Kenjiro Tsuda wins landmark AI voice protection case in Tokyo

The ruling

Real talk: your voice is officially part of your identity. A Tokyo district court just dropped a major verdict siding with actor Kenjiro Tsuda—the legend behind Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen—against a TikTok account that was lowkey using an AI-cloned version of his voice. The judge, Aya Takahashi, ruled that unauthorized use of a performer's voice can totally infringe on their publicity rights, which is massive.

How we got here

Tsuda, 55, took legal action after an anonymous account posted 188 videos between July 2024 and September 2025. The content was, frankly, all over the place—think urban legends and conspiracy theories—but the account was using a "deep" and "lustrous" AI voice that mimicked his signature tone. It even used a profile pic that looked like his Jujutsu Kaisen character.

By the time the account hit 200,000 subscribers, the owner was pulling in decent monthly cash. Tsuda’s team called the content "sordid" and argued the account only blew up because it was riding the coattails of his star power. While TikTok argued the AI voice was just a "generic male voice," the court wasn't having it, stating that a voice is just as symbolic of a person as a portrait is.

The fallout

Tsuda asked for the videos to be nuked, but since the user deleted them shortly after the lawsuit started, the court dismissed that specific request. Japan’s voice actors have been stressed about AI threatening their livelihoods for a minute—especially since the "No More" campaign launched back in 2024. For these pros, a voice isn't just audio; it's the result of years of grinding and apprenticeship.

Why it matters

This is the first time a Japanese court has formally linked publicity rights to vocal identity. It’s giving a major W for performers who are tired of getting their likenesses jacked by bots. As for TikTok, they’ve said they’ll respect the judgment while they figure out how to balance tech innovation with actually respecting people's rights. It’s a massive move that might set the tone for how AI is regulated globally.