We are a team of developers from Japan and other parts of the world, united by our passion for anime and technology. AniStep was born out of our shared concern for the shifting landscape of anime consumption and creation in the digital age.
With the rise of internet piracy and the rapid growth of AI-generated content—particularly AI-generated illustrations—we recognized the need for a platform that responds to these changes thoughtfully and responsibly.
AniStep aims to reduce the negative impact of these shifts, especially the growing reliance on pirated media and the potential of AI to overshadow traditional hand-drawn art. Rather than rejecting change, we embrace it—while building a space that supports creators, educates users, and promotes legal access and ethical content creation.
The Problem We’re Solving
Behind the creation of AniStep lies a set of real-world challenges in how anime content is consumed and distributed—challenges we aim to address directly.
We observed a clear imbalance between the easy access to pirated content and the lack of education about official platforms, along with the rise of new technologies like AI (Stable Diffusion) that are not yet fully understood or ethically utilized by the wider public.
Through AniStep, we want to be part of the solution to these problems—not through judgment or force, but by offering an informative, open, and inclusive approach that educates users while giving them space for creativity and freedom of expression.
Below are the two key focus areas that form the foundation of why AniStep was built.
1. The Habit of Watching Anime on Pirated Sites
One of the most apparent issues we aim to address is the widespread habit of watching anime through pirated websites. In reality, official anime platforms today are not expensive—and in fact, many offer licensed anime content legally and even for free.
Ironically, despite the fact that pirate sites are riddled with pop-up ads, stacked advertisements, and even harmful content like gambling promotions, people still choose to use them. Why? First, because the content is right there in front of them—easy to access without effort. Second, because many people simply don’t know where to watch anime legally.
This is where AniStep steps in. We provide comprehensive information about official anime streaming platforms. Our platform serves as an easy-to-navigate, wiki-style resource filled with direct links to services like Crunchyroll, Bilibili, Muse, and more. We educate users on the importance of supporting the industry through proper, legal channels—because if people continue to rely on piracy, original creators will slowly lose support and eventually fade from the industry.
To make this information accessible worldwide, AniStep currently supports 11 languages and continues to expand, aiming to reach anime communities across the globe.
2. Content Creation Transformation Through Stable Diffusion (AI)
The second issue we address involves the rise of generative AI technologies—specifically Stable Diffusion—in the world of anime illustrations and content creation.
In the past, producing anime visuals or videos required significant time, high costs, and a complex production process. Now, with the help of Stable Diffusion, anyone can generate anime-style illustrations at remarkable speed and at a fraction of the cost—even without traditional drawing skills. While this technology is not yet perfect and cannot fully replace conventional methods, its results are already impressive. It offers distinct advantages, particularly in terms of speed, affordability, and flexibility—especially for still images and short-form video.
We recognize that AI is an inevitable part of technological progress. That’s why AniStep actively encourages people to learn, explore, and make the most of this powerful tool. However, it’s important to clarify: AniStep is not an AI image generation tool. We are a platform for hosting and sharing such creations—a space where users from around the world can upload, access, and enjoy a wide variety of anime-style AI artwork.
Our platform is ad-free and multilingual, providing a comfortable and inclusive experience. The content is entirely community-driven, with users voluntarily sharing their creations. These illustrations come in a wide range of styles and purposes: white background renders, character crops, thematic scenes, specific facial expressions, clothing references, and unique poses—ideal for creative inspiration or personal projects.
We believe that by providing a well-organized, distraction-free platform, AniStep can help people create and learn more freely while embracing this new era of visual content production.
3. The Manga Piracy Problem and Our Commitment to Solve It
AniStep is being built as a creator-friendly platform—designed to support illustrators, short video creators, and most notably, manga artists.
We recognize that manga is one of the most vulnerable forms of creative content when it comes to digital piracy. This is especially true for small-scale or independent fanmade manga, which are often pirated and redistributed illegally with ease. The root of the problem lies in the current distribution model, where buyers are allowed to download the full-resolution version of a manga file. Once downloaded, it can be easily re-shared across illegal sites without the creator’s knowledge or consent.
This not only causes financial loss, but also deeply discourages creators from continuing their work.
At AniStep, we’ve explored several potential solutions—and we’re currently planning to implement one of them in the near future. The core idea is to limit piracy by controlling how manga content is accessed.
We’re developing a web-based manga viewing system in which the text and visual layers are integrated directly within the platform, making them difficult to extract. If downloads are allowed at all, only low-resolution versions will be available.
High-quality versions—such as full-color, uncensored, or original-resolution formats—will be viewable only on AniStep, with no download option, ensuring that premium content remains protected and exclusive to the platform.
We fully understand that building a secure system like this is not easy. It requires time, resources, and deep technical consideration. But we are fully committed to making it happen—because we believe that protecting creators is a core part of sustaining the future of the creative industry.
We already have a clear vision and a concrete technical roadmap to bring this system to life on AniStep, and we look forward to delivering it for creators everywhere.
The Solutions We Offer
AniStep was built as a platform that not only acknowledges the problems in today’s anime content ecosystem but also offers real, tangible solutions that directly benefit both users and creators. Here are some of the key approaches we take:
1. Connecting Users to Official Platforms
We provide complete and up-to-date information on where to watch anime legally, so users no longer have to guess or rely on unreliable sources. AniStep acts as a digital guide, curating official streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll, Bilibili, Muse, and others—complete with direct links and explanations. This allows users to easily access and support legal, safe content while giving proper recognition to the original creators.
2. Multilingual Education and Accessibility
To reach global anime communities, we offer important information in multiple languages. As of now, AniStep supports 11 languages and continues to expand, allowing anyone—no matter where they’re from—to access and understand the importance of supporting the licensed anime industry.
3. A Platform for Sharing Fan-Made & AI-Generated Content
We provide a space for creators—especially those who work with AI tools like Stable Diffusion—to share their works. While AniStep is not an AI image generator, it serves as a central hub where users can upload and explore a wide variety of neatly categorized and well-organized anime-style AI illustrations that are easy to browse and discover.
4. Ad-Free and Easy to Use
We believe a clean and comfortable user experience is essential. That’s why AniStep is entirely free of intrusive ads. All features are accessible without distractions—both on desktop and mobile—allowing users to enjoy and share content in peace.
5. Support for Original Creators
Through curated pages and informative references, we encourage users to learn about and support official creators—whether by subscribing to legal platforms, purchasing official merchandise, or simply respecting and properly sharing their work.
6. Earning Opportunities for AI Fanmade Creators
AniStep offers real opportunities for AI-based fanmade creators—especially those using tools like Stable Diffusion—to not only share their works, but also grow a supportive audience and earn income.
We’ve built a system that enables creators to receive direct financial support from their fans as a form of appreciation. This makes AniStep an ideal starting point for small creators to grow sustainably, without relying on conventional platforms or complex monetization systems.