy in Japan to address the unauthorised use of Yu‑Gi‑Oh! and Nintendo game imagery on the White House X account.
- Yu‑Gi‑Oh! official X account issued a statement saying the original creators and staff were not involved and no permission was granted for the use of its intellectual property.
- Truth Social posted an image over the weekend depicting Trump as Naruto Uzumaki, reviving the petition and prompting fans to pledge renewed lobbying with Japan.
- Shueisha, the publisher of Naruto, said the copyright for the anime images used in Trump’s post is held by the film production committee and noted that creator Masashi Kishimoto had not commented.
Why it matters: The petition and diplomatic complaint give Japanese creators and fans a concrete lever to demand respect for copyright, while the White House faces criticism and potential strain in U.S.–Japan cultural relations, forcing a reassessment of its social‑media content strategy.
