Arknights Illustrator Cenm0 Removed After Monster Hunter Asset Plagiarism Scandal

Image: Arknights/Monster Hunter/ Asset Plagiarism

A longtime Arknights illustrator has been removed from the project after it was confirmed they had plagiarized design elements from Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise.

Cenm0, well-known in the Arknights community for creating several popular character designs—including Bubble, Jessica, Rockrock, Shalem, Tachanka, Ray, and Ascalon—was found to have copied assets from Monster Hunter 4. The controversy centered around the new outfit for Ascalon, where the design of her cape closely resembled the wings of Shagaru Magala, a fan-favorite creature from Capcom’s series.

The similarities didn’t go unnoticed. Players on Chinese gaming forums quickly began sharing side-by-side image comparisons, which soon went viral. As the situation gained attention, developer Hypergryph responded by updating the artwork and initiating an internal review.

Following the investigation, Cenm0 publicly admitted to the plagiarism and issued an apology via Weibo on June 23. In the post (spotted by Dexerto), they expressed regret for damaging the integrity of the character and disappointing fans of both Arknights and Monster Hunter. The illustrator acknowledged their mistake and accepted the consequences, stating: “I fully accept all punishments decided by the project team… I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

Despite the public apology, Hypergryph has not yet released an official statement about Cenm0’s departure. However, the studio has updated Ascalon’s design to remove the plagiarized elements.

For new, Arknights is a stylish and strategic tower defense gacha RPG developed by Hypergryph and published globally by Yostar.