Controversy Surrounds Sekiro Anime Adaptation Over Suspected AI Usage

Studio Behind New 'Sekiro' Anime Denies Use of AI

Concerns were sparked online by purportedly rough-looking shots in the first trailer for Qzil.la's adaptation of the hit FromSoftware game. Earlier this week at Gamescom, Crunchyroll unveiled a first look at its upcoming Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice anime, Sekiro: No Defeat, which adapts the popular PlayStation Soulslike game developed by FromSoftware, Inc. But in the wake of the trailer's release, concerns from fans online began to suggest and speculate that some off-looking parts of the trailer may have been down to a use of generative AI. Qzil.la, the studio behind No Defeat, was not prominently featured in its marketing in the trailer released this past Tuesday during Gamescom's Opening Night Live stream. So, when people online, both on Reddit and in the trailer's YouTube comment section, were concerned that some of the animation they saw in the otherwise smooth-looking trailer might have been created with generative AI tools, concerns were raised further when critics started looking into Qzil.la's past works. An examination of the anime database MyAnimeList found no prior notable works by the studio, making them a surprising choice for a major adaptation of one of Sony's most successful video games (Sekiro has sold 10 million copies since its release in 2019, according to IGN). Furthermore, a section of Qzil.la's own website explicitly notes that the studio, according to machine translation, will "challenge the conventional wisdom of existing methods," doing so in part by utilizing "the latest technologies such as AI... thereby bringing about digital disruption in the anime industry." Although Qzil.la's original post on Twitter announcing the No Defeat trailer described the series as a "2D animation," the studio is involved in other upcoming series that utilize generative AI technologies. A talk in March earlier this year at the Niigata International Animation Film Festival saw representatives from the studio, alongside partners from Comisuma, discuss their work using AI in the production of the 2026 series The Life of a Gigolo, describing the series as cel animation where "approximately 60% of the animation is being produced using AI." But for just as many concerns that began circulating online, No Defeat's announcement likewise saw users come to the series' defense, touting the animation legacy of creatives confirmed for the project. No Defeat is directed by Kenichi Kutsuna, a former animator on Naruto responsible for some of the anime's most impressive action sequences. Qzil.la's official website also notes that its CEO, Shun Fukudome, is a former animator at Production I.G. But the controversy grew to a point that saw Qzil.la release a new statement today where it denied any use of generative AI. "We're incredibly excited to bring Sekiro: No Defeat exclusively to Crunchyroll in 2026," an English translation of the statement, provided to io9 by Crunchyroll, begins. "The whole anime adaptation is a fully hand-drawn 2D animation created by the talented teams at Qzil.la, ARCH, and Kadokawa. We can confirm that no AI is being used in the creation or production of this anime. Fans can look forward to the same artistry and precision that defined the original game, now reimagined in a new medium." Today's statement was prefaced on the Japanese news website Natalie, which writes that the show was "all in hand-drawn 2D animation." Kutsuna also provided a comment to Natalie about the anime, adding to the confusion over how much, if any, AI was used in the show's production, given the company's statements on it being a part of its mission and the anime's tweet stating the opposite. "In adapting the overwhelmingly beautiful Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice into an anime, I have gathered all the beauty I can muster and approached the production of this work. Whether you're a fan of the game or are experiencing the world of Sekiro for the first time through the anime, this is a work that you will surely take home with you as something special. Please look forward to it. Qzil.la CEO Shun Fukudome also provided a comment on the anime, writing, "Expressing the charm of the original work, which combines beauty and intensity, in animation has been a challenge that requires great resolve. Together with the wonderful creators who have agreed to take on this challenge, we are working every day to pursue the visual beauty that can only be expressed through animation. We will work wholeheartedly to create a work that will leave a deep impression on fans of the original work, as well as those experiencing the work for the first time through anime." "We are taking on the monumental task of animating the breathtakingly beautiful Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In doing so, we are pouring every ounce of our artistic vision and passion for beauty into its production," Kutsuna said in a comment provided to IGN. "The final product is being crafted to be a truly memorable experience, one that will leave a lasting impression on both dedicated fans of the game and those who are discovering the world of Sekiro for the very first time. Please look forward to it." Lately, AI's growing pervasiveness in the animation space, including the U.S. government's involvement in the Studio Ghibli AI art trend, has become a source of ire for fans. In essence, the rise of AI art has led to individuals scrutinizing animated shows for using AI in their production instead of human workers, and this practice is now being called into question with Crunchyroll's Sekiro anime. This trend is further exacerbated for anime viewers with juggernaut studios like Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece, stating that AI will enhance their shows in the future. With companies expressly claiming to be interested in AI, using this technology in the future seems only to prelude those same companies having incidents where they'll have to come forward to deny them. The same can be said for streamer Crunchyroll, which came under fire back in July when an episode of the anime Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror was released on the platform with German-language subtitling explicitly revealing that it had been written by ChatGPT. Crunchyroll pulled the subtitles, telling Aftermath that "We were made aware that AI-generated subtitles were employed by a third-party vendor, which is in violation of our agreement. We are investigating the matter and are working to rectify the error." That move itself came after concerns were raised last year by a comment from Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini, who at the time told The Verge that the streamer was experimenting with generative AI and LLMs to "improve and optimize [their] processes" for delivering subtitles in more languages for simulcast releases. After backlash, Purini walked the comments back a month later in an interview with Polygon. "AI is new, we are curious to see what it can do, what it cannot do, to understand it better," Purini told Polygon. "Quality is of paramount importance for us, and if we find out the technology is not to the level that it can create the best subtitles we want for our fans, then we will wait until the technology gets there. And if it never gets there, then it never gets there." The rise of generative AI has made many fields, anime production included, a more scrutinized battleground, where fans feel compelled to reconsider projects they're otherwise excited about out of a fear that AI may have played a significant role in their creation -- at the expense of human artistry. At the very least, Sekiro: No Defeat is apparently not one of these projects to worry over, but as the world continues to wrangle with the minefield of considering the public response to generative AI, controversies like this will continue to appear.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice anime studio Qzil.la lands in the hotseat after suspected AI usage -- though whether it's generative or not is still up in the air

The Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice anime, announced at Gamescom 2025, has found itself landing squarely in the hotseat -- as it turns out, the studio brought in by Crunchyroll to produce it, named Qzil.la, might just be using generative AI in their work. Well. Potentially. Here's the evidence for: As pointed out on Bluesky, Qzil.la's website, when run through a machine translation, reads: "We challenge the conventional wisdom of existing methods, collaborate with partner companies with high technical capabilities, and utilize the latest technologies such as AI to evolve production processes and expressions, thereby bringing about digital disruption in the anime industry." Digging into the studio's history, others have discovered there've also been similar examples of Qzil.la boasting proudly about its use of AI. Namely, a presentation about how "60% of the animation is being produced using AI" in an upcoming series. I also stumbled into a past collaboration Qzil.la made with Azuki, an NFT project. The evidence against? First-off, Qzil.la repeatedly emphasises that the Sekiro anime is "fully hand-drawn 2D animation". Which would beat most accusations off at the punch for this anime, at least -- though there's wiggle room. Perhaps the base drawings are done by hand, and the in-betweens or backgrounds are 'merely' AI assisted. Moreover, the series itself has a solid team behind it: Yūji Kaneko is its art director, and he's worked on proper series like Kill la Kill, My Little Witch Academia, and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Colour designer Azusa Sasaki has credits on Sword Art Online and Zombieland Saga. Cinematographer Keisuke Nozawa crops up in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and multiple Pokémon movies. In other words, there are industry professionals here, and I'm not super sold on the idea they'd hitch their wagon to a monstrously unpopular practice off the cuff. It's possible, mind, it just seems unlikely. While I think the "for" column is looking stacked, I want to urge some caution: It's likely Qzil.la's shin-deep in all sorts of techno-bubbles, and you can feel however you want about that. I just think you should be getting accurately mad. However, there's a slim chance it's just the routine use of non-generative AI tools in animation, which has been normal for years before gen AI took off. Don't blame me, blame the boneheaded naming convention that's got us all talking in circles. I particularly don't find the frames plucked from the trailer with multiple fingers or weird hands convincing -- in animation, in-between frames often look strange. Either because they're "smear" frames, meant to exaggerate movement, or because the animation industry is kinda a hellscape, things are done to tight budgets, and the blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments are the first corners to be cut. As always, what might look like AI could simply just be cheap or bad. I've contacted Qzil.la directly for comment, and I'll update this article if I receive a response.

Anime fans are accusing Sekiro: No Defeat animation artists of using AI: "Oh that's really bad"

The studio behind Sekiro: No Defeat has already been accused of using AI The upcoming anime adaptation of the popular video game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has just released its first trailer, and the creators have already been accused of using AI in animation. Soon after the trailer for anime series Sekiro: No Defeat dropped, one viewer took to Reddit to ask whether other anime fans think that the show has used AI to create animation. Although the screenshot has now been deleted, the still showed one character who seemed to have an extra finger. The user said, "Honestly, if I'm going to watch a Sekiro anime made with AI, I'd rather it not even be produced." At first, it seemed as though some Reddit users agreed that the dubious-looking screenshot did look AI-rendered. "Oh that's really bad," replied one fan, and another added, "I usually tell people to reserve their judgment, but I won't lie, it's not the frame here, but the trailer looks like an everyday fan-made animation on YouTube." The user does have a reason to question the anime, as although Sekiro: No Defeat is said to be a fully hand-drawn adaptation, the studio behind the series has already fallen in hot water for its AI usage. Via its official website, anime studio Qzil.la states that the company "is pioneering the future of entertainment by combining the latest technology and creativity without being bound by conventional ideas." The question is whether that 'technology' includes AI-generated animation. However, many fans quickly jumped to the series' defence, stating that the still was simply a smear frame used to show motion. "That's a smear frame. We've really reached the point where kids are calling smear frames AI," said one user. Another added, "Look up anime in-between frames and you'll quickly see that even the best anime have hilariously awful motion or in-between frames. Like, we know this by now." Based on the popular video game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by FromSoftware, Sekiro: No Defeat follows a hero who tries to restore balance to a dismantled Japan, after a ceaseless war left it fractured into many independent nations.

Sekiro: No Defeat Production Company Says No AI Is Being Used in Anime's Creation or Production - IGN

"The whole anime adaptation is a fully hand-drawn 2D animation," the company says. Qzil.la, the production company behind newly-announced anime Sekiro: No Defeat, has issued a statement in response to concerns that the upcoming series might be created using generative AI, saying this will not be the case. In a statement posted to Twitter/X in Japanese and in an English translation sent to IGN via PR, Qzil.la asserts that the Sekiro anime will be fully hand-drawn. "We're incredibly excited to bring Sekiro: No Defeat exclusively to Crunchyroll in 2026," reads the statement in English. "The whole anime adaptation is a fully hand-drawn 2D animation created by the talented teams at Qzil.la, ARCH and Kadokawa. We can confirm that no AI is being used in the creation or production of this anime. Fans can look forward to the same artistry and precision that defined the original game, now reimagined in a new medium." Sekiro: No Defeat was first announced at gamescom: Opening Night Live this past week as an adaptation of the FromSoftware video game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The anime is being done as a collaboration between Qzil.la, Kadokawa, and ARCH, and will be broadcast on Crunchyroll in 2026. Concerns about generative AI use surfaced almost immediately after the anime was announced, with social media users pointing to a line on Qzil.la's website suggesting the company uses AI in its work. The line reads, via Google Translate, "We are actively developing technology with the goal of maximizing the value created per second by all those involved in anime production. We challenge the conventional wisdom of existing methods, collaborate with partner companies with high technical capabilities, and utilize the latest technologies such as AI to evolve production processes and expressions, thereby bringing about digital disruption in the anime industry." Concerns were further exascerbated by the fact that Crunchyroll itself has recently come under fire for use of ChatGPT to subtitle a new anime series, something CEO Rahul Purini said in 2024 was something the company wanted to do. However, he then told Forbes in April of this year that Crunchyroll was "not considering AI in the creative process". Crunchyroll ultimately blamed the AI subtitle incident on a third-party vendor, saying it would investigate and fix the issues. Sekiro: No Defeat is being directed by kenichi Kutsuna and written by Takuya Satou. Wolf will be voiced by Daisuke Namikawa, Kuro by Miyuki Satou, and Genichiro Ashina by Kenjiro Tsuda. The series will arrive on Crunchyroll sometime next year.