A Tokyo court has recognized a person’s voice as part of their individual identity in a case involving the unauthorized use of an AI-generated voice resembling Japanese anime voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda.

According to Associated Press, a district court in Tokyo has recognized a person’s voice as a form of personal identity in a case where the artist had challenged a TikTok account for allegedly using an AI-generated voice that closely resembled his distinctive deep voice used in anime series.

Tsuda, who is widely known for playing Kento Nanami in the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, argued that the account was using his voice to attract viewers and make money without his permission.

The account, named “Nanami,” reportedly posted more than 180 videos covering urban legends and paranormal stories. By November 2025, it had gained more than 200,000 subscribers. Many viewers had also pointed out similarities between the narrator’s voice and Tsuda’s.

Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi said a human voice can represent an individual’s personality in much the same way as their portrait. The court found that using a voice without permission, particularly when done for commercial benefit, could amount to an infringement of publicity rights.

The defendant argued that the voice was AI-generated and was not actually Tsuda’s real voice. It also claimed that the videos did not harm his professional reputation.

However, the court’s decision did not order the deletion of the videos because the TikTok account had already been shut down.

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