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Free Anime Visual Novel Sampler: 8 characters (all expressions) + 4 backgrounds, free for commercial use

A topic by cy2026 created 5 days ago Views: 507 Replies: 4

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cy20265 days ago (2 edits)

Hi! I put together a free sampler of my anime visual novel assets:
https://cy2026.itch.io/free-anime-vn-sampler

What's inside (121 MB):

8 characters as transparent PNGs, with every expression: one each from my modern, gothic, cyberpunk, academy, otome, idol and princess packs, plus a full-body RPG knight
4 backgrounds, 1920x1080: a cafe at night, an underground lake, a neon street and a classroom at sunset

License: free for commercial and non-commercial projects. Credit is appreciated but not required. You can edit and recolor the files.

AI disclosure: these were made with an SDXL-based model (CreativeML Open RAIL++-M license), then edited and assembled by me. Please check your game jam's or store's rules on AI assets before using them.

If you like the style, each character comes from a full pack that adds more characters, outfits and ready-made Ren'Py code (layeredimage and a demo scene). Those packs are linked on the sampler page.

Feedback is very welcome, especially on what characters or locations you'd want next!

haoyiming80097545-web2 days ago

Keeping a full set of expressions for characters across all eight genres is super helpful for anyone building dialogue scenes.

Are you thinking about adding more subtle expressions later on—like a character smiling when something feels off in their eyes?

I'm testing out interactive AI anime storylines right now, so I really care about whether the visuals can keep up with the subtext in the dialogue. Would love to hear your take on this from a visual novel creator's perspective! 🎭

cy20261 day ago

Thanks for the kind words! Right now the sets cover the core emotions: happy, angry, sad, surprised, embarrassed and so on. Mixed ones like a forced smile, or a smile with worried eyes, aren't in yet. I agree they're great for subtext, though, and I'm noting them for future volumes. If you have a short list of the expressions you'd use most, post it here; it'll help me decide what to add first. Good luck with your project!

ming10110 hours ago

The two expressions I’d want to add most are: smiling to reassure someone while their eyes still look super worried, and that moment right after a sigh of relief when their body is still shaking from the shock. Expressions like that add way more subtext to dialogue than just being happy or sad. Also, thanks for taking notes on these suggestions! We’re currently testing ISECAI, a free web-based AI anime RPG, and I’d love to get your first impressions on how well the character expressions and dialogue work together. Would you be down to try a short academy intro when you have time? If you're interested, I can drop the link and a unique invite code right here.

cy20262 hours ago

Thanks, those are great picks — a reassuring smile over worried eyes and that shaky post-relief moment are exactly the kind of mixed expressions I'll look at for future volumes. I'm heads-down on asset work right now so I'll pass on testing for the moment, but good luck with the project!