US government's use of anime for propaganda angers Japanese fans

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has drawn criticism for its use of popular Japanese anime in social media content, employing beloved characters and themes to promote administration messages, sometimes with a starkly ironic tone. A recent DHS post featured Pokémon's theme song, "Gotta catch 'em all," alongside imagery of arrests, with the department replying to comments by stating, "To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause."

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To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause.

This approach has sparked significant backlash from anime and manga enthusiasts, especially in Japan. Nana Suzuki, a fan from Kanagawa prefecture, initiated a petition protesting the use of franchises like "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in videos depicting military actions. She argues that these cultural works, intended to unite people, are being repurposed as propaganda tools for militarism and political division without permission from creators or rights holders.

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Works that exist to bring people together were being used without permission as propaganda tools for the very opposite, militarism and political division.

The petition, hosted on Change.org, has garnered nearly 25,000 signatures, with a surge in support following a recent post by former President Donald Trump depicting himself as Naruto Uzumaki. Suzuki stated her motivation was to create a tangible way for fans to express their strong feelings about this perceived misuse of their cultural heritage.

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It is not a particular hobbyist group but a shared language that spans generation, gender, and class.

For many in Japan, anime and manga are more than just entertainment; they are deeply integrated into daily life and serve as a shared cultural language across generations and social strata. Experts like Kohki Watabe, an assistant professor at the University of Tsukuba, note that these forms of media are ubiquitous, from manga read on trains to Pokémon mascots at baseball games. Suzuki herself describes anime and manga as a "bridge that connects people across language barriers" and an "emotional anchor" that promotes values of "effort, friendship and victory."

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As a shy child, I was able to make many friends through drawings I did of anime characters. The universal message carried by Japanese [boy's] manga … of 'effort, friendship and victory' became the emotional anchor that kept me facing forward.