GENIES AND KING RECORDS PARTNER TO BRING KING'S ICONIC IP TO LIFE AS AI COMPANIONS

Partnership Will Transform King Records's Globally Recognized Characters into Interactive AI Companions

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, has entered into a strategic partnership with King Records, the leading anime and music subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan's largest publishing group and one of the world's most important manga IP owners. Through this landmark collaboration, the companies will bring King's globally recognized characters to life as interactive AI companions, enabling fans to build unique, one-to-one relationships with their favorite characters. This partnership expands the overall offering for how fans can engage with King Record's IP characters.

All 3D character models and character expressions are individually created and supervised by human creators to preserve the character's personality, visual identity, and the integrity of the original world and story. The AI technology is used to enable interactive communication experiences for fans and is not intended to generate or replace the original creative work.

King Records, a core operating company within the Kodansha group, plays a vital role in bringing manga IP to life as anime by supporting production, investment, and distribution through established industry partnerships while also independently developing and marketing original anime projects and musical artists.

The partnership will initially focus on "HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle-", King Records' original multimedia entertainment franchise that blends hip-hop, character-driven storytelling, music, anime, manga, and live performances. The franchise features 21 core characters and represents a priority project for King Records, demonstrating the creative possibilities when traditional manga meets modern interactive technology. Fans will be able to engage with these characters as living, evolving AI companions across interactive experiences, moving beyond passive content consumption to build genuine relationships with the characters they love. King Records is able to maintain control over their characters through the creation process to ensure each character is created authentically for fans.

The partnership comes as HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- continues to expand its global reach, having entered feature film production in February 2025 with the release of its first-ever interactive movie in Japan - where audiences determined the story's outcome through live voting - selling over one million tickets domestically. The film will make its exclusive U.S. debut on February 27, 2026, distributed by GKIDS in select Regal theaters across 15 markets.

"Japan has long been the epicenter of character-driven storytelling, setting the global standard for how deeply fans connect with characters," said Akash Nigam, CEO and Founder of Genies. "At Genies, our avatar technology has the ability to transform legacy anime and manga IP into interactive, intelligent 3D characters - adapting across styles while maintaining the integrity and origins of these beloved characters. By partnering with King Records and Kodansha, we're introducing new fan-first capabilities that redefine how their audiences connect with the characters they love."

Genies' technology stack uniquely positions the company to execute partnerships at this scale, bringing IP across many aesthetics, styles, and forms to life as game-ready interactive assets. The company's avatar auto-generation tools and style adaptation capabilities enable rapid creation of characters that maintain the distinct artistic vision of each franchise while functioning as intelligent, responsive AI companions. What once took weeks to create can now be developed in days, with the flexibility to honor diverse artistic styles, from realistic to anime aesthetics. This approach is underpinned by control and safety features that empower partners and creators to confidently develop AI companions, ensuring every character remains authentic to the franchise fans know and love. Genies is committed to working alongside creators and fans in order to enhance storytelling and the connection between franchises and their communities.

"At King Records, we have always believed in the power of characters to form deep, lasting emotional connections with fans," said Kohei Furukawa, President and CEO of King Records. "By partnering with Genies, we are extending our characters beyond traditional media into living, interactive experiences. This collaboration represents a new chapter in how King's global IP ecosystem can evolve, engage, and build deeper relationships with fans around the world."

This partnership marks a significant expansion of Genies' presence in the Japanese market, where consumer behaviors have demonstrated a deep affinity for character-based relationships for years. The collaboration builds on Genies' track record of working with leading entertainment properties and cultural icons to redefine digital identity and fan engagement in the AI era.

For more information, please visit genies.com

Genies
Genies is an AI avatar technology company powering the visual and embodiment layer for LLMs. Through its proprietary technology stack, Genies personifies AI chat, games, and app experiences through its SDKs. Genies has raised $200M from Silver Lake, BOND, and Bob Iger.

About King Records
King Records is the anime and music subsidiary of Kodansha, serving as a key operating company within Japan's largest publishing group. King Records brings Kodansha's manga IP to life through anime production, investment, and distribution partnerships while independently developing and marketing original anime projects and musical artists. The company creates original multimedia franchises that span anime, music, and live entertainment.

Press Contacts:

Genies
Mike Paffmann
[email protected] 

King Records
Rikiya Mizoe
[email protected]

SOURCE Genies