Manga That Won Young Jump Award Accused of Being Generated by AI

The use of AI in manga has become a major topic in Japan after the winning work of one of the country’s most respected awards for new creators raised suspicions of having been created with AI. The controversy began after the official announcement of the results of the 36th edition of Young Jump’s rookie award.

Manga That Won Young Jump Award Accused of Being Generated by AI

Mangaka Ichigyo Tanaka, author of Junket Bank, was one of the judges for this edition of the contest. Among the winners, the work Mikuni no Hane Hanezamsama, submitted by Morinaga Burubon, received three awards at once: honorable mention, best work of the month, and debut author prize. With that, the artist earned around 430,000 yen, approximately 2,800 dollars.

In the official evaluation, judges praised the quality of the drawings, visual composition, and the effort to keep readers engaged with action scenes and sensual appeal. However, they also pointed out major issues, such as weak character development, a confusing plot, and an overload of poorly explained information, which harmed the reading pace.

Despite the positive technical evaluation, public reaction was immediate after the work was published. On November 26, 2025, the manga exploded in popularity on Twitter, surpassing 18 million views. However, the attention wasn’t exactly due to artistic merit, but due to accusations that the material had been created with AI. If you want to check it yourself, you can take a look at the manga.

Readers began listing details they found suspicious, such as characters changing appearance between pages, generic faces resembling AI-generated images, body proportion errors, and backgrounds that looked like artificial collages. Many also criticized the narrative, claiming that the dialogue felt strange and scenes shifted without clear logic.

One viral tweet mentioned curious examples, including female characters with beards, distorted-looking children’s eyes, and facial expressions that resembled automatic image-generation models. The most repeated question was direct: does Young Jump allow the use of AI in manga submissions?

So far, the publisher responsible for the contest has not issued an official statement. The award’s rules do not explicitly prohibit the use of artificial intelligence, which has fueled even more outrage among readers and artists. Hundreds of users have begun demanding a transparent investigation into the creation of the work.

On the other hand, some people argue that technology is inevitable and that the problem is not the tool itself, but the lack of clear rules. For many, manga competitions will need strict guidelines to prevent fraud and protect creators who work traditionally.

This is already considered Japan’s first major scandal involving a possible AI-made manga receiving official recognition. Regardless of the investigation’s outcome, the incident has already pressured publishers and organizers to review their policies.