The lawsuit filed by Tsuda alleges that TikTok had used his voice without consent to create an AI-generated imitation.
Voice actor veteran Kenjiro Tsuda has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the platform has used his voice without consent to generate a voice-over module for the platform.
The lawsuit was filed back in November of last year at the Tokyo District Court, but was only made public this 23 May, 2026. Yahoo! Japan broke the news, positing that Tsuda's lawsuit is the first of its kind concerning the unauthorised use of voices by AI.
Who is Kenjiro Tsuda?
Kenjiro Tsuda is a well-regarded and celebrated veteran voice actor, whose career started in 1995. Affiliated with the talent agency ANDSTIR, Tsuda started his voice acting career as Atsushi Noda in the baseball-themed anime H2, however he gained popularity through his role as Seto Kaiba in 2000's Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.
Tsuda has voiced many iconic characters, and is remembered for the tone of his voice, which is described as husky, masculine, and unique. In recent years, he has voiced for a number of popular titles, including as Nanami Kento in Jujutsu Kaisen, as Kishibe in Chainsaw Man, as Novak in Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, and most recently as Hachiro Nakao in Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider.
Besides voice-acting in anime, Tsuda has also voice-acted in games, dubbed for English shows and films, and enjoys a successful career as a stage and television actor.
Why is Kenjiro Tsuda suing TikTok?
According to the lawsuit as reported by Yahoo! Japan, an unidentified TikTok account uploaded at least 188 videos between July 2024 and the filing of the case. The videos reportedly featured narrated urban legends and trivia content using AI-generated speech allegedly modeled after Tsuda’s distinct voice.
The plaintiffs describe the voice as having a “lustrous, low-pitched” and “deep, husky” quality, arguing that the videos could mislead viewers into believing Tsuda himself provided the narration.
The lawsuit is seeking removal of the videos under Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act, as well as claims tied to publicity rights.
The report also stated that, based on information shared by the uploader on another platform, the account may have been generating an estimated JPY500,000 to JPY750,000 per month in revenue (US$3145 to US$4718 converted).
What is TikTok’s response to Kenjiro Tsuda's lawsuit?
According to the report, TikTok denies that the videos violate the law.
The company argues that the narration was generated using AI trained on a friend’s voice and that this was stated on the uploader’s external website. TikTok also reportedly claims the voice is simply a “unique male voice” and would not cause confusion among viewers.
The platform further argued that viewers were primarily engaging with the content itself rather than the voice, and therefore Tsuda’s publicity rights were not infringed.
What did Tsuda’s legal team say?
Attorney Kei Hirano, who represents the plaintiffs, told The Yomiuri Shimbun: “If unauthorized production is left unchecked, it could hinder the development of the voice acting industry.”
He added that the lawsuit aims to help clarify the legal boundaries surrounding AI voice imitation, and encourage voice actors to protect their rights.