Square Enix’s new AI tool could cut 3,000 hours of manga work every year

by

Square Enix reports that editing manga is a very time-intensive process, with editors dedicating over 3,000 hours annually to it. To reduce this workload, the company is now turning to artificial intelligence.

The publisher is working with the AI company Mantra, based in Tokyo, to create a tool that automatically formats dialogue. This tool handles details like choosing the right fonts, sizes, and styles, and positioning each line of text.

The system has finished beta testing and is now being used within Square Enix, as announced in a recent press release.

Revoloutionary AI being used to cut down manga production

Even though you might not notice it, the way manga is laid out on the page is really important. Editors carefully adjust each speech bubble to match the situation, whether it’s normal conversation, someone yelling, or a character’s thoughts.

With manga that have a lot of text, like Jujutsu Kaisen and the ongoing series One Piece, this work can easily total thousands of hours annually.

This new tool simplifies the process by automatically reviewing unformatted pages, understanding the content within speech bubbles and text, and then recommending layouts that fit the space and match the intended feeling of each line.

While editors continue to refine the final product, this system eliminates the tedious task of writing lengthy font guidelines for each panel.

Both Square Enix and Mantra have emphasized that the AI tool only handles page layout – it doesn’t create or change the artwork itself. This ensures artists and editors still have full creative control.

Our internal tests, conducted with 1,516 pages, showed that 73% of editors were happy with the tool overall. Every editor surveyed also said they’d like to keep using it.

According to Square Enix Executive Officer Katsuyoshi Matsuura, this tool was created to help editors work more efficiently. It combines insights from editors with Square Enix’s AI technology and over ten years of experience in the digital entertainment industry.

We’re not just aiming to be faster; we want to free up our editors to concentrate on helping creators succeed. We’ll use AI to take care of the more repetitive, everyday tasks.

Artificial intelligence is showing up in many areas, like helping to fight illegal downloads of Japanese comics and animation. It’s also changing how video game companies hire artists – some are now asking potential hires to draw in real-time during interviews to confirm their work isn’t created by AI. In fact, a manga created entirely by AI recently became a bestseller in Japan.

Read More

2026-04-17 16:20