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Pokémon Company Issues Statement on White House's Use of Pokémon Imagery

The Pokémon Company issued a statement last Friday regarding the White House's X (formerly Twitter) account using a modified version of the Pokémon Pokepia game's box art to read the current administration's slogan "Make America Great Again." According to American news outlets The Hill and Time, The Pokémon Company spokesperson Sravanthi Dev said, "We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand. We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property. Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda."

The Trump administration is no stranger to using popular IPs in promoting its agenda. In September 2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security posted a video of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detaining people, set to the tune of Pokémon's English theme song.

During that time, The Pokémon Co. International gave the following statement to Eurogamer website, The Hill newspaper, and other outlets: “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."

The White House Using IP to Promote War in Iran

The White House's X/Twitter account posted several videos between March 6 and 7 with video footage of the war in Iran edited with clips from Dragon Ball Super, Yu-Gi-Oh!, American animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, several Marvel and DC movies, TV series, films, and video games including Grand Theft Auto.

Warning: The videos contain graphic and violent imagery.

As of press time, the White House's X/Twitter account has not removed any of the videos.

Voice actor Dan Green (voice of Yami Yugi and Yugi Muto in Yu-Gi-Oh!) released a statement on his X/Twitter account upon learning a clip from the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! was used in one of the videos. “It came to my attention that the White House used my voice to encourage violence in Iran,” Green stated. “Doing so tacitly implicates Kazuki Takahashi's most beloved contribution, which continues to inspire people to become who they are, and this was presented in a way far removed from the story he was telling. Takahashi died saving others.” He concluded his statement saying, “Yu-Gi-Oh! is universal, not political. It is disrespectful to present it in any other way.”

In the creator's notes for the 33rd Yu-Gi-Oh! manga volume published in May 2003, Takahashi criticized the Iraq War which had just started on March 20, 2003. Under a drawing of Earth with the oversized caption, "War is bad! - Kazu," he wrote:

"On March 20, 2003, a war began on the other side of the planet. No matter the reason, I think killing and wounding people is unforgivable. In the distant future, when we are long gone, I hope that everyone can live together in harmony without races or borders."

As of press time, Green's post has received over 29 thousand likes, over 6,400 reposts, and over 400 comments. A cursory look at the comments to Green's post shows several people who support the voice actor's statement. However, other commenters are critical of Green's statement, claiming fair use or that Green is making the anime series political. Green has responded to several replies making his position clear.

Sources: The Hill, Time, The White House's X/Twitter account (link 2, link 3, link 4), Dan Green's X/Twitter account, Yu-Gi-Oh! manga volume 33