Japanese Anime Fans Outraged by Trump's AI Naruto Video, Sparking Protest Petition
Key facts
- Japanese Anime Fans Outraged by Trump's AI Naruto Video, Sparking Protest Petition
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked backlash in Japan for using images of popular Japanese anime and manga characters without authorization, including an AI video transforming himself into the protagonist of "Naruto." A petition on Change.org titled "Protect Japanese Manga" has been restarted, gathering nearly 20,000 signatures to protest to the White House and Trump. Petitioners argue this usage goes against the creators' original intent. Japan's Foreign Ministry had previously raised the issue with the U.S. embassy.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 11, 2026
Direct answer
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked backlash in Japan for using images of popular Japanese anime and manga characters without authorization, including an AI video transforming himself into the protagonist of "Naruto." A petition on Change.org titled "Protect Japanese Manga" has been restarted, gathering nearly 20,000 signatures to protest to the White House and Trump. Petitioners argue this usage goes against the creators' original intent. Japan's Foreign Ministry had previously raised the issue with the U.S. embassy.
- Citation
- Japanese Anime Fans Outraged by Trump's AI Naruto Video, Sparking Protest Petition (June 11, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 11, 2026
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked backlash in Japan for using images of popular Japanese anime and manga characters without authorization, including an AI video transforming himself into the protagonist of "Naruto." A petition on Change.org titled "Protect Japanese Manga" has been restarted, gathering nearly 20,000 signatures to protest to the White House and Trump. Petitioners argue this usage goes against the creators' original intent. Japan's Foreign Ministry had previously raised the issue with the U.S. embassy.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 11, 2026 at 03:43
- 🔍 Collected: June 11, 2026 at 04:00 (17 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 11, 2026 at 04:39 (38 min after Collected)
(CNA, Tokyo, June 10, comprehensive foreign report) U.S. President Donald Trump's use of images of popular Japanese anime and manga characters on social media, including releasing an AI video transforming himself into "Naruto" protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, has sparked a backlash in Japanese society. Nearly 20,000 people have participated in an online petition to express their protest to the White House and Trump.
According to AFP, the BBC, and The Guardian, nearly 20,000 people have joined a petition on Change.org titled "Protect Japanese Manga."
The petitioners are protesting the unauthorized use of images from "Dragon Ball," "Yu-Gi-Oh!," and "Naruto" by the official White House account on the social media platform X.
Petitioners and other online fans believe that these characters convey important values such as courage, friendship, and perseverance to a global audience, and that Trump's use of them in this manner violates the creators' original intent.
The petition's initiator stated that the campaign was first launched in March and has been submitted to the Japanese government. The White House had previously released a video that mixed footage of a U.S. military attack on Iran with content from several famous film and television works and "Yu-Gi-Oh!."
According to the petition, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently raised the issue of the White House's official X account's unauthorized use of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and Nintendo game content with the U.S. Embassy in Japan.
According to the BBC, The Pokémon Company International has condemned Trump's use of its imagery.
In the latest case, on June 6th, Trump posted an artificial intelligence (AI) video on his own social media platform, "Truth Social," transforming himself into the "Naruto" protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, causing strong dissatisfaction among some fans and prompting the initiator to relaunch the petition on the 9th. (Compiled by: Chen Cheng-chien) 1150611
According to AFP, the BBC, and The Guardian, nearly 20,000 people have joined a petition on Change.org titled "Protect Japanese Manga."
The petitioners are protesting the unauthorized use of images from "Dragon Ball," "Yu-Gi-Oh!," and "Naruto" by the official White House account on the social media platform X.
Petitioners and other online fans believe that these characters convey important values such as courage, friendship, and perseverance to a global audience, and that Trump's use of them in this manner violates the creators' original intent.
The petition's initiator stated that the campaign was first launched in March and has been submitted to the Japanese government. The White House had previously released a video that mixed footage of a U.S. military attack on Iran with content from several famous film and television works and "Yu-Gi-Oh!."
According to the petition, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently raised the issue of the White House's official X account's unauthorized use of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and Nintendo game content with the U.S. Embassy in Japan.
According to the BBC, The Pokémon Company International has condemned Trump's use of its imagery.
In the latest case, on June 6th, Trump posted an artificial intelligence (AI) video on his own social media platform, "Truth Social," transforming himself into the "Naruto" protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, causing strong dissatisfaction among some fans and prompting the initiator to relaunch the petition on the 9th. (Compiled by: Chen Cheng-chien) 1150611
FAQ
為何日本動漫迷要連署抗議川普？
因為川普及其團隊未經授權在社群媒體上使用「火影忍者」、「七龍珠」、「遊戲王」等日本動漫角色圖像，粉絲認為這違背了創作者想傳達勇氣、友誼與堅持等價值觀的原意。
川普最近發布了什麼引發爭議的AI影片？
川普於6月6日在其社群媒體「真實社群」(Truth Social)上，發布了一支將自己化身為日本人氣動漫「火影忍者」主角漩渦鳴人的AI影片。
此次的抗議連署有多少人參與？
在請願網站Change.org上，名為「保護日本漫畫」（Protect Japanese Manga）的連署已有近2萬人參與。
除了粉絲抗議外，是否有任何官方或企業的回應？
是的，日本外務省曾就白宮未經授權使用「遊戲王」及任天堂遊戲內容，向美國駐日大使館提出交涉。此外，寶可夢國際公司也已對川普使用其影像表達譴責。
這項抗議連署是什麼時候開始的？
該連署最早於今年3月發起，因川普最新的「火影忍者」AI影片事件，於6月9日重啟。