BODY: Japan's romance-tech scene just got a little more inclusive. Aimy, the character-creation-meets-AI-chat app that lets users build their ideal virtual partner from scratch, has rolled out a major update adding male character creation — a feature long-requested by its growing female and LGBTQ+ user base.
Until now, Aimy users could mix and match faces, outfits, voices, and personality traits to design a custom AI companion, but the roster was limited to female characters. The new update opens the full creation suite to male partners, complete with voice options and personality presets tunable through the same conversational AI engine that powers the app's signature open-ended chat experiences.
To mark the expansion, the developer has launched a limited-time event distributing exclusive SSR-grade costumes — the rarest tier in the app's outfit gacha system. Players who participate during the event window can secure cosmetics that won't return to the regular pool, a classic engagement tactic borrowed straight from Japan's mobile gacha playbook.
The update positions Aimy more directly against established otome-style AI companion apps, while also courting users curious about generative AI relationships without the rougher edges of overseas chatbot services.
The insider take
Aimy sits in a quietly booming corner of Japan's app market — AI companions tuned for emotional resonance rather than productivity. The decision to add male characters reads as a deliberate pivot toward the otome demographic, which has historically driven enormous revenue for titles like Ikémen and Mr Love: Queen's Choice here in Tokyo. Pairing the feature launch with a gacha-style SSR event is textbook Japanese monetization: build anticipation, gate exclusivity behind a deadline, and let FOMO do the rest. Expect competitors to follow within the quarter.
Originally reported by 4Gamer.net − 最新記事 (Japanese).