7 Biggest AI Controversies in Anime

You can barely look anywhere in the entertainment industry these days without seeing artificial intelligence mentioned. The technology has been wildly controversial as fans and creators are hoping to protect those who help make the stories that so many have come to know. In the anime world, Japan has been on the offensive in many ways to protect creators, with organizations formed to protect animators, voice actors, and others involved in creating television series and feature-length films. With A.I. continuing to be a controversial topic, now seems like the right time to examine some of the biggest artificial intelligence controversies in the industry.

7.) Amazon’s Banana Fish Boondoggle

Last year, Amazon came under fire for using A.I. to completely dub some major anime projects on the streaming service. Specifically, Banana Fish, Vinland Saga, and No Game No Life received English Dubs using artificial intelligence instead of human voice actors. Thanks to the fan backlash to the atrocious dubs, Amazon decided to reverse course and remove the A.I. dubs. Luckily, the company hasn’t created any other anime series using this technology, and it doesn’t seem as though Amazon will try doing so again in the future.

6.) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure A.I. Soundtrack

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s anime hasn’t dipped its toes into the world of artificial intelligence, but that didn’t stop one of its live-action adaptations from doing so. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan’s latest film, Rohan At The Louvre, had its entire soundtrack created using A.I., a fact that threw many fans for a loop. Despite the backlash, the film’s composer did not strike the soundtrack from the film and create a new one, leaving the A.I. creation intact. With JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run coming to Netflix next month, Rohan’s controversial artificial intelligence has seemingly been left in the past.

5.) Studio Ghibli Becomes an A.I. Target

Studio Ghibli has long been one of the most legendary anime studios, creating entries that resonate with fans such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, The Boy And The Heron, and too many others to list here. With many fans deciding to recreate live-action events using Ghibli’s art style by employing artificial intelligence, the works of Hayao Miyazaki were being used in ways that the creator wasn’t too happy to see. Like so many trends in the entertainment world, the use of Ghibli art in A.I. isn’t nearly as prevalent in 2026, but it still appears from time to time. Even the White House used the art style with artificial intelligence in a moment that made plenty of headlines.

4.) Crunchyroll’s Subtitle Issue

Last year, Crunchyroll ran into controversy thanks to the subtitles discovered in the creepy series, Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show. Throughout the anime, fans began to notice that some of the subtitles used in the show had some inconsistencies that led fans to believe A.I. was used. Crunchyroll did respond to the controversy by stating that a third party was employed to create the subtitles, having previously released a statement on the use of artificial intelligence. The previous statement read, “We are not considering AI in the creative process, including our voice actors. We consider them to be creators because they are contributing to the story and plot with their voice.”

3.) Mechanical Marie’s A.I. Backlash

This specific instance has plenty of questions surrounding it, as many anime fans believe that the recent series, Mechanical Marie, used A.I. art to bring some of its events to the screen. The manga’s creator Aki Akimoto had commented briefly on the art employed on the anime, but ever since, fans have been wondering whether artificial intelligence was implemented. Even news outlets refused to report on the series, believing that the show had used A.I. for its art, though to this day, nothing has been confirmed one way or the other.

2.) Dragon Ball & One Piece’s A.I. Decision

Last year, the production house responsible for Dragon Ball and One Piece, Toei Animation, released a statement regarding its future use of A.I. While Toei hasn’t confirmed that it will be using artificial intelligence in the same way as Amazon had, the production house still caused controversy amongst fans with how they plan on employing the technology. Specifically, Toei stated last year, “We will seek to co-develop new business opportunities and improve the efficiency and quality of our production, capitalizing on synergies between AI and animation production technologies.”

1.) Netflix’s The Dog & The Boy

One of the earliest entries on this list, Netflix caused plenty of controversy when it announced the creation of a new short film titled The Dog & The Boy. Released in 2023, the film focuses on a young boy and his trusty robotic canine, though fans weren’t thrilled to see the implementation of A.I. in the work. While human artists worked on the project, Netflix employed artificial intelligence throughout the process of creating the film to, according to the streaming service, ‘address the anime industry’s ongoing labor shortage.’ Specifically, Netflix stated, “We used image generation technology for the background images of all three-minute video cuts.”

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Netflix’s AI Anime Is Stirring Major Industry Backlash