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LINE Manga Launches "byUs," an AI Chat Service Where Users Converse with Characters from Listed Works

AI1 min read

LINE Digital Frontier, the company behind the comic app LINE Manga, has launched a chat service called "byUs." Users can talk with AI versions of manga characters and build their own stories, but only for works whose authors have approved it.

What happened

On October 19, 2026, LINE Digital Frontier announced byUs. It lets users chat with AI characters based on manga characters, so they can feel like the main character of the original story. There are two types of stories. "Official Story" starts from the company's own setup, and "Fan Story" lets users create their own situations and share them with others.

Key facts

  • Launch: announced October 19, 2026
  • Starting titles: 2 manga, with 4 characters in total
  • First 3 chat turns of each story are free
  • Free tickets come from logging in every day
  • Requires LINE Manga app version 26.10.10 or later

Background

LINE Manga already offers "Character Chat," which lets people talk with AI manga characters. byUs goes further by letting users write new stories based on the characters, which is often called fan fiction. A similar service in South Korea, NAVER WEBTOON, opened first in June 2026. The company says that in its first 10 weeks, 14 million chats took place. It also said that, compared with the week before and after launch, views of the original comics rose 67% and new users rose 105%, even though the featured work was on break.

Why it matters

This shows how AI chat could bring readers back to original comics and bring in new users. It also raises questions about how AI uses characters from creative works. The company says it only uses works that authors have approved, which is an important rule for protecting creators.

What to watch

  • Whether more manga titles and characters are added, as the company plans
  • Whether free chats and paid Manga Coins keep users coming back
  • Whether the NAVER WEBTOON results are matched in Japan
  • How authors and fans respond to fan stories shared between users

Glossary

LINE Digital Frontier
The company that runs the LINE Manga comic service.
Fan Story
A story that a user creates themselves using a manga character.
NAVER WEBTOON
A South Korean company that runs a digital comic service that is read by scrolling down.
Character Chat
LINE Manga's existing service for chatting with AI manga characters.

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