Talking to your favorite characters from the webtoon world is no longer just a fantasy. Naver Webtoon introduces Naver Webtoon Character ChatNaver Webtoon is an AI-based service that lets you interact directly with iconic characters as if they were real friends. By combining AI and storytelling technology, Naver Webtoon opens up a new, more immersive experience for webtoon, anime, and popculture fans.
What is Naver Webtoon Character Chat?
Naver Webtoon Character Chat is an AI-based interactive service that launched in June 2024. Through this feature, you can chat with characters from popular series such as Yumi's Cells, The Sound of Your Heart, Return Your Soul, and My In-Laws Are Obsessed with Me. Originally featuring only four characters, the service has now expanded to twelve characters from various famous webtoons.
Every character in Naver Webtoon Character Chat is designed to mimic the language style, personality, and setting of the story in the original webtoon. The characters can even adjust their communication style and behavior based on the relationships you build during your interactions. That way, the experience feels alive and authentic, making you feel closer to the world of your favorite webtoons.
Although the service is not yet officially available to the global market, users can still type in English and receive English replies thanks to the automatic translation system integrated into the AI.
A More Personalized Interaction Experience
One of the main strengths of Naver Webtoon Character Chat is the ability to create an experience that feels emotional and natural. For example, Ryeong from Return Your Soul will act as an exorcist reading the daily prophecy, while Therdeo of the My In-Laws Are Obsessed with Me is slowly showing its soft side to users.
The relationship you build with a character during chat will affect their language style and the way they interact. These changes make the experience feel as if you're actually friends with the character, rather than just talking to the AI.
Impact of Naver Webtoon Character Chat on App Popularity and Activity
Since its launch, Naver Webtoon Character Chat has attracted more than 3.35 million users and generated more than 70 million chats. This feature not only enriches the reading experience, but also positively impacts the popularity of various webtoons.
For example, after a character from 23# added to Naver Webtoon Character ChatThe webtoon's readership increased by 29% in just one week. The number of paid users also rose by 22%, and the overall revenue grew by 44%. Other characters such as Hyo-rim Seol from Star Ginseng Shop and Love from +99 Reinforced Wooden Stick also shows a similar trend, with a rise in the number of chapters read, an increase in new readers, and growth in user spending within the app.
In addition to impacting certain webtoons, Naver Webtoon Character Chat also increased user engagement with the app overall. In a two-month period, the data shows:
- The number of application visit days increased by 8%,
- Days with reading activity up 7%,
- The total number of titles read increased by 11%,
- The number of new titles explored soared by 32%,
- The number of chapters read increased by 8%,
- Total user expenditure within the app increased by 4%.
This data shows that interaction with AI characters not only increases loyalty to a webtoon series, but also strengthens the ecosystem of readers across platforms.
How to Access Naver Webtoon Character Chat
Currently, Naver Webtoon Character Chat is only available on the Korean version of the Naver Webtoon app. For those of you who want to try it out, you need to download the Korean version of the app and navigate the interface manually.
Although the app is in Korean, typing in English still allows you to get English replies. The replies from the characters may not always be grammatically perfect, but they still maintain characterization and emotional nuances that are consistent with the story in the original webtoon.
This feature is free to use, but the number of daily chats is limited. You can get additional chats by participating in certain events or purchasing additional packages through in-app features.
Future Development Strategy
Seeing the positive response from users, Naver Webtoon plans to continue expanding its Naver Webtoon Character Chat by adding more characters from various popular series. They will also develop new features to deepen user interaction with characters, strengthening the integration between AI technology and their intellectual property (IP).
This strategy not only enriches the experience of loyal readers, but also attracts new users to explore more titles on the platform. With global interest in digital pop culture continuing to grow, innovations like this pave the way for a future of more immersive and personalized fandom interactions.
While full access is currently only available in the Korean market, international expansion opportunities remain open. Looking ahead, Naver Webtoon Character Chat has the potential to set a new standard in building emotional connections between fans and fictional characters in the digital world.
Source: Naver Webtoon, Korea JoongAng Daily
