Adobe Firefly 2 vs. Midjourney Niji V6: It’s One-Sided

There are a few things Japan is known for. Ramen, Mt. Fuji, Shohei Ohtani — the list goes on. But there is perhaps one particular thing that people will always associate with Japan, and that’s anime.

The reason for this is simple. It’s one of Japan’s biggest exports, so it’s really no wonder why everyone and their mother knows, at the very least, who Naruto is. It’s also why most people use AI image generators to create anime art.

And if you’re one of those people, what model do you usually use? Do you even know which one’s the best? That’s what we’re here to find out.

In this article, I’ll showcase and compair nine pairs of anime artwork from Adobe Firefly 2 and Midjourney Niji 6. Let me tell you now: this is a landslide for Midjourney, and you’re going to see why in a minute.

What are Adobe Firefly 2 and Midjourney Niji 6?

Adobe Firefly 2 is the latest version of Adobe's AI-powered text-to-image model. This model is built directly into Adobe’s suite of products, which means you can use Firefly 2 with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. However, you can also access this model using the Adobe Firefly 2 website. 

You can read more about Adobe Firefly 2 in our full review of the product.

Midjourney Niji 6 is more or less the same. It’s a model based on the base Midjourney model (which is currently on its sixth iteration) whose main purpose is to create anime artwork. Niji 6 also has access to the Midjourney’s wide range of features, including style and character reference, panning, zooming, and more.

To learn more about Midjourney Niji 6, I highly recommend reading this article from our catalogue.

Adobe Firefly 2 vs. Midjourney Niji 6: Anime Battle

You’re here to see how well these two models compare against each other, so let’s not delay this any further. Here are some output examples from Adobe Firefly 2 and Midjourney Niji 6 using the same prompts.

Note: Each prompt for Adobe Firefly 2 will include an additional “in the style of anime” at the end as an explicit instruction. Midjourney Niji 6 automatically generates anime images even without “anime” in the prompt.

Fantasy Anime

Prompt: a woman in a kimono controlling birds, fantasy anime, light crimson and violet, magical realism, concept art

Superhero Anime

Prompt: superhero anime, a young man controlling the ocean, stormy ambience

Romance Anime

Prompt: romance anime, two students sitting on a rooftop during sunset, pastel-colored sky

Slice of Life Anime

Prompt: slice of life anime, a young kid building a treehouse, early spring

Sports Anime

Prompt: sports anime, a young boy playing table tennis, action shot

Horror Anime

Prompt: horror anime, a woman creepily peeks out from behind the curtains, night, ghostish creature

Mecha Anime

Prompt: mecha anime, a giant robot floating through the blue sky, minimalist, in the style of anime

Cyberpunk Anime

Prompt: a mage equipped with rusty machinery, cyberpunk aesthetics, fighting stance, in the style of anime

With Text

Prompt: a vintage car with the plate number "JBY 199", european backdrop, in the style of anime

The Verdict

Believe me, I tried so hard. Adobe Firefly simply cannot generate anime artwork at all. No matter how I structured or worded the prompt, the results are the same. The truth is that the ones you see above are the best they can do. Apart from obvious creativity shortcomings, Firefly also suffers from poor prompt comprehension and image coherence. 

On the other hand, Midjourney Niji 6 proves once again why it’s the best option for anime artwork. Each image they create is carefully pieced together and stays true to the prompt. My favorite ones include the outputs for horror, superhero, and cyberpunk anime. They’re creative, atmospheric, and follow the genre they’re made for.

There’s also the issue of flexibility vs. ethics. Midjourney allows you to use specific artists or previous works as parts of your prompt. Adobe Firefly 2 is more strict with using copyrighted content, so it often blocks your prompt if it contains an artist name or anime title.

As for text generation, Adobe Firefly 2 still can’t write text, while Niji 6 (and the base Midjourney model) fixed this problem already. 

This battle is a one-sided victory for Midjourney Niji 6 — and it’s not even close.

Adobe Firefly 2 vs. Midjourney Niji 6: Pricing

Adobe Firefly 2 is completely free, but their images come with a watermark. If you want to upgrade and create images without watermark, you can subscribe to their premium plan for $4.99 per month.

You can’t use Midjourney for free. Their plans start at $10 for the basic tier (which is more than enough for personal use) and can increase up to $120 per month for team or enterprise usage.

Last Thoughts

If we’re talking only about anime art, there’s virtually no reason to pick Adobe Firefly 2 over Midjourney Niji 6. Even the fact that Adobe Firefly 2 is free is not enough to overcome its lack of capability to produce anime artwork. 

Here’s the silver lining though: this isn’t why Adobe Firefly 2 exists. This model exists to help designers who use Adobe products by providing an alternative to stock photos. We’ve already tested Adobe Firefly 2 before, and I can confidently tell you that it’s more than capable for this use case.

But the crown for anime AI generation still belongs to Midjourney Niji 6.If you want to learn more about these two platforms, I highly suggest articles such as this one or this one. Have fun reading!