Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime Condemns White House's Unauthorized Footage Use

The official X (formerly Twitter) account for the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime has issued a statement condemning the White House's use of its footage without authorization in a pro-war video. The statement, released in both Japanese and English, clarified that the rights holder did not grant permission for the use of their intellectual property, and no one associated with the manga or anime was involved in its creation.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! rights holder explicitly stated they did not grant permission for the use of their intellectual property, nor was anyone associated with the manga or anime involved in the video's creation.

Incident Details

The footage in question appeared in a video posted by the White House's official X account on March 6, captioned "Justice the American Way." This video included a clip of Yu-Gi-Oh! main character Yugi Muto, among various other well-known movie and game characters, interspersed with what appeared to be war footage. As of March 11, the post had garnered over 64 million views.

Similar Objections Emerge

This incident is not isolated. Steve Downes, the voice actor for Master Chief from the Halo franchise, also publicly denounced the use of his voice in the same White House video. Downes stated he did not participate, was not consulted, and does not endorse the video's message, demanding the immediate removal of his voice.

Separately, The Pokémon Company also issued a statement earlier this month. They objected to the White House's unauthorized use of Pokémon imagery in a political meme, specifically a modified cover of "Pokémon Pokopia" to read "Make America Great Again."

White House Social Media Strategy

The use of meme-like images and clips from popular franchises appears to be a recurring element in the White House's current social media strategy. Another video promoting "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran featured CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.