Over 3,000 Pieces Of Offensive Dead or Alive Fanart Removed Yearly

Summary

Koei Tecmo supports fanart of their IPs but limits inappropriate content.
The company removed 200-300 doujinshi and 2,000-3,000 fanart pieces annually.
The company views characters in Dead or Alive as “like daughters,” leading to strict enforcement.

With the Dead or Alive fighting game franchise, developer Team Ninja hasn’t shied away from highlighting the sexuality of the female characters. However, it seems there is a limit on what fans can do to portray said characters in fanart.

At the recent Tokyo eSports Festa 2025, Koei Tecmo participated in a joint lecture hosted by Japan’s Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS). In it, the general manager of Koei Tecmo’s legal affairs, Tomotoshi Nishimura, discussed the company’s stance on fanart based on its properties.

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Dead or Alive Characters Are Like “Daughters To Us” Claims Koei Tecmo

In the event discussion (per GameWatch via Automaton-media), Nishimura mentioned that Koei Tecmo has no issues with fans using their IPs for derivative works and even openly supports otaku culture.

However, the company also has boundaries regarding these unofficial fan projects. Nishimura mentioned how Koei Tecmo has taken down 200-300 doujinshi (self-published manga, novels) based on the Dead or Alive IP from four online platforms. In addition to that, they’ve also taken “strict action” against 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of fanart that they deem inappropriate each year. These pieces of fanart are usually shared on social media or art platforms

Koei Tecmo’s reasons for taking these down include releasing derivative works based on art for games that aren’t out yet and altering characters for “adult purposes,” which can damage the brand and characters’ image. While Koei Tecmo is fine releasing a game like Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball that shows the female cast in bikinis playing the sport, apparently that’s as far as the company wants their female characters to be portrayed in fan-made projects.

Nishimura states that the company’s creators view these characters “like daughters,” and this is why they are forced to remove these fan projects.

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I guess Koei Tecmo has to draw a fine line between sexualizing their characters and the fans just going all out, which is hard to stop these days with how easy it is to edit images and whatnot.

The latest mainline entry in the franchise is Dead or Alive 6, which was released in 2019 for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and arcade. While no new fighting game has been announced, Koei Tecmo is developing Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, a 3D adventure-style dating sim due for release in March this year for the PS4, PS5, and PC.

While the Dead or Alive franchise isn’t seen in the same light as the Tekken or Virtua Fighter 3D fighters regarding depth and technique, Dead or Alive 6 isn’t a bad fighting game by any means. Our review of it was quite favorable and said, “Dead or Alive 6 makes great and accessible strides for the series on current-gen consoles, only being held back by the story’s awkward presentation and a lackluster online experience at launch.”