Xross Road, a Web3 intellectual property (IP) platform backed by TV Asahi group, announced on Feb 09, 2026, that it has secured USD 1.5 million in pre-seed funding.
The capital was raised to support the development of Hanasee, an AI-powered manga creation tool designed to convert text-based novels and scripts into manga.
The funding round, co-led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Decima Fund, also saw participation from Taisu Ventures, Baboon VC, and other institutional investors.
The company stated that its primary objective for creating Hanasee was to resolve structural barriers within the manga industry, including high production costs and a shortage of skilled illustrators, allowing anyone to convert their stories into the manga format.
Hanasee is a multi-agent system, where different AI components will handle different stages of manga production including illustrations, scripting, and panel layout.
These AI agents were trained under the supervision of professional manga artists to ensure the output captured the nuances of storytelling, composition, panel layout and emotional expression of characters. To address common issues in AI art where characters often changed appearance between frames, Xross Road implemented an editing tool designed to maintain visual consistency across long-form stories.
“There are countless exceptional stories and creators in the anime IP world that have yet to reach a global audience. Xross Road is building the infrastructure that supports the entire journey — from the birth of anime IP, to discovery, to global expansion. At the core of this ecosystem is HANASEE, our manga creation engine. By orchestrating multiple specialized AI agents, HANASEE enables professional-quality manga production and opens the door for individual creators to become the architects of the next generation of IP. Working alongside IP holders and partners such as the tv asahi Group, Xross Road connects fans, creators, and enterprises into a single, continuous flow — unlocking the global potential of IP born in Japan. ”
Yosuke Utsumi, Founder & CEO, Xross Road
Currently, a closed beta for Hanasee has been made available, restricted to invitation-only participants.
Furthermore, the startup aims to collaborate with major IP holders to facilitate rapid market testing, providing a cost-effective alternative for adapting light novels or screenplays into visual media before committing to full-scale anime production.
Xross Road has established a waitlist for early access and is actively soliciting business inquiries from publishers and animation studios interested in pilot programs.
Hanasee is scheduled to enter open beta on March 03, 2026. Upon its full release, the platform plans to offer both free and paid subscription tiers.
The company emphasized that manga produced during the beta and subsequent phases would eventually be made available and be sold on their platform.
Xross Road also disclosed plans to launch a blockchain-based rights management system in early 2026. This infrastructure was designed to ensure transparent revenue sharing and fair monetization for content generated through the platform.
Source: Press Release