What is Midjourney Niji Mode & How Do You Use It to Magically Create Anime-Style Images?

1.9K

Alright guys, prepare to have your minds blown once again by Midjourney. This article is all about the magical world of Midjourney and its spectacular feature – the anime-inspired “Niji Mode.” Is it an enigma to you? Well, hold on tight, because we’re about to unpack this enigma and open you up to a fresh horizon of creativity. Let’s dive right in.

What is Midjourney Niji Mode?

Let’s play pretend. Imagine a world where you could generate stunning anime-style images in less than 60 seconds. Cool, right? Now stop imagining, because, with Midjourney’s Niji Mode, this isn’t a dream. This is your new reality.

This fascinating mode transforms your prompts into anime-style, cartoon-like images, essentially turning Midjourney into your personal Japanese Digital Artist on creative steroids. Niji has a vast knowledge of anime, styles, and aesthetics. And hey, even if you’re not crazy about anime (like me), the exotic flavor this mode adds to your images can be simply irresistible.

To give you a quick taste, here’s a prompt without Niji Mode, and with. See the difference? It’s obvious.

Without Niji…

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
23 year old man with hooded sweatshirt, hood over head, futuristic fashion, anime guy, headphones, colorful reflective fabric backpack, in the future, neon colors, hyper detailed, in Japan, rainy night –ar 2:3 –v 5.2

With Niji…

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
23 year old man with hooded sweatshirt, hood over head, futuristic fashion, anime guy, headphones, colorful reflective fabric backpack, in the future, neon colors, hyper detailed, in Japan, rainy night –ar 2:3 –niji 5

Pretty sweet, right?

Niji v5 vs Niji v4: A Digital Showdown

So what does Niji version 5 bring to the table? “Better things”, obviously! It boasts awesome additions like: 

• Styles (Expressive, Cute, and Scenic). Scroll down to the “Styles” section to learn more! You’ll love Niji styles, trust me.

• Not to be confused with the bullet above, v5 is compatible with the “Style” parameter. Simply add “–s <value of 0-1000>”. Low style values produce images that closely match the prompt but are less artistic. High-style values create images that are very artistic but don’t match the prompt as closely.

• Improved faces and hands. This goes for v5 of Midjourney just in general. Version 4 was plagued by some big issues with hands, specifically. In v5, it’s generally been fixed!

• A higher dynamic range.

• The “Tile” feature.  Simply add “–tile” to the end of your prompt to create seamless image tiles. This is perfect for creating your own wallpaper.

Check out these examples comparing images from Niji v4 and Niji v5. I can’t even imagine what v6 will bring to the table.

Version 4…

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
1990 anime retro nostalgiac strong character looking into the distance wearing a jetpack flying through the city sky, colorful, shiny vibrant colors, lightning in the sky, dark background –ar 2:3 –niji 4

Version 5…

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
1990 anime retro nostalgiac strong character looking into the distance wearing a jetpack flying through the city sky, colorful, shiny vibrant colors, lightning in the sky, dark background –ar 2:3 –niji 5

Kind of looks like an ’80s retro video game character. And if you’re into that kind of thing, then definitely check out Retro Center.

How to Create Midjourney Niji Mode Images

Cracking the Niji code isn’t rocket science. Far from it. And here at Run The Prompts, the last thing we ever do is make things seem more complicated than they actually are. We feel that’s one reason why people keep running the prompts and coming back to this site, hungry for more.

Here are three simple ways to activate Midjourney’s Niji mode:

First Method: The Niji Parameter

First, the quickest method: Add the “–niji 5” parameter to the end of your prompt. This is my favorite method because you can toggle Niji on and off whenever you want without having to use menus or different bots.

Second Method: Niji Discord Setting

Add the Niji style via your Discord settings. First, type “/settings”, press enter twice, and then go here:

Third Method: Add the Niji Journey Bot

Message the Niji bot directly. Go to the Niji Journey Bot. Click on the bot on the right-hand side of the screen. Click “Add to Server.”

Fourth Method: Do a Niji Image Prompt

You can also do a Niji image prompt! Add “–niji 5” to the end of your image prompt, and boom, you’ve got a Niji version of your image prompt. Not sure how to do an image prompt? Check out our image prompt article to learn all about it. It’s also simple.

Pro Tip: Are you trying to create a popular anime character? I’m not, but maybe you are. You’re more likely to nail your anime character’s look if it is a popular character and has a load of fan art floating around the internet. Popular character = a lot of artists drawing it = more data for Midjourney to use to create images for you. Make sense?

Now You’re Convinced. Niji Mode is the Best-Kept Midjourney Secret.

How could you not know about this awesome feature? To be fair, it’s probably one of the best-kept secrets of Midjourney in my opinion, even for people like myself who aren’t fans of anime. Now that the secret’s out though, let the transformation begin.

Take it to Another Level: Add Niji “Styles”

Unleash unique angles in your images with Expressive, Cute, and Scenic styles in Niji Mode.

1. Expressive Niji Style

“Expressive” style imbibes concepts from 3D rendering for a realistic touch to eyes and skin. Simply add “–style expressive” to the end of your Niji prompt.

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
23 year old man with hooded sweatshirt, hood over head, futuristic fashion, anime guy, headphones, colorful reflective fabric backpack, in the future, neon colors, hyper detailed, in Japan, rainy night –ar 2:3 –niji 5 –style expressive

2. Cute Niji Style

“Cute” style, while pretty obvious, never fails to add a playful touch to your artworks. However, be forewarned that the result is sometimes painfully cute. Simply add “–style cute” to the end of your Niji prompt.

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
23 year old man with hooded sweatshirt, hood over head, futuristic fashion, anime guy, headphones, colorful reflective fabric backpack, in the future, neon colors, hyper detailed, in Japan, rainy night –ar 2:3 –niji 5 –style cute

3. Scenic Niji Style

“Scenic” style is your go-to for crafting stunning backgrounds and making your images feel cinematic. Simply add “–style scenic” to the end of your Niji prompt.

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
23 year old man with hooded sweatshirt, hood over head, futuristic fashion, anime guy, headphones, colorful reflective fabric backpack, in the future, neon colors, hyper detailed, in Japan, rainy night –ar 2:3 –niji 5 –style scenic

BONUS: Two More Killer Midjourney Niji Mode Examples

You still haven’t had enough? What the hell is wrong with you? Here are some bonus examples. Just don’t say I’ve never done anything nice for you.

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
Joe Biden and Donald Trump holding hands –niji 5

I have nothing against gay people. But this is hella gay.

(Copy/Paste Prompt Into Midjourney)
https://s.mj.run/RbFG9c1xo44 Bill Gates, wearing glasses, frowning yet still happy, blazing fire and smoke in background, burning buildings in background, dark background, cinematic –niji 5

Whenever I picture Bill Gates in my head, this is what it looks like. Actually, this is exactly what it looks like.

Wrapping it up

Keeping our sight firmly on the horizon, we know that Midjourney is creating even better Niji models. Massive improvements are in the pipeline that will make this already-amazing tool even more miraculous. For now, get cracking with Niji Mode.

Did you run the prompts and create anything cool with Midjourney Niji Mode? If so, let us know in the comments section below. Also, be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with new prompts and AI information.