The manga and anime industries have entered a new era of conflict, and this time, the opponent is not piracy or declining print sales. It is artificial intelligence. After years of quietly observing AI’s rapid evolution, Japan’s largest publishing giants and creative organizations have taken a unified stand. They believe AI may empower creativity, but only if it respects the people who actually create.

The tipping point came this autumn with OpenAI’s rollout of Sora 2, a generative AI tool capable of producing highly convincing anime-style videos. Almost overnight, fans spotted countless clips that echoed famous characters and scenes. To publishers, this wasn’t innovation, it was appropriation. And now, manga’s most powerful voices are saying “enough” in an official statement from Sh

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