Gendo Ikari, December 1994 (Tokyo, Japan) - ?
VP candidate for Independent (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Light Yagami (b. 2003)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
My introduction to the world of Japanese animation began and pretty much ended with the Gigantor and Speed Racer afternoon cartoons in the mid-1960s. I never did graduate to the more sophisticated levels of that genre, so both of the candidates on the Light Yagami/Gendo Ikari ticket were unknown to me until I stumbled across them in the course of researching the incredibly large number of obscuro third party Presidential efforts for 2016.
I actually started by looking into the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 efforts that were running Gendo Ikari for President but could not identify any running-mate. But then, by accident, I fell into a Facebook page promoting this profiled team with Gendo Ikari as the VP.
From what I can glean, both characters are villains or anti-heroes in different franchises. Light Yagami from the Death Note series was created in 2003, although in the story he was born in 1986. He originally appeared in the comic format but has been portrayed on live action film, television, video games, novels, and even a musical. Gendo Ikari shows up in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, another example of an idea being presented in a variety of formats, including an amusement park! Created in 1994, the character of Gendo Ikari was born Apr. 29, 1967 in the universe of the fiction. By a weird coincidence, Apr. 29, 2021 was the day I began looking into this candidate.
If I am sorting this out correctly, it seems that both characters were killed off at some point in their stories before the 2016 election took place, but the continual revival of their franchise keeps both "alive" as they acquire a constant new fanbase.
The "Light Yagami and Gendo Ikari 2016" campaign seemed to have a rapid rise and fall. The Facebook page first posted on Sept. 7, 2014 and on Sept. 28, 2014 presented what turned out to be their 8th and final entry. Not really enough time to develop a platform or cultivate petitions for ballot access.
The number of Constitutional barriers preventing these two from obtaining office in the event of their victory would have been considerable.
Election history:
2008 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2012 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2016 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2020 - US President (Independent) - defeated
Other occupations: fictional character
Buried: ?
Notes:
Gendo Ikari was ranked #1 by Otaku Lounge on their list, "5 Male Anime Douchebags" Dec. 1 2013.
