Niji Mode AKA Niji Journey refers to Midjourney's anime-specific models. They are built on entirely different architectures from the standard Midjourney models. The latest version—Niji V5—was released in April 2023.
The first time I tried Niji mode (V4, released in December 2023) I was stunned by the quality and coherence of the images I was able to generate. Niji V5 raises the bar even more, bringing not only a huge quality increase but also multiple styles, variations of the models with different aesthetics.
In this guide we'll go through some general Niji tips, and then prompts for each Niji style and model. Let's get into it!
Tips for getting started
To get started, you need a Midjourney or Niji Journey membership. Even though these have different websites and different Discords, they come as a 2-in-1 package.
To set V5 as the default, you can type /settings and then click on Niji Mode V5.
Learn your parameters
Here's a full list of Midjourney's commands and parameters with image examples you can use to enhance your generations.
Try the different styles
Niji has alternate styles that you can toggle with the --style command. Add these to your prompts:
- --style expressive: Mature and dramatic style, with a slightly more Western style.
- --style cute: whimsical style with cute characters
- --style scenic: style that focuses on environmental details
- --style original: Niji V5 was actually different when it was first released. This lets you use the original release style.
Use stylize
The default Niji & Midjourney styles are gorgeous. The problem is they're also quite generic.
Use the stylize command to get more interesting variations (--stylize or --s).
The range is --s 0 to --s 1000, and the default value is 100.
I find you get interesting results both by increasing the --s number a lot as well as lowering it. Try --s 500 or --s 90 to your prompts, or go even lower than that.
If you don't want humans to appear, a lower stylize value is better (eg. --s 20)
| Quality related | Details related | Lighting related | Camera related |
|---|---|---|---|
| masterpiece best quality high quality | detailed intricately detailed finely detailed hyper detailed | cinematic lighting golden hour lighting silhouette lighting backlit | depth of field shot with Canon EOS lens 135mm f1.8 portrait of [x] |
You can use quite of few of these but no need to go overboard, they do have diminishing returns. Notice the subtle quality enhancements when you use quality tags:
girl with black hair, looking at viewer, depth of field
with quality tags
girl with black hair, masterpiece, best quality, ultra-detailed, cinematic beautiful lighting, intricate details, looking at viewer, depth of fieldNiji V5's Default Style
Niji V5's default style is a versatile, general purpose illustration style - I use it when I am trying to get a artwork "in the style of X".
female, original character, full-length shot, student, cartoon, detailed, unique --ar 1:1
female, original character, full-length shot, student, cartoon, detailed, unique
a beautiful girl with flowers and a bottle of perfume, in the style of art nouveau-inspired illustrations, dark gold and sky-blue, michael martchenko, naoko takeuchi, dark cyan and red, patricia polacco, colorful dreams --ar 40:53
perfume of the month , in the style of nouveau-inspired illustrations, stencil art, anime art, cinematic elegance, photo taken with provia, colorful dreams, maranao art --ar 2:3
Digital anime art with attention to detail. CyberPunk, Action scene, cool woman soldier with short red hair and head-mounted display is shooting with a large heavy Gatling Swordgun. She is heavily armed in a black coat. She is grinning. Her arms are held in front of her. Gun Sword Action. Location is a Iron Room. Cinematic, anime, extremely complex, 8K rendering. --s 165 --ar 3:4
from above,(Youjo Senki):1.6,ロケットに乗るターニャ,スチームパンク,大きな歯車, 疾走 爆走 高速移動 躍動感 中世の街並み, 大きな廃墟,雲,太陽 
A cute cat lying in front of a window, floor-to-ceiling windows, flooring,white background,only black and white,decorations doodle in the style of Keith Haring, sharpie illustration bold lines in the style of grunge beauty, mixed patterns, text and emoji installations --s 400
anime girl is shown in a phone screen, in the style of gothic art, red and black, dragon art, subtle realism, chinapunk, close up, light yellow and dark orange --ar 9:16
male paladin and female elf, dynamic, masterful lighting composition style of frank frazetta --ar 19:9V5's Expressive Style
You can apply the expressive style with the command "--style expressive". It's one of my favorite styles, because it makes compositions and poses more dynamic.
EVA 01, asuka langley soryu looking into distance, eva, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
asuka langley soryu looking into distance, eva in background, Masaaki Yuasa, Taiyo matsumoto, Shinichirō Watanabe, sky huge azure, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , gainax, piercing blue sky dynamic angle --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
EVA 01, asuka langley soryu looking into distance, eva, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
asuka langley soryu looking into distance, eva in background, sky huge azure, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , gainax, piercing blue sky dynamic angle --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
EVA 02, asuka langley soryu wearing sundress, fullbody, eva in distant background, a wonderful day, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
asuka langley soryu sitting on surfboard, dawn light, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia, bluest water, masterpiece, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
EVA 00, rei ayanami looking into distance, fullbody, eva, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , dynamic angle, wind, hyper, masterpiece, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
EVA 00, rei ayanami, fullbody, , 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , dynamic angle, sachin teng, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5 
EVA 00, rei ayanami looking into distance, eva, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
EVA 00, rei ayanami looking into distance, fullbody, eva, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia , dynamic angle, wind, hyper, masterpiece, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
masterpiece, intricate details, rin tohsaka swimming underwater, hair flowing everywhere, beautiful reflective underwater surface, bubbles, holding breath, dynamic angle, faded pastel rainbow, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia, masterpiece --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
90s anime still, asuka langley soryu wearing a red, neon genesis evangelion, watercolor illustration --ar 2:3 --niji 5
oil painting 90s anime, asuka langley soryu wearing a red plugsuit, neon genesis evangelion --ar 2:3
rough pencil sketch of asuka langley soryu --ar 2:3 
masterpiece, best quality, faded pastel illustration of asuka langley soryu --ar 2:3
Tsukino Usagi Small Lady Serenity, handsome expression，Sailor Moon, beautiful girl, pink hair,sailor suit，Double tail, Elizabeth Leesad face, elegant, detailed,blind box,fluorescence,bright light, clay material,precision mechanical parts, close-up intensity, bright light, material precision chase close parts 3 detailed,3d, ultra-detailed, C4D, octane rendering, Blender --style expressive
a girl characters in a fantasy setting looking at lighted objects, in the style of photorealistic painting,gongbi, gold and azure, i can't believe how beautiful this is, illusory wallpaper portraits, graceful movements, kintsugi, silver and purple --ar 9:16 --style expressive --s 50Original Characters
two soccer players competing to catch the ball on a large stadium, in the style of anime, dark red and dark azure, sky-blue --style expressive
cinematic detailed illustrations of a vampiric girl in a cathedral background 1980s anime in the style of victoria goth, realist detail, pulp comics, dark red - --ar 9:16 --s 40
k-pop band dancing in a stadium with colorful ballons ballons everywhere, sky blue --ar 16:9 --s 800 --style expressive img2img
https://s.mj.run/3MyvMetVm6A a woman shows off her hair in the city, by naoko takeuchi, precise and sharp, prickly, , strong diagonals --iw 0.5 --s 35 --ar 2:3
https://s.mj.run/3MyvMetVm6A a woman shows off her hair in the city, in the style of xiaofei yue, precise and sharp, sharp/prickly, strong diagonals --iw 0.5 --s 35 --ar 2:3 
https://s.mj.run/3MyvMetVm6A a woman shows off her hair in the city, in the style of yoji shinkawa, precise and sharp, sharp/prickly, strong diagonals --iw 0.5 --s 35 --ar 2:3Environments & Backgrounds
isometric, overhead view of a beach, dawn light, 1980 1990 anime retro nostalgia, bluest water, masterpiece, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
masterpiece, megalithic monolithic, a building that recursively builds itself, tsutomu nihei, anime screencap, ultimate details, --ar 16:9 --s 90 --style expressive --niji 5
large stadium, coastal views, precise, detailed architecture paintings, sky-blue --ar 16:9 --style expressive
book binding, old booker binder shop crowded with books, a beautiful day outside by Otake Chikuha, breathtaking illustrated, simple, featured on pixiv, muted colors with minimalism, irina nordsol kuzmina, a hazy memory, --ar 2:1 --style expressive
book binding, old booker binder shop crowded with books, a beautiful day outside by Otake Chikuha, breathtaking illustrated, simple, featured on pixiv, muted colors with minimalism, irina nordsol kuzmina, a hazy memory, --ar 2:1 --style expressive
isometric art, massive apartment complex interconnected bridges and pipes system, stacked on it monolithic, tekkonkinkreet, in the style of tran nguyen, sachin teng, craig mullins, brian kesinger, colorful sidewalk scenes, traditional vietnamese, bill watterson, charming characters --ar 2:3
an oil painting shows the city from above, in the style of hyper-realistic sculptures, sōsaku hanga, comic strips, transportcore, colorized, mote kei, whiplash curves --ar 6:11V5's Cute Style
You can apply the cute style with the command "--style cute". It produces a flat, cute style with less shading than other styles.
girl, anime, looking at viewer, bubbles, highly detailed, reflective transparent iridescent opaque jacket, long transparent iridescent RGB hair --ar 3:2 --style cute
ferocious dragon on a hill, very dramatic --style cute --ar 16:9V5's Scenic Style
You can apply the scenic style with the command "--style scenic". It's the best style for anime and visual novel style backgrounds.
empty classroom, style of Makoto Shinkai The Garden of Words, aesthetically pleasing, muted color scheme --ar 3:2 --style scenic
In the desert, a large city in a straight line, no end in sight, a human abandoned road with some mechanical remains, a few shrubs and grass, film and television animation lighting, whole body, wasteland style, overlooking vision, super remote perspective, super scene, 3d art, c4d, Ray Tracing, Pixar Trends, Super detail, 8k --ar 2:1 --s 250 --style scenic 
low shot of a wondering traveler on a grassy hill during sunset --style scenicNiji V4 Prompts
To set V4 as the default, you can type /settings and then click on Niji Mode V4.
Transparent Vinyl Clothing
Rainbow refractions on transparent clothing is something Niji is amazing at. Try these phrases:
- transparent color vinyl
- transparent PVC
- iridescent opaque thin film RGB
- reflective clothing
- chromatic aberration
- holographic
- prismatic
You can use them all at once, however this creates an overwhelming result. We recommend you pick and use 2-3 that you like the best.
girl, anime, looking at viewer, bubbles, highly detailed, reflective transparent iridescent opaque jacket, long transparent iridescent RGB hair --ar 3:2
girl, anime, looking at viewer with a cigarette in her mouth, highly detailed, reflections transparent iridescent opaque jacket, long transparent iridescent RGB hair --ar 3:2
pixiv, hyper detailed, harajuku fasion, futuristic fashion, anime girl, headphone, colorful reflective fabric inner, transparent PVC jacket, backpack --ar 2:3
transparent color PVC clothing, transparent color vinyl clothing, prismatic, holographic, chromatic aberration, fashion illustration, masterpiece, girl with harajuku fashion, looking at viewer, 8k, ultra detailed, pixiv
masterpiece, 1girl, on train, masterpiece, anime, sadboi, aesthetic, transparent color vinyl jacket, highly detailed, reflections, transparent iridescent opaque rgb girl, chromatic aberration jacketRetro Anime Styles
A painstaking amount of attention went into the style and art direction of 80s and 90s anime. Try the following designers and directors:
- Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - Founder of Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
- Hayao Miyazaki - Founder of Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away)
- Toshihiro Kawamoto - Founder of Bones (Cowboy Bebop)
- Yoshiaki Kawajiri - Director of Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
- Tsukasa Hojo - Creator of City Hunter
- Naoko Takeuchi - Creator of Sailor Moon
You can also add:
- 1970s anime 1980s anime, 1990s anime
- retro anime
- retro anime screencap
80s anime still, office girl at desk, muted pastel colors, Yoshiaki Yoshiaki Kawajiri --ar 3:2
80s anime still, man and woman having coffee at a coffeeshop, retro fashion, muted pastel colors, by Tsukasa Hojo and Toshihiro Kawamoto --ar 3:2
80s anime still, delinquent fixing a motorbike, retro fashion, muted retro colors, CRT tv display, by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Tsukasa Hojo and Toshihiro Kawamoto --ar 3:2
80s anime still, girl fixing a mech, retro fashion, muted retro colors, style of Dragons Heaven --ar 3:2Character Design & Concept Sheets
These help designers keep characters consistent across different poses, angles and expressions. Try beginning your prompts with:
- expression sheet
- character design sheet
- character turnaround sheet
- dress-up sheet / fashion sheet
- items sheet / accessories
- character pose sheet
- concept art sheet
Mix and match any of the above.
80s anime still, girl fixing a mech, retro fashion, muted retro colors, style of Dragons Heaven --ar 3:2
character design sheet, magical girl blue hair --ar 3:2
character turnaround sheet, magical girl --ar 3:2
character dress-up sheet, magical girl --ar 3:2Gorgeous Anime Backgrounds
Here are some directors to try for backgrounds:
- Makoto Shinkai, The Garden of Words
- Taiyo Matsumoto, Tekkonkinkreet
- Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira
relaxing cafe in Tokyo, style of Makoto Shinkai The Garden of Words, aesthetically pleasing, muted color scheme --ar 3:2empty classroom, style of Makoto Shinkai The Garden of Words, aesthetically pleasing, muted color scheme --ar 3:2
aerial shot of city, anime background, style of Makoto Shinkai The Garden of Words --ar 3:2
anime background, busy downtown street, style of tekkonkinkreet --ar 3:2
outside of a boxing gym at night, style of Katsuhiro Otomo Akira film, aesthetically pleasing --ar 3:2Figurines & Toys
Hyper realistic photographs of toys! Using the base prompt: "figurine of...", you can try modifying with:
- In class display case
- made of plastic
- made of polyester putty
- studio lighting
- with box
- funkopop
toy figurine of saber from fate/stay night --ar 2:3
figurine of iron man, highly detailed, made of matte clay, deep shadows, studio lighting --ar 2:3Img2img Prompts
Here's one of the coolest things you can do: use an image in your prompt AKA imgiImg.
If you like the design, composition, theme, pose, or colors of an existing illustration, use it as part of your prompt and watch Niji Journey magically take the most appealing elements and apply them to a new image.
Here's an example:
I love the colors and style of this image, and want to create a similar image, say, with Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is what it looks like:
[LINK TO ORIGINAL IMAGE] Rei from Evangelion --ar 3:2Some more examples:
[LINK TO ORIGINAL IMAGE] Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx --ar 3:2
[LINK TO ORIGINAL IMAGE] Killua from Hunter X Hunter --ar 3:2To do img2img, paste the image link as the first part of the prompt.
If you only have the image locally, you need to send the original image to the Niji Journey bot. Then right click the image > "Copy Link". Paste this link as the first part of your prompt.
Img2img is one of Niji's best features. It's also very underused. I suggest Pinterest if you're looking for images to use.
Turning Real Life into Anime
We're using img2img just liike before.
You can choose how far you want the new image to be from the original using the prompt.
gold color theme, masterpiece, stylish anime girl with long blonde hair, facing the camera, detailed pupils, depth of field --ar 3:2
fashion illustration, male anime protagonist, detailed facial features, aesthetically pleasing, featured on pixiv, newtype magazine cover, newtype, detailed character, poster art, simple background --ar 2:3Turning Real Life into Manga
Same as above, but turning things into manga-style instead of anime.
We're going to be using prompt weights here. If you add "::-1" after certain words, the generator will try to avoid those elements. Here we negative prompt "photograph" to get the generated image further away from realistic photography.
panel from manga::3 protagonist in manga::1 photograph::-0.2
panel from manga::3 protagonist in manga::1 photograph::-0.2 --ar 3:2Prompting with standard Midjourney model
I recommend Niji for anime generation, but the standard Midjourney models are capable of anime as well, especially the newly released Midjourney V6.
To set V5 as the default, you can type /settings and then click on Midjourney Version 5. You check check out our list of cool V5 prompts here.
The scene should be in spring, sunny and breezy. The sky is blue, the flowers are blooming, and the grass is green. A man in a white shirt was standing in the flower field, holding a resume in his hand, with a confident and excited expression on his face. Both the foreground and the background are large expanses of flowers in many colors. The sun shines on him, creating a warm and bright atmosphere, and at the same time showing his expectation and courage for the future. The whole image should be full of vigor and vitality, making people feel the beauty and hope of spring. flat illustration style, simple colors, textured, board drawing, procreate, Karolis Strautniekas, Mads Berg, Pixiv --ar 2:3 --q 2 --s 250
In the center of a huge cloud swirl there is an anime beautiful girl in jk uniform and miniskirt, midscape, Son of Weather, Shinkai Makoto style, daub oil painting texture and Chinese painting style mix, braids, bangs, acrylic thick paint, intricate details, art oil painting, anime characters, comic style, Pixar style, abstract, flat, two-dimensional, Particle crushing effect, simple painting style --ar 2:3 --uplight --q 2
Spring, two children, playing, sea of flowers, blue sky, advanced sense of color scheme, national trendy illustration, 8k, rich details, super wide angle, natural lighting, minimalism --s 400 --ar 2:3
青空 アニメ 天気 きらきら
beautiful young anime girl sitting in a fairy fountain reading a book of incantations, while her wishes and dreams float like flower blossoms around her, 16k, --ar 5:7 --q 2 --s 250The creative potential of Midjourney is immense; when applied to anime, it allows fans and artists alike to explore and expand on the worlds they already love.
FAQ
The default stylize value is 100.
Awesome Tips!!!
That will help a lot.
The expresson sheet has the wrong prompt.
Thank you Roland, fixed.
Very useful, thank you very much
Also, could you please write a guide for more details in img2img prompt? I love Turning Real Life into Manga/Anime, and I want to learn more about it.
Hey Danny, glad you found it useful.
Sounds good, we’ll add more img2img prompts!
This was a very well made and insightful tool for learning how to use Niji. Great job!
Glad it was helpful!