Streamer LEON Admits Using Shiromanta's Art for AI After Lying
Shiromanta explicitly separated the AI debate from the lie, so the dispute is about a broken trust between friends in the streaming community, not about AI itself.
Reporting from 1 source: KAI-YOU.
Streamer LEON representative admitted on Sept 3 that he used an illustration gifted by manga artist Shiromanta for AI image generation, and acknowledged giving false explanations when asked. Shiromanta, known for My Senpai is Annoying, streamed that night and said he does not intend to opine on AI use itself, but that being lied to by a friend was very sad and unacceptable. The admission followed confirmation by fellow streamer Kenki, who checked with LEON representative after Shiromanta flagged the image.
LEON representative posted an apology and a timeline on X around 9 p.m. on Sept 3, after Shiromanta asked him to explain publicly. The sequence began in April 2023, when Shiromanta drew the illustration as a gift. In August 2026, watching the stream for the Rust event DEATH GAME, Shiromanta spotted an image that looked like his illustration run through AI. When he asked on Sept 1, LEON representative said he would check with the vendor, refused to name it citing confidentiality, and denied using AI himself. Shiromanta asked him not to use the illustrations until doubts cleared. The facts emerged when Shiromanta saw the image in a video by Kenki, a DEATH GAME participant, and Kenki confirmed LEON representative had run the illustration through AI with full knowledge.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.