Chainsaw Man has become one of the most popular and modern shonen series of all time, with top-notch production from MAPPA and a talented team involved in various departments of the anime. One team that doesn’t get much appreciation for the development of an anime or any entertainment series is the sound department. Kensuke Ushio, being the main composer for the anime, also only gained recognition for his work after the viral pool scene, where his perfect music score elevated the scene in the recent Chainsaw Man movie. Since then, fans have come to recognize Kensuke’s work, which includes other major titles such as A Silent Voice and Dandadan as well.
Recently, Anime News Network had the opportunity to interview Kensuke Ushio, discussing his inspiration for his work, and one particular response from Ushio is very intriguing. In his interview, after Ushio explained that he envisions an image for his work, the interviewer asked what he envisioned for Chainsaw Man. Kensuke answered that chaos was the main factor behind the anime’s theme, stemming from Denji’s Chainsaw Man form. He added that when creating the chainsaw sounds for Denji’s form, he used AI tools for them, and his answer stems from intriguing reasons that highlight how AI could be employed for art and music development, but only under the right circumstances.
Kensuke Ushio’s reasoning for using AI to create the sounds for the chainsaw tool in the anime, describing them as chaotic, makes sense, as it is complicated work. If it is a tool that provides inspiration and helps bring the creator’s vision to life, there could be no better use. Ushio also adds that he used the sounds created by the AI tools alongside his own vision, which eventually helped add the chaotic music to the chainsaws in Denji’s chaotic form. He also clarifies that the composition of the music was not 100% done using AI tools, as they were simply used for creating the chainsaw sounds. This is exactly why fans shouldn’t fret about the employment of AI on such a minor scale in anime, as it helped bring his vision to life.
It is inevitable that AI will be used in the future production of anime, and there is a possibility that many studios could already be employing AI. In fact, recent news has also revealed that even manga creators are hoping to use AI, as Inio Asano, the creator of the critically acclaimed seinen manga Goodnight Punpun, has said that he is refusing to start working again unless he has permission to use AI in his manga. Asano’s latest manga, Mujina Into the Deep, features an open-world area with 3D-rendered models, which he states that AI can help produce faster. He is on break until 2027, hoping to have more freedom to employ AI.
This makes it clear that the art industry has already changed with the emergence of AI, and many more series may have already been using AI in their development without disclosing it, as was the case with Chainsaw Man Season 1’s sound composition. But the credibility lies in the creator’s intent, and both Kensuke and Inio have shown how it can be used for their creative vision. If more anime and manga start employing AI as these artists have done, then perhaps the use of AI can be seen as a useful element instead of something to criticize without considering the end result, as Chainsaw Man‘s anime production proved that AI can find a place in the right elements.
