Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America issued a statement on social media after AI-generated images surfaced online showing the company’s logo on violent and graphic packaging tied to recent events. The company made it clear the images were not official and strongly condemned the misuse of their branding in such a context.
“We want to make it unequivocally clear: Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc. strongly condemns any form of violence and does not support or endorse the use of our brand, products, or logo in any such context,” the company wrote. “These images are not created, approved, or affiliated with our company in any way.”
The company said it is investigating the situation and is working to remove unauthorized or misleading content that misrepresents its brand. Bandai Namco added that the misuse of its intellectual property “is deeply concerning and will not be tolerated.”
— Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America (@BandaiCollect) September 17, 2025
Entertainment Industry Faces Mounting Fallout
The controversy following Charlie Kirk’s assassination continues to ripple through entertainment, comics, and gaming. Celebrities such as Michael Keaton and Ava Raine have sparked backlash over their remarks, while major publishers and developers — including Bethesda, Epic Games, Blizzard, and SEGA — have been criticized after employees and artists mocked or celebrated Kirk’s death.
Comics publisher DC scrapped Gretchen Felker-Martin’s Red Hood series after inflammatory posts, and legendary artist Alex Ross faced criticism when his X account shared and deleted a Superman image in the aftermath. Author Stephen King also received severe backlash, later apologizing for false claims he posted about Kirk before promoting his new film adaptation The Long Walk.
The video game industry has been hit particularly hard. Ghost of Yōtei developer Drew Harrison lost her position after celebrating Kirk’s death online, leading to a huge amount of dislikes for the new trailer, while Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Kirk’s assassination, allegedly inscribed gaming-related references onto bullet casings tied to the killing.
