“No AI is being used in the creation or production” of Sekiro anime 

A little over two years ago it was reported that an anime adaptation for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was in the works. Finally, during Gamescom Opening Night Live, Sekiro: No Defeat was officially announced alongside a teaser trailer. In an unfortunate reflection of our current society, the studio has now had to come out to confirm that “no AI is being used in the creation or production of this anime.”

The discourse surrounding generative AI in creative mediums has been a contentious one, with many studios, companies and conglomerates putting their full weight behind this latest tech bubble.

As such, many fans of FromSoftware’s action-RPG showed skepticism regarding Sekiro: No Defeat’s production studio Qzil.la – who on their own website have claimed to “utilize the latest technologies such as AI to evolve production processes and expressions, thereby bringing about digital disruption in the anime industry.”

Following this discovery, the studio shared a statement to IGN, writing: “We're incredibly excited to bring Sekiro: No Defeat exclusively to Crunchyroll in 2026. 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.”

Of course, it’s entirely possible that Qzil.la was merely paying lip service to the AI gold rush on its website – but regardless the optics aren’t great.

All that said, what was shown of the anime so far does look good, with a relatively unique art style and glimpses of exciting action. Hopefully Qzil.la are indeed telling the truth.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the trailer? Is generative AI a tech bubble? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Become a Patron!