Artist: riolu explorer (locked)
Potential AI Art Warning
An AI art investigation by e621's Bladerunners has previously concluded that some or all works from this artist are likely AI-assisted/generated. Please be aware of this when posting works from this artist.
Prior Investigations
2026-01-26
Staff members involved: Manitka, Lafcadio
Riolu_explorer was first raised as a person of interest by Lafcadio in 2025-11-17, identifying some troubling evidence but not yet committing to deletions.
Their posts were later deleted in 2026-01-26 in response to a user flag, where the artist appealed on the same day. Manitka took a short appeal, talking about the artist’s AI use on Twitter and the lack of any prior art history. The artist offered to send sketches “as soon as I get back to my country”, but a little over two months later this hasn’t occurred. In spite of this, the artist has remained active on Twitter into late March.
Of particular note is that throughout this entire time, their Discord avatar was an AI illustration, depicting their original character: A Riolu with white animal ears, a red scarf, golden accoutrements, and red cheek markings.
They have since made additional drawings, but none of the processes these were ever submitted to e621 staff, suggesting that no appeal was likely to come.
If you suspect a work by this artist is AI-assisted/generated, flag the post. Do not make public accusations of AI-assisted art; these will be penalized under Disruptive Behavior.