Whenever newbie anime fans ask grizzled veterans where they should start, the answer is usually Fullmetal Alchemist or death note. And for good reason: they’re short, sweet anime with great stories. While their narratives couldn’t be further apart, they share resonant stories that wonder how the supernatural would affect global politics in its infancy. Although people tend to just remember death notehis Benign Netflix Live Action Showthey often forget that the show pushed its US political narrative into today’s world with a sequel that saw then-President Donald Trump trying to buy the supernatural notebook.

As the title might suggest, death note is about a black notebook that will outlive anyone whose name is written in it (though many rules and caveats limit its use case). The series, written and illustrated by mangaka duo Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, follows a student named Light Yagami who, after receiving the Death Note on a whim from a death god named Ryuk, seeks to use the book to rid the world of criminals. he considers unworthy of rehabilitation. From there, he and a brilliant detective named L Lawliet engaged in a game of cat and mouse to stop Light (under the alias Kira) from committing supernatural crimes.

But we’re not here to talk about Kira the terrorist. We’re here to talk about the far more extraordinary (and socialist-leaning) protagonist of his 2020 one-shot special, and how his Marxist mind created Donald Trump out of 10,000,000,000,000 dollars.

Unlike Light Yagami, Death Note: Special One-Shot sees protagonist Minoru Tanaka come into possession of the Death Note and refuse to use it. Instead, he’s waiting until 2019 to announce publicly and anonymously that he’s selling it to the highest bidder. Moreover, she does it on Twitter through the hashtag #PowerofKira. Minoru’s plan not only makes it technically impossible for him to use the notebook (so the previous detectives can’t track him), but also allows him to weaponize the (pre-Elon Musk) Internet City market to track down the most great bidder. Inevitably, things escalated, and the unnamed President of the United States — though it’s clear by design alone that Ohba and Obata were writing about then-President Trump — made a televised announcement offering the aforementioned unholy sum of money up for Death Note using US funds.

Except things don’t go the way Trump fictionally planned. Immediately after his winning bid, Ryuk revealed that there would be no refunds and that his money would be equally deposited into each person’s bank accounts with a Yotsuba Bank of Japan savings account. What’s more, before the book was given to Trump in the Oval Office — after declaring he would use it for “world peace” — Ryuk revealed a new rule: Anyone who sells or buys the death note will die.

“Yes, I know. It’s a brand new rule. So you paid all this money just to die,” Ryuk nonchalantly tells a distraught Trump.

What follows is a hilarious conversation between Trump and Ryuk, during which the god of death walks him through his options. If Trump accepts the book, he will… you know. But someone “high and mighty in this country” will receive the Death Note. Therefore, the US would have the Death Note, but it would not be in the hands of the current president. Unsurprisingly, the Trump manga does not accept.

“I see. You value your life more than your country,” Ryuk retorts. Rather than accept defeat, Trump reveals that he will announce that he has gained Kira’s power anyway, adding that his refusal to use it (because he doesn’t have ) will make him “look like a saint.” It’s a move that, in retrospect, feels very Trumpian after he cast his 2020 election defeat in obfuscation and denialism (and continued to do so over time). his 2024 campaign). And it’s one Ryuk is impressed with, even!

That’s the meat Death Note Special One Shota chapter released on Viz Media and Shonen Jump on February 3, 2020. A day in the US, mind you, when Trump was on trial for impeachment at the start of the COVID pandemic.

The Death Note Special One Shot this isn’t the first time anime and manga have used real-life American politicians to tell their stories. Series like Baki Hanma they used President Trump, Joe Biden and Barack Obama as clothing to sell the gravity of the ensuing drama. Even the recently released one Dan Yes Dan The anime changed from the manga, swapping references from Obama to Trump to keep up with American politics and The man with the chainsaw creator Tatsuki Fujimoto has woven his best-selling manga with commentary on American politics and the deification of guns. We are the main character (derogatory)!

All this to say, like it or not, the world watches US politics and uses it for scathing commentary. If this is any indication, get out and vote today if you can, lest you fuel the trend of America being the muse for the manga or anime people recommend in a few years.

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