‘Free Eren from Elon’: Elon Musk grossly misinterprets the messages of ‘Attack on Titan’, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’, and more in pro-MAGA post

In the wake of the 2024 US Presidential Election, TikTok users have gotten wind of an anime edit that Elon Musk posted to X (Twitter) on November 5, and they are shocked at how majorly the billionaire missed the point of the series and characters featured in the video.

Featuring Attack on Titan’s Eren Yeager and Erwin Smith, Tanjiro Kamado and Muichiro Tokito of Demon Slayer, rivals Gojo and Sukuna of Jujutsu Kaisen, and more anime characters clad in MAGA-branded hats beneath a “Dark MAGA” call to action, the intent of Musk’s post so poorly represents the stories it’s referencing that it’s almost ironic. Anime fans are having none of this, of course, and they’ve been quick to defend the heroes (and anti-heroes) of these beloved anime series.

Manga and anime spoilers for Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen ahead!

Attack on Titan’s Eren and Erwin are perhaps the most grossly misrepresented characters in the mix of the edit, considering the context of Musk’s post and the key themes of Hajime Isayama’s renowned manga-turned-anime, which is more or less a cautionary tale of oppression, war, and the absence of winners in the aftermath. The series touches on topics like eugenics, stripping away rights to bodily autonomy, and the dangers of rewriting history—all of which have been called into question in response to MAGA rhetoric.

While it’s tough to quantify just how nuanced the new-gen marvel truly is, Titan fans can collectively agree that the story’s premise reflects the atrocities of events like the Holocaust, with Eren and the Scouts spearheading the movement against Marley’s oppressive regime outside the walls of their dwindling nation in a desperate effort to “taste freedom,” as one TikToker succinctly puts it. Another simply begged to free Eren from Elon’s clutches—a fair ask, in my opinion.

Apart from the main heroes of Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro Kamado and the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, were also featured in Musk’s post, edited to wear MAGA hats. This one gagged me because, canonically, Tanjiro’s soul is so kind that to enter it is, to shamelessly quote Andrew Garfield’s words in admiration of Emma Stone, like being “bathed in sunlight.” Tanjiro, the kid who became a demon slayer solely to restore his sister’s lost voice and bodily autonomy following her transition into a demon. Yeah, he’s not the most convincing face of MAGA.

Musk even managed to do the King of Curses dirty, ignoring Sukuna’s development in Jujutsu Kaisen’s abrupt ending. And although the strongest himself was only featured for a split second, I can’t ignore the Gojo slander, either. This is a character who devoted his life to protecting the youth of his students and teaching them to right the wrongs of the conservative leaders who failed them, and, in the end, won. If any good can come of Musk’s grossly misinformed post, I only hope that its irony points to real-world victories over oppression.