DHS Posts Pokémon Raid Video — Fans Outraged and Urging Nintendo to Sue
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted a short video to its X account that set footage of raids and arrests to the Pokémon animated series theme, used images of Ash Ketchum, and displayed altered mugshots styled like Pokémon cards, prompting backlash from fans who want Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to respond.
- Fan reactions and calls for action
- Legal context and past music disputes
- Requests to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company
DHS post and video
The Department of Homeland Security published a video on its X account that combined footage of federal raids and arrests with clips from the Pokémon animated series and the tagline “Gotta catch ’em all,” and it included suspect mugshots altered to look like Pokémon cards.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All. pic.twitter.com/qCvflkJGmB
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 22, 2025
Customs and Border Patrol reply
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection account on X shared a separate post that joked Pikachu was “Border Patrol’s newest recruit.” The CBP post drew attention alongside the DHS video.
Border Patrol’s newest recruit. pic.twitter.com/KjGhBdsq7X
— CBP (@CBP) September 23, 2025
Fan reactions and calls for action
Pokémon and Nintendo fans reacted quickly online. On Reddit, a top comment read: “Just incredible how this pack of morons keep finding more and more ways to be villainous.”
Several X users urged Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to pursue legal action for the use of their characters and imagery. One top reply to the DHS post said, “We need to channel all of the world’s energy into [Nintendo] and [The Pokémon Company] to sue the FUCKING SHIT out of Homeland Security for unauthorized visual representation!”
"We need to channel all of the world's energy into @NintendoAmerica and @Pokemon to sue the FUCKING SHIT out of Homeland Security for unauthorized visual representation!" pic.twitter.com/k2dmm4WmYO
— MomagicLOL (@MomagicLOL) September 23, 2025
Other users advised fans to report trademark use to Nintendo’s legal team and shared information on how to flag unauthorized use.
Whoops, I dropped this… pic.twitter.com/weXIdRo3JH
— Regis' Cartoons (@RegisCartoons) September 23, 2025
One prominent reaction thread appeared on Reddit where users criticized the tone of the posts and called for corporate responses.
Legal context and past music disputes
The use of pop culture materials by government accounts is not new. In recent years, there have been disputes over the use of copyrighted music and imagery in political and government content. For example, DHS and Border Patrol previously posted a video that featured a song by The White Stripes on Instagram earlier this year.
More broadly, musicians and other rights holders have publicly opposed political uses of their work; a list of such instances is documented on Wikipedia.
Musicians who have opposed the use of their music
Requests to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company
Fans asked Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to take action regarding the DHS post. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have not published a public response to the DHS video as of the latest reports.
Polygon has reached out to Nintendo of America and The Pokémon Company for comment and said it would update its coverage when the companies respond.
