Netflix’s One Piece Anime Remake Studio Officially Confirms AI Use in Latest Release
Wit Studio, the anime studio behind Netflix's upcoming anime remake of One Piece, officially confirmed its controversial usage of AI in its latest Crunchyroll release. On Friday, April 10, 2026, Wit Studio confirmed everyone's worst fears by admitting the new Season 4 anime opening for Ascendance of a Bookworm featured "AI Slop" for the animated backgrounds. The new animated opening, initially released following the Season 4, Episode 1 debut of Ascendance of a Bookworm, has been taken down, and a new animated opening featuring traditional backgrounds will be included from Episode 2 onwards. When the news first broke, fans of Ascendance of a Bookworm: The Lord's Adopted Daughter were furious that the anime's message of learning to create out of passion was undermined by the use of AI, which typically uses unsolicited artwork to generate user-prompted art. Additionally, the now-confirmed use of AI raised concerns among One Piece fans, who feared the controversial tech would be used in the upcoming Netflix anime remake, which still lacks a release date or any solid details about its production.
Rozemyne casting a spell through her ring in Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an ArchdukeImage via Wit Studio
"Regarding our anime production, Ascendance of a Bookworm: The Lord's Adopted Daughter (hereinafter referred to as "this work"), we conducted an investigation into the production process of this work, including the opening sequence, based on the feedback we received after April 4, 2026," Wit Studio revealed, per its official website. "As a result, we confirmed that generative AI was used in the production of some cuts in the opening sequence." "In the production process of the background art for a portion of the opening sequence of the first episode of this work (hereinafter referred to as "this cut"), generative AI was used to create the materials. We will take the following measures. The background art for this shot will be redrawn. Starting with Episode 2, the opening sequence will be replaced with the completed version using the aforementioned background art materials." "While we at our company are always interested in and closely monitor new technologies related to video production, we have, in principle, not permitted the use of generative AI in the video production of our works, including this one. (As an exception, there is the experimental work Dog and Boy, which was created for the purpose of technical verification) Despite this, the current situation has resulted solely from shortcomings in our production management and inspection systems, and we take full responsibility for this series of events." "As the production company for this work, we sincerely apologize to our fans, the original author, and all other parties involved. [...] Taking this incident as an opportunity, we will strive to prevent recurrence by revising our production process guidelines and management system. Thank you for your understanding."
In addition to confirming and promising the removal of the AI-animated Season 4 opening for Ascendance of a Bookworm, Wit Studio made it clear that the outsourced studio Nam Hai Art and the artists involved in its production, such as key artist and storyboard artist Kazuto Nakazawa, are blameless for the situation. Wit Studio's latest statement follows a disappointing showing for its upcoming Netflix anime remake of One Piece, which has yet to release a trailer or announce a release window following its initial December 2023 announcement.
Instead, alongside the Season 3 announcement of Netflix's live-action One Piece series and the official reveal of an animated LEGO spinoff, the latest news for The One Piece featured concept art originally shared during One Piece Day 2024. Given the continued wait and silence regarding The One Piece's production, it's understandable why longtime One Piece fans were further upset and concerned about the latest reveal. Arguably, given the recent AI controversy revolving around Wit Studio's latest work for Crunchyroll, it's possible that the disappointing production trailer for The One Piece was rushed out to assure fans it wouldn't be using AI for its animation. Regardless, there's still no official release date for Netflix's The One Piece.
Release Date
October 20, 1999
Network
Fuji TV
Directors
Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Writers
Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
