What Is Ghibli Art? Trend Takes Over Social Media as ChatGPT-4o Upgrades with AI Image Generation

The OpenAI-owned chatbot ChatGPT-4o has been upgraded with advanced features, and netizens can't keep calm as they share Ghibli-style animation portraits across social media. Find out what a Ghibli portrait is and why it is trending with ChatGPT. According to a World Population Review report, about 72% of people in the US regularly watch anime. Over the years, the popularity of anime has grown significantly, with fans exploring various themes through AI tools and animation apps.

What is a Ghibli Portrait?
Studio Ghibli is a renowned Japanese animation studio founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki. The studio is famous for its hand-drawn animation and unique storytelling.

The name "Ghibli" is derived from the Libyan Arabic word, meaning a hot desert wind. It was also the name of the Italian aircraft Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli, used during World War II. As an aviation enthusiast, Miyazaki named the studio to symbolize "blowing a new wind through the anime industry."

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A Ghibli portrait is an artwork created in the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli. These portraits typically feature:

Hand-drawn aesthetics
Soft, pastel, and muted colour palettes
Intricate and imaginative details in the foreground and background

Why Is the Ghibli Portrait Trend Linked to ChatGPT?
The Ghibli anime style has captivated AI users, who are now using advanced tools to convert their normal photos into Ghibli-style animations.

With the latest ChatGPT-4o upgrade, a new AI image-generation feature allows users to upload a photo and transform it into a Ghibli-style anime portrait. This has thrilled Ghibli fans, leading to a viral trend.

Iconic movie scenes, Studio Ghibli style. This is so much fun! pic.twitter.com/LwjkNjcEV9

— Mufaddal Durbar (@MDurbar) March 26, 2025

Nobody asked for Bollywood movie scenes in Ghibli style — but here they are. pic.twitter.com/umiDAA7LNu

— Vivek Choudhary (@ivivekch) March 26, 2025

tremendous alpha right now in sending your wife photos of yall converted to studio ghibli anime pic.twitter.com/FROszdFSfN

— Grant Slatton (@GrantSlatton) March 25, 2025

Every podcast needs to be Ghibli going forward pic.twitter.com/CsSBunHSJl

— Olivia Moore (@omooretweets) March 27, 2025

I created this Ghibli-style portraits using Grok. I really love it.

Rate it 1-10! pic.twitter.com/mOoWUeuWtn

— Kumar Shubham (@its_ShubhamK) March 26, 2025

It's been 24 hours since OpenAI unexpectedly shook the AI image world with 4o image generation.

Here are the 14 most mindblowing examples so far (100% AI-generated):

1. Studio ghibli style memespic.twitter.com/E38mBnPnQh

— Barsee 🐶 (@heyBarsee) March 26, 2025

Social media platforms are now flooded with users sharing their Ghibli portraits, while brands have also jumped on the trend to promote their products using AI-generated Ghibli images.