Kenjiro Tsuda Sues TikTok Over AI Voice Cloning in Japan's First Celebrity Deepfake Case

Yu-Gi-Oh Voice Actor Sues TikTok Over Alleged AI Deepfakes

Kenjiro Tsuda, the Japanese voice actor behind some of modern anime’s most famous characters, including Yu-Gi-Oh's Seto Kaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen's Kento Nanami, and My Hero Academia's Overhaul, has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against the social media and video platform TikTok, alleging that 188 videos featuring an AI-generated recreation of his voice have been posted to the platform since July 2024. As spotted by The Yomiuri Shimbun (via Automaton), Tsuda filed the suit back in November 2025, but the litigation wasn't publicly reported on until May 23. According to the actor’s legal team, roughly 188 videos featuring an AI-slop rip-off of Tsuda’s voice have been uploaded to TikTok by a single account. The deepfakes are estimated to have generated monthly revenue of somewhere between Â¥500,000 and Â¥750,000, which roughly equates between $3,100 and $4,700. According to a statement provided to The Yomiuri Shimbun by Tsuda’s lawyers, the actor is suing TikTok for violating Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Law, specifically in regards to the law’s Article 2.1, which prohibits the act of "causing confusion with another person's goods or business." “If unauthorized voice generation via AI is left unchecked, it could hinder the development of the voice acting industry,†stated Tsuda’s lawyers, in the translation provided by The Japan News. “Through winning this lawsuit, we hope to clarify the scope of what would constitute a violation of law and support voice actors in exercising their rights.†However, the operator of TikTok's Japanese subsidiary claims that the AI-narrated videos simply feature a "generic male voice," which has been dubbed as the “艶ã¤ã'"/tsuya tsuya†voice by users on the platform (which roughly translates to “glossy/silkyâ€). “We have been responding appropriately within the context of the lawsuit and will refrain from making any comment,†stated TikTok’s Japanese operator in the comment provided to The Yomiuri Shimbun. The first public argument in the case is expected to take place at some point in the next three months.

Actor files lawsuit against TikTok operator over AI-generated voice use

A popular voice actor has filed a lawsuit against the operator of TikTok, demanding the deletion of videos using a voice he claims was created by generative artificial intelligence imitating his voice, it was learned Monday. The lawsuit, filed with the Tokyo District Court by Kenjiro Tsuda last November, is believed to be Japan's first such case against the unauthorized use of a celebrity's voice created by generative AI. According to the complaint, at least 188 videos featuring narrations with voice characteristics resembling Tsuda's were posted by one account on TikTok between July 2024 and September 2025. The number of the page's followers totaled about 210,000, while the videos reportedly generated monthly revenue of between ¥500,000 and ¥750,000 based on view counts. The plaintiff's side claimed that the narrations were intentionally generated, saying an analysis of the audio data found the AI output resembles Tsuda's distinctive deep and mellow voice. Tsuda's side argued that his publicity right, which allows celebrities to control the commercial use of their names and images, was violated. The TikTok side argued that the narrations were a generic male voice and not particularly distinctive, saying that the plaintiff's claim is based on subjective and sensory evaluation. Regarding the unauthorized use of the voices of actors and singers created by generative AI, the Justice Ministry set up an expert panel in April to clarify procedures for making civil claims for damages. Tsuda is known for voicing Kylo Ren of the "Star Wars" movie series and Kento Nanami, a popular character in Japanese anime series "Jujutsu Kaisen."