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Hong Kong Police Draws Criticism For Mascot Resembling Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Protagonist
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Last Friday, the Hong Kong police posted an image of its anti-fraud mascot on its Facebook page. The mascot, called "The Little Grape," is depicted carrying a black sword and wearing a checkered outfit very similar to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba protagonist Tanjiro Kamado. The title of the Facebook post also shares some of the same Chinese characters as the Japanese names of "Tanjiro" and "Kimetsu no Yaiba."
The post has attracted criticism, both in direct response in the comments and on Twitter. Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow tweeted, "The other day, Hong Kong police posted an image of a character resembling the Demon Slayer protagonist on social media. Although it was criticized by Hong Kong citizens due to the issue of creative rights, the police claimed that it is not Tanjiro but 'The Little Grape,' and therefore it is not Copyright violation. It makes me sad to see Demon Slayer become a PR tool for the Hong Kong police." Her post has accumulated over 8,000 retweets.
According to the NHK, Hong Kong media reports say the police insist "The Little Grape" is their original creation.
The character appears in various Facebook posts, often referencing popular culture. A post from last Saturday depicts the character parodying Edvard Munch's expressionist painting The Scream.
Source: NHK World-Japan