Anime to Reality: How an AI-Driven Artist is Bringing Your Favorite Characters to Life

Have you ever pondered what your favorite anime character would look like in real life? It’s not an unreasonable thought, given the existence of successful live-action adaptations like “One Piece” as well as less successful ones like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Death Note”. We are often accustomed to seeing characters from our beloved anime portrayed by professional actors on screen, but the transition can be delicate and doesn’t always fully satisfy fans, as the actor may not completely embody the physical aspect of the character.

This obstacle is avoided by image generating programs using artificial intelligence, which can create highly realistic photographs based on the basic characteristics of these characters. One person who has taken it upon themselves to bring anime characters to life is Instagram user @Shefford.art. Utilizing her Photoshop skills and tools such as Artbreeder and Procreate, she creates her own interpretations of these characters as if they existed in our reality.

With a catalog of over 80 thousand followers, Angel Shefford (the illustrator’s real name) creates highly realistic humanoid portraits for fun and original character commissions to share with everyone. She also has a YouTube channel where you can find more of her creations. From classic characters like Goku from “Dragon Ball” and Serena from “Sailor Moon” to newer ones like Anya Forger from “Spy Family” and Makina from “Chainsaw Man”, Shefford’s creations cover a wide range of anime characters. She describes her work as a way to have fun and share her unique interpretations of these beloved characters with fans. If you’re interested in supporting her, you can visit her Ko-fi page, a platform that allows fans to directly support artists.