Lezhin Entertainment announced that it will roll out Teaz, an artificial‑intelligence‑powered character chat service, on October 19 in South Korea. The platform will let users converse directly with characters drawn from the company’s own webtoon catalog as well as titles published on its sister platform, Bomtoon.
Teaz is being introduced as a web‑based service initially, with a mobile application slated for a later release. According to the company’s statement, the service will let participants either adopt the persona of a favorite character for a first‑person dialogue or engage with the characters from a third‑person viewpoint, creating a flexible interaction model that mirrors role‑playing experiences.
How the AI Conversation Works
All conversations in Teaz will be generated using officially licensed intellectual properties, meaning the AI has been trained on the narrative tone and personality traits established in each original series. The platform emphasizes relationship‑based dialogue: user choices will shape how a character responds and even alter the perceived relationship over time. This dynamic approach aims to give fans a feeling of continuity with the source material while offering new story possibilities.
In addition to chat, Teaz incorporates game‑like collection mechanics. Players can unlock hidden illustrations and exclusive items crafted by the original webtoon artists, encouraging repeated engagement and rewarding long‑term fans with unique content that does not appear in the printed or digital comics.
Future Features and Expansion Plans
Lezhin outlined a staged rollout. After the initial launch, the company intends to add a text‑based role‑playing game mode that will deepen the narrative aspect of the service. While a mobile app is on the horizon, Lezhin has not confirmed whether Teaz will receive an English‑language version, leaving the possibility open for future international expansion.
Lezhin’s parent company, KidariStudio, highlighted that Teaz is part of a broader strategy to fuse its existing media libraries with emerging technologies. The statement suggested that similar AI‑driven experiences could eventually be applied to other Lezhin properties, potentially spanning video, merchandise, and live events.
Industry Context: AI Chat Services on the Rise
The launch arrives amid a growing trend of Korean webtoon platforms experimenting with AI chat bots to extend reader interaction beyond static panels. In July 2026, Naver WEBTOON debuted byUs, a story‑chat service that lets users co‑create narratives with characters from creator‑approved webtoon IPs, starting with the series “Ctrl+Alt+Resign.”
Earlier, Naver WEBTOON had introduced its own AI Character Chat service in South Korea in June 2024. The feature quickly gained traction, surpassing 100 million messages by June 2025. Building on that success, the company expanded the service to Japan in February 2026 via LINE Manga, marking its first foray into an overseas market.
These precedents illustrate a clear industry momentum: AI‑enhanced character interactions are being leveraged as a method to keep webtoon audiences engaged long after the original storyline concludes. By turning static characters into conversational partners, platforms can generate additional touchpoints for fans, open new monetization streams, and gather valuable user‑behavior data for future content development.
Lezhin’s Position and Outlook
Lezhin Entertainment, a prominent player in the Korean webtoon space, maintains a detailed profile on Anime News Network. Its sister platform Bomtoon is similarly listed here. By launching Teaz, Lezhin aims to stay competitive with Naver’s AI offerings and to capitalize on its extensive catalog of adult‑oriented and mainstream titles.
While the service currently targets Korean users, the lack of an immediate English rollout leaves open the question of whether Lezhin will follow Naver’s footsteps and bring AI chat experiences to a global audience. The company’s future statements may reveal plans to localize Teaz, which could present new opportunities for international fans of Korean webtoons.
Overall, Teaz represents a tangible step forward in the convergence of webtoon storytelling and interactive AI technology. As more publishers explore similar concepts, the line between passive reading and active participation continues to blur, promising a fresh era of digital narrative experiences for fans worldwide.
Featured image: © Lezhin Entertainment
Source: Anime News Network