Manga Author Yoichiro Tanabe Angers STU48 Idols After Using AI to edit them into a Bikini
I think it’s already possible to put together a long list of manga authors who decided to stain their careers, and right after reporting on the BL author who used the Chinese flag to talk about Taiwan, we now have manga artist Yoichiro Tanabe, who managed to invoke the fury of the idols from the STU48 group!
Tanabe Yoichiro is the author of the school romance manga with time travel Dol Wota Never Die. STU48, on the other hand, is a sister idol group to the massive AKB48, and many girls have already passed through this idol group. The thing is, Tanabe had (well, now had) a working relationship with STU48, creating illustrations for the group.
Manga Artist Asks Grok to Put Idol in a Bikini, She Sees It, and Partnership With the Group Is Ended
But everything changed when the author “needed reference materials of the idols,” and he was caught asking Grok to put idol Kudo Riko in a bikini. The photo chosen was the one below:
Please put her in a bikini, Grok!
The situation got WORSE because SHE SAW IT! Kudo Riko herself ended up seeing it and shared Tanabe’s post, expressing through emojis everything she was feeling at that moment after seeing what a manga artist who had a partnership with her group was doing with a photo of her.
After being exposed (and before apologizing), the author — who, it’s worth emphasizing, had a commercial partnership with STU48 to draw artwork — said that it was necessary to see her in a bikini so the illustrations could be better produced! YES, HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT, claiming he needed a reference! And that there was nothing better than seeing her in a bikini for that.
Author Apologizes and Ends Commercial Partnership With STU48
The situation escalated when another STU48 member, Mai Nakamura, also spoke up in the comments, stating that the attitude wasn’t funny at all and asking the manga artist to delete the post. She emphasized that this kind of content should not be shared on an open platform accessible to everyone.
As the backlash grew, Tanabe Yoichiro became widely criticized, not only by fans of the group but also by users concerned about the irresponsible use of artificial intelligence and the violation of image rights. Under pressure, Tanabe deleted everything related to the controversy and published a formal apology.
In his statement, he acknowledged that he had an insufficient understanding of image rights and the impact of generative AI. He also admitted that he failed to respect appropriate boundaries in his professional relationship with the idols he worked with, describing his own behavior as arrogant and reckless.
In addition to the apology, Tanabe announced the end of any collaboration with STU48, stating that he intends to be more careful in future projects. On the same day, the idol group’s management released an official statement reinforcing its policy on protecting the members’ image rights.
STU48’s management made it clear that photos taken without authorization or AI-generated images using the members’ likeness could result in legal action. According to the statement, the company may request identifying information of those responsible and consider legal measures if their identity is confirmed.
If Tanabe Yoichiro were smart, he would know that he wouldn’t even need Grok to put them in bikinis, since the idols themselves post real photos of themselves wearing bikinis:
This is Kudo Riko herself in a bikini, in a photo published on her own profile!