Vladimir Putin has been making headlines since his invasion of Ukraine. In response to this, people on the Internet have resorted to making memes critical to Russia and its leader, Mr. Putin. But Mr. Putin has always been the stuff of Internet legend, as anime fans react to his larger-than-life presence in modern history. Here are seven times Vladimir Putin was represented in anime and Japanese pop culture.
First there was the time he showed up to an international conference while cosplaying from Toradora. We’ll never forget that.
Want to know about Japan’s various island disputes with its three neighbors? Here’s a blog post with details!
If you need an evil villain for your manga, Vladimir Putin will probably serve nicely. These panels are from Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku: The Legend of Koizumi.
When My Girlfriend is the President was released with its hilarious English trailer, fans immediately asked JAST USA to license the game for an English release… and we did! When aliens brainwash everyone into thinking that your childhood friend is the president of Japan, all kinds of sexy hijinx ensue, including a visit from Irina Vladimirovna Putina, the sexy female president of Russia!
Find the uncensored My Girlfriend is the President game here, and grab the fandisc sequel here!
When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a funny thing happened: Japan got a crush on Natalia Poklonskaya, a Russian politician who was appointed Prosecutor-General of Crimea after Russia’s invasion. The Internet responded with a huge number of memes turning Natalia-chan into an anime girl.
Looking back, these were very strange times…
JAST USA contributed to this meme ourselves by “announcing” the visual novel My Girlfriend is the Prosecutor-General for April Fool’s soon after. A lot of people thought it was a real game.
Games that incorporate famous historical characters are pretty common, and Eiyu*Senki and Eiyu*Senki Gold are two titles that let you conquer the world and build a harem of famous characters…including Ivan the Terrible and Rasputin. Please ignore any phonetic similarities between the latter name and any sitting Russian leaders named Putin.
When making an anime character of Russian ethnicity, there are apparently two choices for anime creators: name them Anastasia, or give the character a connection to Vladimir Putin. Gina Boyd from the How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? anime chose this second route, reminiscing about her grandfather “Comrade Poutine.”
Thanks for reading this post with 7 times Vladimir Putin was referenced or parodied by Japanese anime, manga, or games. Did we miss a reference? Post it below, or share with us on Twitter!
The J-List staff has been hard at work adding new products to the site for you. Today we’ve got lots of amazing ero products for these stressful times. Browse them all here!
