LINE Manga Launches byUs AI Fan Fiction Service With Author Approval
LINE Manga is testing whether author consent can do the work that copyright law has not settled, and it is doing so on a platform that already runs character chat.
Reporting from 1 source: Otakuma Economic News (Anime/Manga).
LINE Manga began offering byUs on October 19, a service where users converse with AI versions of manga characters and build new stories as the protagonist. It has two modes: Official Story, which follows the original work's world and settings, and Fan Story, which lets users set new situations. The first lineup includes Joy and Esther from "Tonari no Seki no Engineer-san ga Tenshoku Shitai You Desu." and Ren Tachibana and Reo Momotani from "Sakusenmei wa Junjo."
Only works approved by their original authors appear in byUs. Users cannot bring in characters from any manga of their choosing; the service lists the titles cleared for participation and plans to add characters over time. Stories users create can be published to other users.
The service sits inside the LINE Manga app and runs on free tickets earned through daily logins, or on manga coins. LINE login is required, and the app must be version 26.10.10 or later. NAVER WEBTOON offered byUs before LINE Manga, starting in June 2026, and the announcement cites 14 million conversations in the first 10 weeks.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Otakuma Economic News (Anime/Manga) 原作者が承認した作品でAI二次創作 LINEマンガに新サービス「byUs」