An AI anime generator that works from a sentence or your photo

By Candor editorial team · Updated November 11, 2026

Anime is a look most image generators can do, and a look most of them get weirdly nervous about. Ask for a sword fight with a bit of blood, or a moody adult character in a bar, and you get a lecture or a mush. Candor treats anime as what it is: a style that can carry any genre.

Two ways to make anime art

From a sentence. Pick the Anime look (one of ten styles, next to Photo, Comic, Watercolor and others) and describe what you want: “a tired bounty hunter in a rainy neon city, long coat, cigarette, 90s cel animation.” The style supplies the line work and the shading; your words supply the story.

From your photo. Upload a selfie, a couple photo or your friend group (up to three pictures), and say “redraw us as anime characters, keep our faces recognizable.” This is the “turn photo into anime” trick people pay single-purpose apps for.

Prompts that work

• “Anime portrait of me as a fantasy knight, keep my glasses.” (with your photo)
• “Two rivals facing off on a rooftop at sunset, wind, dramatic angle, shonen style.”
• “Slice-of-life: a woman in her thirties reading in a tiny Tokyo apartment, soft afternoon light, pastel colors.”
• “Mecha pilot in a cockpit, dark seinen mood, rain on the glass.”
• “Our band as an anime opening title card.” (with a group photo)

Then iterate in words: “warmer light”, “bigger eyes, less shine”, “make the background a train station.” Each new image is a new creation at 38.7 credits, and by default Candor asks before spending credits.

Make it move

Subscribers can animate any picture in the same chat: “make her hair and coat blow in the wind, 5 seconds.” Video costs by length and quality, from 153 credits for a 2-second clip. See image to video for how that works.

The honest limits

• Minors are off-limits. Anime often draws adults who look young. Every image request is checked for signs of a minor, and anything sexual that suggests one is refused, whatever the style. Say your characters’ ages if it matters.
• Real people: turning your own photo into anime is fine. Using someone else’s face to embarrass or deceive them isn’t.
• Copyrighted characters: asking for an exact copy of a famous studio’s character is a bad idea. Make your own; it’s more fun anyway.
• Ownership: in the US, AI-generated images without enough human creative input aren’t protected by copyright.

What it costs

200 free credits once for new accounts, no card, which covers chat and 1 image. Monthly is $19.99 for 8,500 credits (about 219 images or 22 five-second videos); Plus is $99 for 42,500. A failed image costs nothing.

Try it

Open Candor, pick Anime, and describe your first character. More on images: the AI image generator page. Candor also has ready-made AI characters, some drawn in anime style.