Over 3,000 Pieces Of Offensive Dead or Alive Fanart Removed Yearly

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Summary

  • Koei Tecmo supports fanart of their IPs but limits inappropriate content.
  • The company removed 200-300 doujinshi and 2,000-3,000 fanart pieces annually.
  • The company views characters in Dead or Alive as “like daughters,” leading to strict enforcement.

In the Dead or Alive fighting game series, developed by Team Ninja, they haven’t been hesitant to emphasize the feminine allure of their characters. Yet, it appears that when it comes to fan-created art based on these characters, there are certain boundaries established.

At the Tokyo eSports Festival 2025, Koei Tecmo joined a collaborative seminar organized by Japan’s Software Copyright Association (ACCS). During this event, Tomotoshi Nishimura, the head of legal affairs at Koei Tecmo, shared the company’s viewpoints on fanart depicting their intellectual properties.

Dead or Alive Characters Are Like “Daughters To Us” Claims Koei Tecmo

During a recent conversation (as reported by GameWatch through Automaton media), Nishimura stated that Koei Tecmo is comfortable with fans creating derivative works using their intellectual properties. In fact, they actively endorse the otaku community’s culture.

Nonetheless, it’s important to note that the company maintains certain limits for these informal fan creations based on the Dead or Alive series. As stated by Nishimura, Koei Tecmo has removed around 200-300 doujinshi (self-published manga and novels) related to this IP from four different online platforms. Furthermore, they’ve taken strong measures against approximately 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of fanart each year that they consider inappropriate. These fanart creations are typically distributed on social media or art-sharing platforms.

Koei Tecmo is pulling down certain works due to two main reasons: creating spin-offs based on artwork for games not yet released, and modifying characters for mature themes that may harm the company’s reputation and tarnish the image of their characters. While Koei Tecmo finds it acceptable to produce a game like Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball featuring its female cast in swimwear playing beach volleyball, they seem to draw the line when it comes to fan-created projects that depict their female characters beyond this point.

According to Nishimura, the creators of the company regard these characters as if they were their own daughters, which is why they feel compelled to take down these fan-made projects.

It seems Koei Tecmo must navigate a delicate balance between portraying sexually attractive characters and preventing excessive fan response, a challenge exacerbated by the ease of modifying images in today’s digital age.

The most recent addition to the series is Dead or Alive 6, launched in 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, computers, and arcade machines. As of now, no new fighting game has been unveiled, but Koei Tecmo is working on Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, a 3D adventure-style dating simulator expected to debut in March this year for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and personal computers.

As a die-hard fan, I must admit that Dead or Alive 6 doesn’t quite reach the same level of acclaim as Tekken or Virtua Fighter 3D when it comes to intricacy and mastery. However, let me clarify that this doesn’t make Dead or Alive 6 a subpar fighting game by any stretch! Our review found it to be quite commendable, praising its significant advancements on current-gen consoles, despite being slightly hindered by the clumsy delivery of the narrative and a less-than-stellar online experience at its initial release.

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2025-01-19 02:08