"For many years, these works have inspired audiences around the world by conveying values such as courage, friendship and perseverance."

"Because of this, many fans feel concerned when images from these works appear to be used in political or military contexts that may differ from the intentions of the original creators or rights holders. This petition seeks to convey the voices of fans who, precisely because Japanese manga and anime are so widely loved around the world, hope that their cultural value and context will be respected."

Says an online petition seeking an end to the use of anime in political satire, quoted in "Trump draws anger in Japan with ‘disrespectful’ cartoon fakes/Fans of anime have called for action against the US president, who posts AI-generated clips of himself as their comic-book heroes" (London Times).

I'll just express my opinion in blog tags: "free speech" and "lawsuits I hope will fail."

This made me think of the old Walt Disney Productions v. Air Pirates case. Wikipedia:

The Air Pirates were a group of cartoonists who published two issues of an underground comic called Air Pirates Funnies in 1971. The comic featured a satirical version of Mickey Mouse (never referred to by his full name) who was positioned as a symbol of conformist hypocrisy in American culture. The comic also depicted other well-known Disney characters engaging in adult behaviors such as sex and drug consumption. 

Air Pirates founder Dan O'Neill wanted the comic to be noticed by the Disney company and arranged for copies to be smuggled into board meetings. Disney executives became aware of the comic and sued the Air Pirates for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition....

You can read issue #1 of Air Pirates here. Cover shows the treasured intellectual property rodent replete with the full name Wikipedia says Air Pirates never used: 

BONUS: I was inspired look up this passage in the Bob Woodward/Scott Armstrong book, "The Brethren" (which wasn't as on-topic as I'd remembered but makes a relevant point about the humor of desecration):

Rehnquist slipped into the conference room one day and took his seat. 

He pulled a magazine from his stack of papers. The National Lampoon, a humor magazine, had just released its February issue. The centerfold was entitled “Amicae Curiae”—Friends of the Court—and it depicted, in a color cartoon, all nine of the Justices engaged in a variety of sexual activity. 

The Chief, naked except for holster and pistol, was on the floor licking the boot of an otherwise naked young woman. 

Brennan was standing in front of two very young girls holding his robe open. 

Stewart was measuring the throat of a young woman with a ruler, apparently in preparation for oral sex. 

Rehnquist, clad in a woman’s bra and red garter belt, was parading before the others cracking a black whip. 

White, a blindfold partially covering his glasses, was apparently engaged in some taxing sexual activity, though the cartoon did not make it clear what that activity was. 

Powell was kneeling naked, his hands bound together, while a black woman in underwear marked “Exhibit A” flogged him. 

Marshall stood by the side of the bench doing nothing but looking up at Douglas, who sat alone on the bench with a naked young boy at his side. 

Blackmun was sodomizing a kangaroo. 

Chuckling, Rehnquist passed the issue around the table. Most of them laughed. The Chief [Warren Burger] was angered both by the cartoon and the fact that it had been brought into conference. 

Afterward, Marshall sent a clerk to buy extra copies for his college-age children. 

Brennan proudly told his clerks that while every other Justice was portrayed engaging in some sexual activity, he was pictured protecting several young children by blocking their view with his robe. 

His clerks decided that they owed it to him to explain “flashing.” 

Blackmun told his clerks how funny the centerfold was, especially the portion depicting Rehnquist “in drag.” The only problem, Blackmun said, was that he couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to be doing with the kangaroo. 

The clerks drew straws to see who would tell him.

ADDED: The more grim, puritanical, humorless, imperious, and repressive you are, the funnier it is to make fun of you.