Sonichu: The Animated Series (Geno Samuel)

Chris files a copyright claim over the Sonichu series Geno attempted to make.

YouTube's display screen for the removed videos.

Sonichu: The Animated Series (no relation to the prior series by Spazkid) is a cancelled animated series by Geno Samuel which infringed on Chris's work and was taken down by YouTube after Chris submitted a copyright complaint. The trailer and two episodes had been uploaded at the time.

The series was directly based on Chris's comic. Several voice actors were recruited (it is unclear whether or not they were paid) to read lines straight from the comic. It heavily used his artwork and applied motion effects and limited animation to it, but without Chris's permission. Geno monetized the project through his Patreon.

On 7 December 2024, Geno posted a short video of himself editing the beginning of the first episode. On 13 April 2025, Geno posted a trailer for the series, then on 20 April, he uploaded "Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins", acknowledging Chris with "Written & Drawn by CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER" in the end credits. This was followed by "Episode 2: Genesis of the Lovehogs" on 3 May.

Chris then made a copyright removal request to YouTube due to the videos using content from his comic Sonichu 0, which was granted and resulted in the episodes being taken down and a copyright strike placed on Geno's channel. Geno has commented that Chris had a case due to him using Chris's artwork, and he confirmed the series would not be continuing, though episode 3 was finished, 4 nearly so, and voicework had been completed through 6. A few hours later, Chris made a statement confirming the legitimacy of the strike:

“

Hey, everyone. As some of you are aware, I have, indeed, personally struck down #GenoSamuel 's recent animations based from my books. I had felt ill will, as I was not personally consulted with nor involved in that project. Not to mention that he did not include links to my Etsy and Cwclight. In any event, had I been contacted, I would have considered collaborating with him and lend my voice for Sonichu Prime and Chris Chan. That remains a possibility, though. Regardless, I did feel like after the success of the documentary series, this endeavor would not have netted him the views he desired, as it does not recapture that metaphorical lightning in a bottle he had before. It is a shock, as others have experienced, when one's content or even channel gets taken down. I've been there before when my websites were hacked into and needed to be taken down, so I do empathize. ⚡💙⚡

”

External links

• Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins
• Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 2: Genesis of the Lovehogs
• Sonichu: The Animated Series | Episode 3: Sonichu vs. Naitsirhc