Danica Davidson
October 23, 2024 
A lot of people like to cosplay, but Enako is one of the lucky few who is able to cosplay professionally. And while she’s known for getting compliments for her various looks, she wants people to know that “complimenting” her by saying she looks like AI is not something she finds complimentary whatsoever.
Enako explained on her social media, “I feel uncomfortable when AI devours my photos and then mass produces photos that look like me, so the words ‘You look like AI’ are not a compliment at all.”
What Enako is describing is something else others have talked about, including some Japanese voice actors: having their likenesses, talents, or arts taken up by AI without their permission and then put online or used commercially. While Enako didn’t go into great detail, she let her thoughts on this matter be known.
Recently, voice actors Toshihiko Seki (Muzan Kibutsuji in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) and Kujira (Orochimaru in Naruto) both pointed out that there are no copyright protections in place for their voices. (Over in America, SAG-AFTRA strikes have also taken on the issue of AI taking away jobs in the entertainment world, and dub actors have also been vocal.) Likewise, there are no copyright protections in place for Enako’s own image. And that must be upsetting for her, because her livelihood comes from her image in cosplay.
Over the years, Enako has dressed herself up as a lot of different anime characters, including Yor Forger in SPY x FAMILY, Detective Conan from Case Closed (a.k.a. Detective Conan), Mikasa from Attack on Titan, and more than one character from Rumiko Takahashi, to name only a few examples. Enako literally has hundreds of outfits, and she keeps them at a warehouse because that’s how massive her collection is.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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