Legendary Japanese manga artist, animator, and producer, Osamu Tezuka, is often referred to as the “God of Manga” and the “Father of Anime.” He revolutionized manga and anime with his striking storytelling, expressive characters, and dynamic panel layouts. Tezuka’s career, spanning over four decades, laid the foundation for modern manga and influenced generations of artists, while pioneering the “big eyes” style that became a staple of anime we watch today. Tezuka’s influence can be seen in countless manga artists, including Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, and many iconic series. Tezuka’s series Astro Boy was a trailblazer in many ways, shaping both anime and manga into what they are today.
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It was Japan’s first animated TV series, setting the foundation for the entire anime industry. Astro Boy also introduced the episodic anime format that became the norm in the industry. The story explored several themes, such as AI ethics, human-robot relations, war, and discrimination, long before these topics became common in pop culture. Tezuka’s legacy in the anime and manga world is unmatched, with people still having respect for his contribution. However, Tezuka’s son, Makoto Tezuka, a film and anime director, caused controversy for using AI in hopes of recreating Tezuka’s iconic works.
Osamu Tezuka’s son Makoto Tezuka says that he’s been training AI for the past 5 years on the drawings of his father to see if it can translate his art into anime accurately. He reports that its still not possible to have coherent direction.https://t.co/WxzJMRwjNU pic.twitter.com/yXibIbDSio
— Manga Mogura RE (Anime & Manga News) (@MangaMoguraRE) March 21, 2025
Makoto Tezuka Has Been Training AI for Five Years
An article by Pia shares updates from the 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival, where a symposium titled “The Future of AI-driven Animation Expression” was held. During the event Makoto Tezuka shared, “I think that the reproduction of the original author’s drawings is a very important evaluation axis in anime, and by having AI learn the original manga and outputting the drawings in the anime, it is possible to reproduce even the finest nuances and get closer to the original. This will be a creative work that will please the audience.”
He further adds, “This is exactly what I have been researching for the past five years, and I have been trying to learn the drawings of Tezuka Osamu’s manga to see if I can create an anime in the style of Tezuka Osamu. What I can say clearly is that ‘animation can be made with the lines drawn by Tezuka Osamu.’ However, it is not yet possible to add direction to it.”
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As expected, social media didn’t take this news very well and even criticized Makoto for disrespecting his father’s work. People commented in a post shared by @MangaMoguraRE which quickly went viral because of the controversial issue.
@No_mizomi252917 writes, “God, I hate Makoto Tezuka so much. Every time I see something about him, it is just so awful and disrespectful to his late dad’s work.”
“Bro. That is such a disappointment to his father. He could’ve spent those 5 years learning art and learning his father’s drawing style. CRAZY,” shares @LaurenceMallen.
@zeeeevs_ adds, “Five years is insane. Imagine your own son trying to recreate your work, not in an original way but a messy, faulty, and wrong way. He could’ve started to learn animation from scratch in those 5 years and still would be doing a better job than whatever this bs he’s trying.”
Makoto Tezuka partially owns Tezuka Productions and is best known for his work in Tezuka’s Barbara, Hakuchi: The Innocent, and Moment. The project using AI is still in its initial phase, with the sole purpose of analyzing Osamu Tezuka’s drawing and storytelling style to create a new manga.
H/T: Pia, @MangaMoguraRE
