Compatibility
What Works with YomiNinja: Games, VNs & More
YomiNinja reads pixels, not game memory. That makes it broad in compatibility, but OCR quality still depends on font, layout, platform, and capture mode.
The core rule
If you can see it, YomiNinja can read it
Unlike text-hooking tools that require engine-specific plugins, YomiNinja captures screenshots and runs OCR — completely independent of the underlying application. Any window that displays Japanese text is a valid capture source.
The most important requirement: the application must be running in Borderless Windowed or Windowed mode, not exclusive fullscreen. Exclusive fullscreen bypasses the OS compositor and prevents any overlay window from appearing above it.
Works
Application types that work with YomiNinja
PC games (any engine)
JRPGs, action RPGs, strategy games, adventure games, indie games — if it runs on Windows/Linux/macOS and has Japanese text, YomiNinja can read it. Engine compatibility is irrelevant. Works on Unity, Unreal, RPGMaker, custom engines, and everything else.
- Dragon Quest series
- Monster Hunter titles
- Persona / Shin Megami Tensei
- Tales of series
- Falcom games (Trails, Ys)
- Final Fantasy titles
- NieR series
Visual novels (all types)
YomiNinja is particularly strong for visual novels when Textractor or LunaTranslator fail. Hardcoded text, custom engines, web-based VNs, and games that render dialogue as images are all handled by OCR.
- VNs on Kirikiri / KiriKiriZ
- VNs on custom engines (no hook available)
- Web-based VNs running in a browser
- VNs on console ports where text is image-rendered
For VNs with supported Textractor hooks, text hooking may give higher accuracy because it reads raw strings instead of pixels. Use YomiNinja when hooking fails or is unavailable. Comparison guide →
Emulators
Emulated console games are one of the best YomiNinja use cases. Text hookers can't reach inside emulator processes — OCR is the only option. As long as the emulator runs in Windowed or Borderless mode, YomiNinja reads text from the emulated game window.
- Switch: Ryujinx, Yuzu
- PS2/PS3/PS4: PCSX2, RPCS3
- 3DS/DS: Citra, melonDS
- Game Boy / GBA: mGBA, VisualBoyAdvance
- SNES/NES: RetroArch, Snes9x
- PSP/Vita: PPSSPP, Vita3K
Manga readers and image viewers
MangaOCR was specifically trained on Japanese comic typography — the stylized fonts that appear in manga. YomiNinja with MangaOCR works well on any desktop manga reading application or browser-based reader.
- Desktop manga viewer apps
- Browser-based manga readers
- Image files opened in standard viewers
- Scanned game instruction manuals
Video with Japanese subtitles
For video content with hardcoded Japanese subtitles (burned into the video, not a separate subtitle track), YomiNinja can capture the subtitle region and provide lookups while watching. Set an OCR Template over the subtitle area for clean results.
- Local video files with hardcoded subs
- Game cutscene viewers
- Web video if the browser is in Windowed mode
Any desktop application with Japanese text
YomiNinja's capture source list shows all open application windows. Document viewers, reference apps, study tools, or any native application displaying Japanese text — all valid capture sources.
Accuracy tip
Games that benefit from font mods
Some games use custom fonts that significantly reduce OCR accuracy even with MangaOCR or cloud OCR. The community solution is a font replacement mod that substitutes the game's unusual font with a standard, OCR-readable Japanese typeface.
After applying a font mod, recognition accuracy typically improves dramatically. The game's appearance changes slightly (the font looks more standard), but readability and YomiNinja accuracy both benefit.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley's default Japanese font is one of the most commonly reported OCR problems. A font replacement mod makes YomiNinja work reliably on it. Search NexusMods for "Stardew Valley Japanese font mod".
Games with pixel or retro fonts
Older or retro-styled games that use pixel fonts for Japanese text (common in RPGMaker games and indie titles) can confuse OCR engines. Switching to MangaOCR usually helps, but font mods solve it definitively.
Finding font mods for your game
Search NexusMods, the game's subreddit, or Discord servers for "[Game name] Japanese font mod" or "[Game name] Japanese OCR mod". The Japanese learning community often maintains these for popular games.
Limitations
What YomiNinja cannot do
Exclusive fullscreen mode
Exclusive fullscreen bypasses the OS display compositor, preventing any overlay from appearing. Fix: switch the game to Borderless Windowed mode in its display settings. The game looks identical.
Linux with Wayland
Wayland support is experimental and still a common failure point for overlay positioning and window tracking. YomiNinja requires X11 for reliable Linux use. Workaround: run the app under XWayland, or switch your login session to X11.
Vertical text and unusual layouts
Vertical Japanese text, manga bubbles, rotated UI, and decorative layout are harder OCR cases. Apple Vision on macOS and some cloud engines handle these better, but not every title will be clean with the default engine.
DRM-protected screen capture prevention
Some games, media players (Netflix, Blu-ray), and DRM systems actively block screen capture at the OS level. YomiNinja's screenshots of these windows return a black image. This is a DRM restriction, not a YomiNinja limitation.
Extremely small or low-resolution text
OCR accuracy decreases on very small text. If a game runs at a low internal resolution with tiny dialogue fonts, recognition errors increase. Fix: increase the game window size or internal resolution. Larger text = higher accuracy.
Highly stylized / artistic fonts
Games with extremely ornate, calligraphic, or non-standard Japanese fonts can reduce OCR accuracy. MangaOCR handles stylized fonts significantly better than PaddleOCR. Font mods are the most reliable fix for extreme cases.
Mobile games (Android / iOS)
YomiNinja is a desktop application. It cannot capture from mobile devices or mobile emulators that don't expose a standard window. Android/iOS game capture requires different tools.
Ready to play
Start reading Japanese games today
Set your game to Borderless Windowed, download YomiNinja, and follow the setup guide.