Anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is box office smash in Japan. One politician was hoping some of its popularity would rub off, it seems, and borrowed the logo for a campaign poster.
Demon Slayer, of course, is a massively successful anime and manga.
Fukuoka politician Makoto Oniki (鬼木誠) copied the logo, substituting his name for Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃). As the kanji character for 鬼 appears in both the anime’s title and Oniki’s last name, this was a visual pun of sorts.
The anime’s logo can be seen in the movie poster below:
However, as ANN News reports, the politician was heavily criticized online for the unauthorized use of the logo and apologized.
Oniki is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the National Diet.
“I have earnestly come to grips with any unpleasantness I have caused the creator [of Demon Slayer], the publisher, and fans,” stated Oniki. “I am truly sorry.”
The campaign posters featuring the logo have been removed.
Oniki isn’t the first Japanese politician to get in trouble this month for knocking off Demon Slayer. Keisuke Mitsumoto, a city council member in Hyogo Prefecture, also knocked off Demon Slayer for a campaign poster.
The publisher told the press it was “absolutely not connected” to the campaign and Mitsumoto, who made the poster, apologized.
