Kensuke Ushio, who scores MAPPA's Chainsaw Man anime, has said he used AI tools to create the chainsaw sounds for Denji's transformed form. He said so in an interview with Anime News Network, and ComicBook.com reported it on 22 September. The outlet notes that sound departments rarely get much credit for how an anime lands, which is part of why the remark drew attention.
Asked what he pictured when writing for the series, Ushio said chaos was the core idea, taken from Denji's Chainsaw Man form. He said AI was only used to generate those chainsaw sounds, which he then shaped to fit his own plan for the score. The music itself was not composed with AI. His profile has grown since his music for a pool scene in the Chainsaw Man film went viral, and his other credits include A Silent Voice and Dandadan.
ComicBook.com argues that such narrow use should not alarm fans. In its view, chaotic mechanical sound is hard to build by hand, and a tool that helps a composer realise an idea he already has is a reasonable use. It sets the case next to Goodnight Punpun creator Inio Asano. Asano has said he will not resume his current manga, Mujina Into the Deep, until he may use AI for its open-world settings built from 3D models, and he is on hiatus until 2027.
The outlet expects AI to spread through anime production and suggests some studios may already use it without saying so, as happened with the first season's sound work, which was only disclosed now. Its argument is that the creator's intent matters, and that both Ushio and Asano describe AI as serving a vision of their own.
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