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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Death Note manga.
American politicsis not something that will typically come up in your favorite anime or manga. The reasons for this are obvious: first, most anime and manga take place in fantasy settings, where politics don’t factor into the characters' lives very much. Second, most Japanese political discussions are not spoken about in public, as most Japanese people keep discussions peaceful with one another. Finally, even if politics were to come up, Japan is not always concerned with the policies of America, and thus it makes sense that anime and manga are a bit of a safe space for those who are trying to avoid the subject.
That said, there was a rare case where not only did American politics come up, it was done in a way that caught everyone by surprise. What’s more, it appeared in one of the most popular manga franchises of all time. What happened and what series did it take place in? Read on to find out.
Who is Donald Trump?
Although it is strange to describe who Donald Trump is when the man hasbeen the focus of news, media, and podcasts for the past ten years, in short, he is an American politician, businessman, and media personality. He served as the 45th President of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and was recently re-elected in 2024 to become the 47th President of the United States (the first US President to serve two non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland served as both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.
What Are Some of His Accomplishments?
Despite what some may believe, Donald Trump has had a diverse career outside of politics. Some of his notable non-presidential accomplishments include:
He has alsocameoed in various movies, likeHome Alone 2: Lost in New York,Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,The Little Rascals, as well as TV shows such asThe Fresh Prince of Bel-AirandThe Nanny. In what may be one of his more dubious cameos, he also was a villain in a manga series. Not just any manga series either: one of the most acclaimed manga series.
What is Death Note?
Though far from obscure to readers of this site,Death Noteis a popular Japanese manga seriescreated by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The story centers around a high school student named Light Yagami who discovers a mysterious notebook called the “Death Note.” This notebook grants him the power to kill anyone whose name he writes in it, as long as he knows the person’s face (to prevent an innocent bystander from dying accidentally).
Considered to be one of the greatest manga series of all time, the franchise continues to be successful thanks to an equally acclaimed anime adaptation, several live-action films, and even a musical. Since the series ended, the creators have even written additional short stories showcasing stand-alone events that happened after the end of the main storyline. This is where two unlikely popular culture icons meet.
The Time Donald Trump Appeared in Death Note
Donald Trump appearsin a special one-shot sequel ofDeath NotecalledUnited States President, released in 2020. In this one-shot, Trump, who is the President of the United States (during his first go around) attempts to buy the Death Note on behalf of America for a staggering amount of money. He is shocked to discover that one of the new rules for using the book is that anyone who buys or sells the Death Note will die (but Ryuk assures him that it will be left behind so that his vice president can use it if he wishes).
Trump refuses the Death Note at this point, valuing his own life over the country that could use the Death Note for its own purposes. Instead, he decides that he will lie to the world and say that he did buy the book, but has decided not to use it. This will not only spare his life, but it will give him a boost in popularity. Ryuk (who has been dealing with hisown brand of politicsthroughout the series) is impressed with this move, which he considers to be very shrewd.
The Significance of the Cameo
It should be noted that despite the fact that the character in this story isclearly modeledafter Donald Trump, he is never actually named in the story itself. This could have been for a variety of reasons (some of them legal), but there is little question about who the president is supposed to resemble. Trump has had an especially complicated portrayal in the media, with some media presenting him as a Christ-like savior to the world, while others find him to be a calculating monster, while others consider him little more than an idiot (where you land, we leave for you to decide).
The portrayal of Trump inDeath Notefalls mostly in line with the second method of presentation. He is shown as a monster, but a vain and calculating one. Firstly, he is putting the financial future of his country in real jeopardy by paying the heftyprice for the Death Note(the kind of money that would certainly take care of all the country’s problems if spent on the people instead). His desire to have a weapon that could kill any of his political opponents is something the creators felt would be very appealing to the real-life inspiration, and thus it made sense to give his manga interpretation that desire.
The portrayal also goes on to show that the (manga version) of the figure has no personal convictions. Once he discovers that he will die if he actually buys the Death Note, he immediately refuses it, deciding that his life is worth more than the good (or evil) the book could do for the country. Yet this manga character is also a narcissist, so he decides he will lie to the American people and tell them that he bought it anyway, thus giving him a boost in presumably the next election. It should be noted that he is not the first real-life figure to appear inDeath Note. Despite the horror nature of the series, real world political leaders did show up in the series from time to time, adding to the sense of realism this mostly fantasy series managed to convey (former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abealso had a character likely modeled after him).
The fact that Trump showed up inDeath Notenot only showed how popular the (then and future) sitting president was, but it offered a glimpse into what a couple of Japanesecreators potentially thought of him(a topic most creators never vocalize). In the end, for all the people who don’t take Donald Trump seriously, the creators ofDeath Noteappeared to take Trump very seriously and did not feel he was a good guy. Whether you agree or not is up to you, but it is one of those rare cases where American politics influenced a major Japanese franchise, which makes this one shot all the more notable.
