Crunchyroll Says Sekiro Anime Doesn’t Use AI

On August 19, an anime adaptation of Sekiro, the beloved game from From Software, was announced. The anime will be handled by studio Qzil.la and will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll.

A trailer showcasing the animation was released, and some fans noticed a strange frame where one of the character’s hands looked odd, as if it had been generated by AI.

First, here’s the trailer:

And below is the frame in question, which became a topic of discussion among some fans.

Most people doubted that the studio was using AI, but one profile insisting on AI use claimed that the studio’s own website mentioned AI. Given the negative reactions, the anime’s official account released a statement, which Crunchyroll also shared:

Fans celebrated the statement and started commenting on how some so-called “anime fans” see a single flawed frame and immediately assume it was made by AI. Anyone who has watched anime for years knows it’s very common to find animation mistakes in individual frames.