Summary
- Toei Animation wants to use AI in anime production, sparking controversy among fans and animators.
- The company is not currently using AI but plans to incorporate it in processes like storyboard creation.
- AI in anime raises concerns about job security for animators and intellectual property rights.
Toei Animation recently addressed the controversy surrounding its decision to pivot to the use of artificial intelligence in anime production. Last week, Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece and Dragon Ball, shared a report on its earnings from the last fiscal year (April 2024 to March 2025).
As usual, the report contained information beyond the company's financial balance, including its future plans. One highlight is that Toei Animation is pivoting toward producing live-action media to attract an international audience. According to the company, they don't see how to continue growing among the Japanese audience.
'It's The End Of Toei': One Piece Studio Confirms It Will Use AI In Anime
Toei Animation has confirmed that it will start using AI.
Toei Wants to Use More A.I. In Anime Production
One of the most controversial points in the report is that Toei Animation has stated that it is investing in A.I. And that the company wants to employ this technology in anime production. The document cites processes such as storyboard creation, coloring, in-between animation, generating background from photos, and frame correction as being affected by this new initiative.
This sparked an immediate negative reaction among fans, and even among animators who work on series made by Toei. One Piece animator Vincent Chansard stated on social media that "everyone's as confused as me," indicating that the news caught other animators by surprise.
Following the negative reaction, Toei edited the document, which now states that the company is not currently using AI technology in any of the mentioned processes, but still wants to eventually do so. In other words, Toei is not using AI at the moment, but is investing in it and will likely start using it soon.
Since 2021, Toei has been investing in AI. The company will likely develop its own AI with the help of other AI companies, but the model will probably be built using internal information.
Why Is AI So Controversial?
AI has sparked lots of controversy for many different reasons. The most vocal complaints are usually related to working conditions and intellectual property. AI models need to be fed with massive amounts of data, and AI companies usually don't disclose where this data comes from — and many other companies and artists fear that AI companies are using protected content without authorization.
As for working conditions, many people, perhaps including many animators, fear that AI will eventually replace them, and fear that it will lead to fewer job opportunities in the future. In the case of the anime industry, companies also claim that they are pivoting to AI due to a current labor shortage.
Source: AnimeCorner
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Seasons
- 21
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Producers
- Yoshihiro Suzuki
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
