A fan site describes the animated character Naruto Uzumaki as exuberant and unorthodox. Elsewhere, it’s suggested the Japanese artist who created the young ninja deliberately kept him “simple and stupid” at the start of the manga series that bears his name.

Whether US President Donald Trump was aware of such details or even familiar with the series when he shared a video  on Truth Social depicting himself as Naruto is unknown, but it has nonetheless landed him in strife with manga fans.

The latest furore comes after previous posts by Trump and the White House featuring other iconic Japanese animation characters led to the launch of a change.org petition titled “Protect Japanese Manga”, which has been signed by around 24,000 people.

“For many years, these works have inspired audiences around the world by conveying values such as courage, friendship, and perseverance,” it says.

“Because of this, many fans feel concerned when images from these works appear to be used in political or military contexts that may differ from the intentions of the original creators or rights holders.”

MAGA 🇺🇸⚡️ pic.twitter.com/8QRVP23zGu

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2026

The original trigger for the petition was a White House video posted on X in March that spliced footage from the US strikes on Iran with clips from films such as Top Gun and Tropic Thunder, as well the manga series Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball.

The same month, an image with the slogan “make America great again” on the White House’s X feed featured a tiny version of the Pokémon character Pikachu peeking out behind the “e” in “make”. Reports suggested the background picture was a screen grab from the Pokémon’s Pokopia video game.

At the time, the Pokémon company said it hadn’t authorised use of the imagery, adding: “Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”

In the new video uploaded on Truth Social last weekend, Trump is depicted as the main character from the Naruto series – a young ninja who, despite his aforementioned shortfalls, is on a journey to become leader of his village and ultimately regarded as a hero.

The Truth Social clip also includes imagery from other parts of the world and is set to a soundtrack with the lyrics “Everywhere I go they love Donald, Donald Trump” – which seems ironic given the renewed backlash in Japan.

An update on the “Protect Japanese Manga” petition on June 9 stated that it had been reopened in light of the US President’s “Naruto-style” video in an “urgent effort to convey our protest and concern regarding this matter to the rights holders and to work in solidarity to lobby the Japanese government”.

The petition’s creator, anime and manga fan Nana Suzuki, told the BBC she started it so others could also express their frustration, as well as their respect for Japanese creators.

Suzuki noted that manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, had died while trying to rescue swimmers caught in a rip in 2022.

“It deeply saddened me that his noble spirit, someone who tried to save others and the message of his work, was used in a military context, and that he is no longer alive to speak up himself,” she said.

 

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Her petition describes manga and anime as cultural treasures that Japan has shared with the world, “bringing hope and inspiration to countless people”.

It notes that the official X account for the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise has previously stated its footage was used by the White House without permission, and urges that the “values and messages cherished by these [anime] creators” continue to be respected.

While some fans on social media echo the petition’s concern about the ethical issues surrounding Trump’s use of the imagery, others are less perturbed.

“Rather than criticising the clip, I’m proud that Japanese manga has taken the world by storm to the point where the President of America knows Naruto,” wrote one X user.