Shueisha’s New Global Manga Platform Found Using AI Translation Despite Publisher Claiming It Doesn’t

Shueisha launched its ambitious global manga platform, Manga Million, as part of its 100th anniversary project aiming for a worldwide “domination.”

This digital platform provides readers worldwide with free access to manga with no registration required, offering a collection of one million pages of Shueisha manga translated into over 100 languages.

However, within hours of the announcement and launch, Manga Million has come under heavy scrutiny.

In their promotional manga, which was released to give details about the new digital platform, the publisher’s editorial team claimed that the translations in the manga were handled by cooperating companies.

When questioned further if these were just AI translations, H-no san, which likely refers to former Jump+ editor Shuhei Hosono, who is also in charge of this new digital platform, noted that “real people were working on this” so that the nuances of the manga would be captured.

However, it has now come to light after users pointed it out on X that the platform has employed translation companies, which do in fact use AI translations.

Some of these include Flitto Japan Inc. and EC Innovations, both who claim to provide AI translation solutions. These companies were credited for translating, editing, and even lettering various languages of different works, including One Piece, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Hunter x Hunter, and others.

It is important to note that not all translations on the platform is AI, as human translators and other publishers affiliated with Shueisha too are involved in this major project.

Shueisha paid an AI translation company to translate multiple titles into different languages instead of seeking out and paying real translators.

As an example, One Piece had 32 languages translated over using AI👇 https://t.co/74Zrt23gmo pic.twitter.com/MFSS3LPJyX

— 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗼 (@Jaro0__) August 6, 2026

The app had earned positive reviews immediately after its launch as users believed that it employed human translators. However, the new information has made the same users question if the publisher knowingly misled them.

While it is possible that the companies that were employed for translation had human oversight, it is still far-off from the claim made in the interview that the manga titles are human-translated.

For instance, Flitto claims to employ human reviews for their multilingual translations.

For, their manga and webtoon services in particular, the company once again claims that their highly experienced translators will be in charge of localization. It is worth noting that Flitto also handles translations for Naver, Kakao, Lehzin and other publishers already.

On the other hand, tt is also possible that the superiors in charge were unaware of how these AI-translation companies operated, which in turn would suggest poor editorial monitoring.

This naturally is resulting in a lot of backlash for the publisher. Shueisha is yet to comment on this issue, or give more clarity regarding this.

Encompassing a total of 400 titles set for global translation and distribution, the Manga Million initiative features an extensive release lineup spanning decades of Shueisha’s publishing history.

At the forefront of the project is One Piece, with its first 12 volumes translated into an unprecedented 102 languages. Additionally, 43 globally popular series, including hits such as Oshi no Ko, Haikyu!!, and Blue Exorcist, will have their initial five volumes translated into approximately 20 languages.

A third tier of 46 titles, featuring recent anime adaptations such as Oblivion Battery and Kill Blue, will offer their first three volumes across roughly 10 languages.

More importantly, the platform will debut brand-new English translations for over 300 classic masterpiece titles that were previously unavailable in English, including acclaimed works such as Kochikame, Tough, Liar Game, Hot Road, and Chibi Maruko-chan.