A classic manga where Trump was the antagonist

Key conclusions

• Donald Trump appeared in an episode of the manga,
  Death note
  disposable
  President of the United States
  where he tries to acquire the Death Note.
• Although his name is not mentioned in the story, the manga version of Trump is shown as a calculating and narcissistic character.
• Trump is portrayed in the manga as a monster willing to risk his country's financial future to gain weapons against his political opponents.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Death Note manga.

American politics is not something you usually see in your favorite anime or manga. The reasons for this are obvious: firstly, most anime and manga are set in a fantasy setting where politics doesn't play a big role in the lives of the characters. Second, most Japanese political debates are not talked about publicly, as most Japanese people have peaceful discussions with each other. Finally, even if politics did come up, Japan isn't always concerned with America's politics, so it makes sense that anime and manga are a bit of a safe space for those trying to avoid the subject.

However, there was a rare occasion when not only did American politics pop up, but it was done in a way that caught everyone off guard. Moreover, he appeared in one of the most popular manga franchises of all time. What happened and in which series did it happen? Read on to find out.

Who is Donald Trump?

​​​​​​While it is strange to describe who Donald Trump is when the man has been in the 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 consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland the 22nd and 24th Presidents USA.

What are some of his accomplishments?

Despite what some may believe, Donald Trump has had a varied career outside of politics. Some of his notable non-presidential achievements include:

1. Real estate tycoon: Trump has built a huge real estate empire, including iconic properties such as Trump Tower in New York and numerous hotels, golf courses and resorts around the world.
2. Television personality: He is probably most famous as a reality show host Studentwhich aired from 2004 to 2015 (with the final season starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) and popularized his catchphrase “You're fired!”
3. The author: Trump has co-authored several books, including The art of the dealwhich became a bestseller and is often cited as the key to understanding his business philosophy (although exactly WHAT he contributed to the book is disputed).
4. Branding: He has successfully leveraged his name into a global brand, licensing it to a variety of products and services, from clothing to bottled water (search up Trump Ice if you want to see a really fun product).

He has also acted in various films e.g Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Little crooksas well as TV shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Nanny. In what may be one of his more questionable cameos, he was also a villain in the manga series. Not just any manga series either: one of the most famous manga series.

What is Death Note?

Despite the fact that it is far from incomprehensible to the readers of this site, Death record is a popular Japanese manga series created by Tsugumi Oba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The story centers around a high school student named Light Yagami who discovers a mysterious notebook called Death Note. This notebook gives him the right to kill anyone whose name he writes in it, provided he knows the person's face (to prevent the accidental death of an innocent bystander).

Considered one of the greatest manga series of all time, the franchise continues to enjoy success with an equally acclaimed anime adaptation, several live-action films, and even a musical. After the series ended, the creators even wrote additional short stories showing separate events that happened after the end of the main storyline. Two unlikely icons of popular culture meet here.

The time Donald Trump appeared in Death Note

Donald Trump appears in a one-shot sequel special Death record is called President of the United Statesreleased in 2020. In this one-shot, Trump, who is the President of the United States (during his first review), tries to buy a “Death Note” on behalf of America for a staggering amount of money. He is shocked to learn that one of the new rules for using the book is that anyone who buys or sells the Death Titrate will die (but Ryuk assures him that it will be left behind for his VP to use if will).

For now, Trump is rejecting the Death Note, valuing his life above a 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 bought the book but decided not to use it. This will not only take his life, but also increase his popularity. Ryuk (who has been involved in his own politics throughout the series) is impressed by this move, which he finds very shrewd.

The meaning of the cameo

It should be noted that despite the fact that the character in this story is clearly modeled after Donald Trump, he is never mentioned in the story itself. This could have happened for a variety of reasons (some of them legitimate), but there is no doubt about who the president should be reminding. The media has portrayed Trump in a particularly complex way, with some media portraying him as a Christ-like savior of the world, while others see him as a calculating monster, while still others see him as nothing more than an idiot (where you land, we leave it up to you decide).

The image of Trump in Death record basically corresponds to the second method of submission. He is shown to be a monster, but vain and calculating. First, he puts his country's financial future at real risk by paying a huge price for the Death Note (that's money that would surely solve all of the country's problems if spent on people). His desire to have a weapon that could kill any of his political opponents is something the creators felt would be very appealing to a real-life mastermind, so it made sense to give his manga interpretation such a desire.

The image also reveals that the figure (manga version) has no personal beliefs. Once he learns that he will die if he actually acquires the Death Note, he immediately abandons it, deciding that his life is worth more than the good (or evil) the book can do for the country. However, this manga character is also a narcissist, so he decides he's going to lie to the American people and tell them he bought it anyway, which will presumably give him a boost in the next election. It should be noted that he is not the first figure from real life Death record. Despite the gruesome nature of the series, the series occasionally featured real-life political leaders, adding to the sense of realism that this mostly fantasy series managed to convey (former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also had a character, probably , based on his model).

What Trump appeared in Death record not only showed how popular the (then and future) current president was, but also offered a glimpse into what a couple of Japanese creators potentially thought of him (a subject most creators never talk about). After all, for all the people who don't take Donald Trump seriously, the creators Death record seemed to take Trump very seriously and didn't feel he was a good guy. Whether you agree or not is up to you, but this is one of those rare times that American politics has affected a major Japanese franchise, which makes this shot all the more notable.