Kodansha’s King Music label has announced a partnership with AI avatar company Genies to transform its intellectual property into interactive AI companions, starting with the Hypnosis Mic franchise. The initiative will recreate all 21 Hypnosis Mic characters as 3D AI companions, with Genies claiming its system can generate character models in a matter of days instead of weeks.

The collaboration will use Genies’ platform, which allows fictional or real-world figures to be turned into “Genies” for use across apps and games. The company is also involved in other entertainment partnerships, including projects with Major League Baseball to create digital athlete companions.

Hypnosis Mic, one of King Records’ major multimedia projects launched in 2017, centers on rap battles performed by voice actors in character and has expanded into music albums, manga adaptations, mobile games, stage plays, and live performances. The franchise also released an interactive film in 2025 that let audiences vote on story outcomes in real time.