Gachiakuta mangaka slams manga piracy, to introduce alternative

ALBAWABA - Gachiakuta's mangaka Kei Urana recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to address international piracy with her global fans, acknowledging concerns about the prices and availability of manga internationally.

Urana then stressed the negative effects piracy has on the manga industry and that they understand that many people can only read manga through pirate sites due to factors such as financial issues and availability, which is why Urana stated further that they "spent the past few days researching the circumstances in different countries, including financial situations."

The Gachiakuta author wrote, "But if we do not speak up now, the value of Japanese manga and creative works, built through the sacrifices and relentless efforts of those who came before us, will be wasted."

Gachiakuta mangaka slams manga piracy, to introduce alternative

I’ve spent the past few days researching the circumstances in different countries, including financial situations.
I understand that for many people, pirate sites are the only way they can read manga.
I also understand that prices can be higher overseas.
I’ve even seen people…

— 裏那圭◾️KEI URANA (@KEI_URANA) April 20, 2026

They added, I’ve also seen people say, “Reading for free doesn’t hurt sales.” That is not true. “Free” lowers the value of things. Once people grow used to getting something for free, they stop looking toward legitimate versions. (I also understand that people who truly love a work will support it properly.)" 

Additionally, Urana mentioned that they don't want the value of manga to be diminished by piracy. They finally outlined, "To help people who cannot afford to buy it, or who do not have access to it, enjoy these works, Ando and I have been discussing this for a long time and exploring many ideas. I cannot share details yet, but we are working on it. Publishers are making efforts as well."

Urana urged that people stop labeling them and the graffiti artist for Gachikuta Hideyoshi Andou as "racists" and deeming piracy as free promotion for their manga. 

The mangaka is quite active on social media and frequently interacts with fans. They have long since voiced their anti-piracy stance and have had several online disputes with their international/ Western fanbase for their "toxic" behavior, including issues with assuming Gachiakuta characters' gender, like falsely identifying Tamsy as transgender, and breaching the legal boundaries of their work.

According to Yahoo Finance, citing Super Hero Hype in January 2026, Japan reported it lost $38 billion due to anime and manga piracy. The figure was released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan and included countries such as Vietnam, France, Brazil, Japan, the United States, and China.

A fan asked Kei Urana (Gachiakuta) if reading the series for free on Discord was okay

her response:

“That’s illegal!”

The fan later apologized, stating:

“I want to apologize to everyone who was harmed because of me… I asked the question in the most innocent way possible.” pic.twitter.com/rgshNEyHcU

— Anime Rave (@AniRave) April 16, 2026