Long before he became a whistleblower and cybersecurity activist, Edward Snowden was an anime fan who worked with his friends on a start-up company selling anime art. Last year, he became an anime character himself, when the Lupin III: Goodbye Partner TV special gave him a cameo appearance under the name of "Edward Znoden." Snowden appeared to become aware of his cameo due to a tweet regarding the anime's English-dubbed release, and tweeted: "is this real".

is this real https://t.co/rb4Udiu49O — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 29, 2019

When informed that his cameo was in a Lupin III anime, he tweeted: "It's like a lifetime achievement award. Lupin is one of my favorite series." He also quipped: "let us give thanks that anime is a thing now", referencing the fact that Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Snowden has also used his Twitter account to comment on his favorite Pokémon in the past.

The Lupin III: Goodbye Partner special debuted in Japan on January 25. It was the first "completely original" special in approximately six years, and features Lupin wearing a black jacket. The English dub debuted at Anime NYC on November 17, and released on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Digital on November 18.

Source: Edward Snowden's Twitter account