In a world where most celebrity beef is fake, a disgusting marketing tool used to sell products to the unassuming masses, it’s nice to see one celebrity bringing beef back to its roots. Who, you may ask, has saved us from this morass of mass entertainment? None other than Conan O’Brien, who has indeed started a controversy with the entire country of Japan.
Yes, the late-night host finally discovered a popular manga character overseas called Detective Conan. Conan has beef because he believes the character is a ripoff of his likeness. How so? Well, the series follows “a man trapped in a child’s body,” which Conan believes obviously describes him. The character was created in 1994, one year after Conan went on the air, adding to the suspicion. A town even changed its name to Conantown in honor of the character.
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Outraged, Conan demanded three trillion yen in exchange for his likeness to be used in such a manner. And the mayor of Conantown actually responded, saying they’d meet his request if he visited the town. Going off on a power trip, Conan then raised his demands, adding that the most popular laundromat in town must bear his name. Then he’d consider going.
You can watch the whole clip below.
