Japanese Voice Actor Sues TikTok Over AI Voice Cloning

A high-profile Japanese actor and anime voice talent has filed suit against TikTok over videos allegedly featuring an AI clone of his iconic voice.

Fans sometimes idolize voice actors in Japan’s celebrated animation industry as much as the characters they portray. One major example is Kenjiro Tsuda, best known for his roles in anime franchises like “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” He’s perhaps Japan’s first voice actor to take a major company to court over alleged AI clones of his voice, filing suit against TikTok over a series of videos featuring a narrator that sounds strikingly familiar to the 55-year-old.

TikTok argues the voice is merely a “generic male voice,” and any similarity to Tsuda’s own “lustrous” baritone is entirely subjective, according to court records. But the anonymous account in question uses a picture resembling a character from “Jujutsu Kaisen” voiced by Tsuda.

The videos combine images and presumably AI-generated narration about urban legends and conspiracy theories. At one point, the account had over 200,000 subscribers and would have been raking in upwards of 500,000 yen ($3,200) in monthly revenue, according to Tsuda’s legal team. They argue that the account “only gained popularity because its dubious, sordid content was narrated by the attractive voice of a popular character.”

Yuko Sasaki, Executive Director of the Japan Actors Union, said that an actor’s voice “is the result of years of rigorous training and apprenticeship” and “something [they] spend lots of time and money perfecting.”

“[The court should] acknowledge that ownership of a voice is a fundamental right,” said Sasaki, adding that the Japan Actors Union “support[s] Tsuda wholeheartedly.”

TikTok, meanwhile, questions Tsuda’s “national fame” and recognition, denying that the account was taking advantage of a pre-existing and well-known brand in violation of Japan’s unfair competition prevention laws. Instead, TikTok claims it was merely a host of a “forum where users could post creative and ingenious content within the scope of free speech,” seemingly downplaying its role in facilitating any violation of IP.

Tatsuhiro Ueno, a professor of intellectual property studies at Waseda University, said it is “very unlikely” that Tsuda will be denied publicity rights for his voice. Especially given his role in a current and ongoing series in “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which made his voice “highly recognizable in Europe,” Ueno says the matter will likely elicit broad international interest.