(Adnkronos) – Nearly 20,000 Japanese – and the number is growing by the hour – have already signed an online petition to protest against the use of manga and anime characters by US President Donald Trump and the White House in social media posts. The latest example concerns a video published Saturday on Truth Social depicting Donald Trump as the ninja Naruto Uzumaki from the “Naruto” series, a choice that sparked outrage among fans of the hugely popular anime. In March, a White House post had combined images of US military attacks in Iran with clips from successful films and TV series, including the manga and anime “Yu-Gi-Oh!”.
The petition, launched in March, was relaunched yesterday after the publication of the new “Naruto” video, in an initiative described as “urgent” by the organizers: the signatories raise the issue with the rights holders. “For many years, these works have inspired audiences worldwide by conveying values such as courage, friendship, and perseverance,” the petition reads. “For this reason, many fans are concerned when images from these works appear to be used in political or military contexts that might differ from the intentions of the original creators or rights holders,” it adds.
