Boichi
Manga Artist
South Korean–born manga artist behind Sun-Ken Rock and the hit series Dr. Stone, who stopped posting his art on X in protest after the platform added an AI image-editing tool, saying he cannot accept his work being exploited without consent.
Why this score
How the formula works →- +4.1antiCampaigns against AI
- +1.0anti2 anti-AI statements (forceful)
- −0.4pro1 pro-AI statement (mild)
- ±0nuancedHolds a documented two-sided view
- ±0nuancedSupports AI only with conditions
Weights, statement counts, the ×1.25 multiplier for having a stake in an AI-impacted field, and the formula’s smoothing are already baked in — the points add up to the score, with evidence on the other side subtracting (direction-free evidence pulls toward the middle instead): Firmly Anti-AI · 4.7/10
In his words
I do not fear AI. In fact, I believe in its future and the possibilities it may bring. However, I cannot accept my works being used, learned from, or exploited without my consent or proper compensation.
Biography
Boichi, the pen name of Mu-jik Park (born 1973), is a South Korean–born manga artist working in Japan, celebrated for his photorealistic detail and dynamic action. His credits include the seinen series Sun-Ken Rock and Origin, but he is best known as the illustrator of Dr. Stone, the long-running Weekly Shōnen Jump science-adventure series written by Riichiro Inagaki, later adapted into a popular anime.
Walking away from the platform
In December 2025, after X rolled out an “Edit Image” button that let users alter any posted picture through Grok’s AI, Boichi announced he would stop posting his manga and illustrations there. He was careful to say he does not fear AI and even believes in its future — his objection is to art being scraped and altered without permission or payment. He moved his art to Instagram, later opened a Bluesky account, and stayed on X to share news and talk with fans — waiting, he wrote, for the day he could post his work there again.
It is with a heavy and broken heart that I write these words. … For the time being, I will pause the publication of my comics and illustrations on X.
Boichi was among a wave of Japanese manga professionals — including Daisuke Moriyama — who pulled their work from X over the same feature, part of a broader 2025–2026 backlash in which manga’s biggest names and publishers pushed back against generative tools trained on their catalogs. His measured framing, distinguishing the technology from its unlicensed use, made him a notable voice for consent-based rules rather than blanket prohibition.
Quote sources
- X post, 2025(x.com)
Sources & further reading
Canonical record: https://battlelines.ai/topic/boichi
