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Naver Webtoon Launches AI Character Chat Service in Japan via LINE Manga
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Naver WEBTOON announced on Friday it has expanded its AI-powered chatbot service, Character Chat, to Japan, launching the feature on its Japanese platform LINE Manga under the localized name "Kyara Chat."
Originally introduced in June 2024 within the Korean Naver WEBTOON app, Character Chat allows users to interact directly with WEBTOON characters through AI-driven conversations. The system analyzes character personality traits, speech patterns, and story data to maintain consistency with each series' established universe.
The Japanese rollout began on February 24 with two chatbot characters: Therdeo from My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me and Dohwa Baek from Operation: True Love.
In Korea, the Therdeo chatbot quickly gained traction, with paid messages accounting for 52% of total interactions within its first month. The Baek Dohwa chatbot has ranked No. 1 in user engagement for three consecutive months.
As of January 2026, Character Chat has surpassed 6 million cumulative users, with teenagers and users in their 20s accounting for 78% of the audience. Total exchanged messages have exceeded 230 million (the feature surpassed 100 million messages last June).
NAVER WEBTOON has been actively integrating AI with its IP portfolio. The service also launched Tarotoon, a new web-based service that lets users receive AI-generated fortune readings from popular WEBTOON characters, last June. The service also features AI Caricature, which transforms user photos into webtoon-style illustrations.
Currently, Character Chat is not available in the United States.
Source: Naver Webtoon
