Pokemon fans were outraged to see their favourite anime theme and its signature IP being used to promote the US Department of Homeland Security’s controversial slew of ICE arrests. Earlier this week, the official DHS account made advantageous use of the beloved long-running TV series’ catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” a post’s caption, which came along with a video compilation of the countless arrests made by the US Border Patrol and other immigration and federal agents in America.

The video edit included blurred snippets of law enforcement authorities and numerous people being held in handcuffs along with clips of the animated series and the Pokemon protagonist Ask Ketchum. In addition to the stark representation of real-life arrests, the much-talked-about video shared a glimpse of Pokemon cards featuring arrested suspects. Many didn’t agree with the direct use of the much-loved Japanese show to promote the Donald Trump administration’s stance against immigration.

As a result, they called on the Japanese multinational company Nintendo, which is notorious for proactively upholding intellectual property protection, to launch legal action against the DHS.

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How netizens reacted to DHS appropriating Pokemon for ‘ICE propaganda’

Even the comments section of the official US government post is now brimming with fans coming together to speak out against “IP infringement” and “unauthorised visual representation.” A user chimed in, “@NintendoAmerica @Nintendo @Pokemon yo you guys cool with them using your IP for this?”

“Not to be too Libbed Up about it.. but these are human beings.. with families, most of whom contribute to their communities,” someone else wrote. “Like what the f*** are we doing as a society. You can’t even take this seriously.. rounding people up and interning them is just a fun Pokémon meme?” Yet another user questioned, “bruh please tell me my tax dollars aren’t going to graphic designers to make Pokémon themed ICE propaganda.”

Pokemon’s ex-legal boss gives disappointing update to fans

Those counting on Nintendo to get entangled in a legal war with the US government were dealt with a negative update as the company’s former legal chief broke silence on the issue on Tuesday.

In an interview with IGN, Don McGowan, a former veteran executive associated with the Pokemon brand, said that he didn’t expect the team to actually do anything about the viral video “for a few reasons.” Now principal at Extreme Grownup Services, he noted that the first of these was linked to The Pokemon Company International’s “publicity-shy” and elusive brand presence in the press.

On the other hand, the second reason, which is possibly also the most important one in the context of the current US political landscape, is “many of their execs in the USA are on green cards,” he added. He recounted his old days at the company, admitting that even he “wouldn’t touch this” despite being the self-proclaimed “most trigger-happy” chief legal officer. “This will blow over in a couple of days and they’ll be happy to let it,” he concluded.

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In the past, McGowan had addressed how the company would deal with fan projects “crossing” the line with unauthorised use of Pokemon IP. He told Aftermath in March 2024 that their first choice didn’t rely on aggressive measures. “You dont’ send a takedown right away,” he said. “You wait to see if they get funded, for a Kickstarter or similar. If they get funded then that’s when you engage. No one likes suing fans.”

He further revealed that The Pokemon Company’s legal team would often only get to know about such projects appropriating the brand’s copyright once press red-flagged it. “I would be sitting in my office minding my own business when someone from the company would send me a link to a news article, or I would stumble across it myself,” he continued.

The Trump admin’s use of copyright entities is nothing out of the ordinary. Just last year, multiple music acts, including Beyonce, Foo Fighters and Celine Dion, called out the MAGA leader out for illegal use of their songs during his re-election campaign trail. At one point, the now-US president faked Taylor Swift’s endorsement in a social media post using AI-generated pictures.