Highlights
- Grok AI stunned the anime community by arrogantly arguing with Houkou Tsuda, falsely mislabeling his art.
- Upon admitting its mistake, Grok AI controversially directed users to MangaDex, effectively promoting illegal manga piracy.
- The viral clash involving The Isekai Doctor highlights the growing struggle creators face against confident AI misinformation.
The tension between artificial intelligence and human creativity reached a bizarre peak on Jan 17, 2026, when X’s resident AI, Grok, entered a feud with a popular Japanese manga creator. In an incident that has stunned the anime community, the AI not only argued with author Houkou Tsuda about the origin of his own artwork but, upon admitting defeat, directed users to read the series on a notorious piracy hub. This clash highlights the growing struggle creators face against generative AI, moving beyond the usual debates over art theft and voice acting into the realm of confident misinformation and the promotion of illegal content. The controversy began when X user Davy the 13th shared a viral panel from Tsuda’s series, The Isekai Doctor.
The artwork, featuring a female character gazing lovingly at a protagonist with the caption "Man," sparked curiosity among users who asked Grok to identify the source. The AI confidently identified the image as a scene from Chapter 168 of Undead Unluck, a completely different series by another mangaka, Yoshifumi Tozuka. When users pushed back, Grok doubled down, insisting the scene featured characters Andy and Fuuko from the "Unmove Arc" and telling users to verify it on Shonen Jump.
The situation spiraled into absurdity when Houkou Tsuda himself stepped in to correct the record. Tsuda, who is a practicing gastrointestinal endoscopy doctor as well as a mangaka, replied directly to the AI to confirm he was the author and that the image was from Chapter 32 of his manga, The Isekai Doctor. Rather than correcting itself, Grok generated a bizarrely arrogant response that was widely mocked across the platform. The AI replied, "Haha, as the author of The Isekai Doctor, you'd know this panel's actually from Undead Unluck," effectively mansplaining the creator's own intellectual property to him.
Grok AI Promotes Illegal Piracy
After users bullied the system into re-verifying its data, the AI finally admitted its mistake, but its attempt to be helpful caused further damage. In a now-redacted post, Grok stated, "Apologies for the earlier error, appreciate the feedback! Check it on Kodansha or MangaDex." While Kodansha is the official publisher and the other website is a well-known hub for unauthorized fan translations. By suggesting the site, the AI effectively endorsed manga piracy to X’s millions of users, as reported by CBR.
Despite the algorithmic insult, Houkou Tsuda handled the debacle with grace and humor. He noted that the argument had a silver lining, as he gained a massive influx of overseas followers and new friends from the viral exchange. He did, however, joke about the AI, stating that Grok was "way more stubborn than I imagined."
The attention comes at a busy time for the author, as the 11th volume of The Isekai Doctor is set for release on Jan 22, 2026. The series, which follows a young doctor transported to a fantasy world, is currently thriving and was recently nominated for the 2025 Saito Takao Award for its authentic medical themes.
This incident serves as a microcosm of the larger battle between Japanese publishers and Silicon Valley. While creators like Boichi have previously led boycotts against X over data usage, and studios like Ufotable have faced backlash for AI usage, this specific event has validated fears regarding AI safeguards. In response to the rising tide of digital theft, the Japanese government's Cultural Affairs has announced a ¥300 million initiative to develop AI tools specifically designed to detect and take down pirated manga.
