Apex Aura: Attack on Titan Diplomacy—Japan’s Hardline Leader Courts Saudi Arabia as Trump Takes Aim at Anime

Politicians quoting anime to court investors? That is where we are now. Japan just elected its first female prime minister, and she wrapped a sales pitch to Saudi money with a line from Attack on Titan. It is bold, a little bizarre, and definitely not subtle.

Japan's new PM drops an Attack on Titan line in Saudi Arabia

Sanae Takaichi, newly elected as Japan's first woman to hold the prime minister job and already catching heat for her conservative stances on immigration, women’s rights, and more, spoke at a Saudi Arabia-led international financial conference on December 1, 2025. Knowing how big anime is in Saudi Arabia, she leaned right into it and closed with a line from Eren Yeager.

'Just shut your mouths. Invest everything in me!'

She used it while urging Saudi Arabia to put money into Japan and help boost its economy, according to a report from Nippon.com. As far as attention-grabbing closers go, that one certainly does the job.

About that quote...

If you have even a passing familiarity with Attack on Titan, you know it is one of the most globally popular anime ever, right up there with the Big Three era of One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto. But unlike those long-runners, AoT is a dense, politically loaded story about war, discrimination, propaganda, freedom, and trying to break cycles of hate. It is not a breezy watch, and it is not shy about calling out leadership when it is corrupt or power-obsessed.

Case in point: the original King Fritz enslaves Ymir and weaponizes her power to conquer and kill. The show repeatedly pushes you to question official narratives and the people who benefit from them.

Which brings us back to that quote. In the manga’s Chapter 19, Eren shouts those words during his trial while the brass debate whether to hand him to the Survey Corps or the Military Police. Some want him executed on the spot and even doubt his humanity. He is furious, calling the room out as cowards. Diplomatic? Not remotely. It is a pretty wild pull for a finance-stage pitch, but it plays to anime fandom loud and clear. Whether that bends the broader message of the series is another conversation.

Meanwhile in the U.S., anime keeps winning despite tariff talk

Not every world leader is thrilled about imported pop culture. On May 5, 2025, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he planned to slap 100% tariffs on movies made in 'foreign land' — which would include anime films. Between that and rising nativist rhetoric from right-wing nationalists, you might expect anime to slow down in the States.

It did not. 2025 has been a monster year at the box office for anime:

• Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has pulled in $730.2 million, per The Numbers, making it the highest-grossing international movie in the U.S.
• Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc has earned $177.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It is heavier, stranger fare than Demon Slayer, but the craft, performances, and music clearly connected.

So yeah, the tariff threat did not dent anime’s momentum. If anything, the genre is so mainstream now that politicians are trying to harness it — even if that means quoting a rage-fueled Eren Yeager at an investment summit.

Where this leaves us

Anime keeps thriving, and leaders keep trying to surf the wave. That can be a double-edged sword: the bigger the audience, the more likely its imagery gets repurposed for agendas the original stories were warning us about.

How do you feel about Attack on Titan being used as a political pitch line? Smart play, or missing the point? Hit the comments.

Attack on Titan is streaming now on Crunchyroll.