Koei Tecmo is taking serious measures regarding fan art of its Dead or Alive series. Speaking at a recent panel at Tokyo Esports Festa, Tomotoshi Nishimura, head of the legal department, revealed that the company requests the takedown of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 fan artworks each year.

Nishimura expressed concerns that such art could harm the characters’ image, which he metaphorically referred to as thinking of them like ‘daughters’.

Beyond just the sententious nature of the term musume (娘), which translates to both ‘young girl’ and ‘daughter’, Nishimura’s comments reflect a broader effort by Koei Tecmo to protect brand integrity.

Despite sponsoring events like Comiket, the company is vigilant against unauthorized depictions, taking action against numerous works on social media and artists’ platforms, particularly Pixiv. Nishimura also mentioned that legal disruption impacted around 200-300 online doujinshi, citing infringement even for unreleased games.

Koei Tecmo has previously initiated similar legal actions, such as a lawsuit against a DVD using nude mod footage from the series. The next installment in the franchise will be Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, a photography-focused dating simulation, releasing in select Asian markets.