If you aren’t into the world of content creation, Japanese media/idol culture, or watching streamers, you may have never heard of the the term “VTuber”. Simply put they are content creators that choose to puppet a virtual avatar to stream or entertain their audiences instead of showing their faces and bodies to the masses. Often times these creators are confused as AI animated characters that interact with people, however, aside from some exceptions, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like the top streamers and creators we see online, these are just masks that some of them wear to present as a character that is separate from who they may be in their personal life. Regardless if they chose to do so for aesthetic reasons, as creative outlets, or for privacy reasons, it certainly doesn’t stop the curiosity surrounding this sub-genre of content creation.

Photography by  Naoki Nakashima

The Origins of VTubing
To understand what VTubing is you might be wondering where did this technology come from? There are many content creators that can be cited as the originator of what makes the modern “VTuber”, the earliest official use of the term was coined by the creator Kizuna Ai, a Japanese Youtuber that first made her debut on 29th of November, 2016.

Combining the words virtual and YouTuber, not only did this term surge in popularity in Japan, but within their entertainment industry. At the time, the idea of an anime character moving around and entertaining like your average YouTuber would do was extremely innovative and a fresher take on this style of content creation. At this point of time the only other example of a animated character/personality doing content like this would have been Ami Yamato, a special effects artist and vlogger that roleplays as a 3D animated girl in the real world. However it can also be said that British group, Gorillaz pioneered the idea of having a cartoon persona to interact with their audience. Regardless of who you want to identify as original pioneer of this concept, there is possibly hundreds of thousands to millions of people enjoying or participating in VTuber content.
Contributing factors to their popularity boom, specifically in the western fandom, was the Covid 19 outbreak in 2020 and the debuts of Hololive‘s EN branch. With a majority of the population stuck inside, major productions were coming to a halt. Stations were forced to replay old episodes to make up for the lack of new content, and viewers were getting bored. Many turned to YouTube and Twitch to seek alternative forms of entertainment, and VTubing hooked thousands as these anime looking characters were interacting in real time with their viewers. The first major Japanese company attempting to branch out into western markets was Hololive. With the quality and production level never seen before in the English market, the talents took the industry by storm and are still considered the most influential VTuber focused entertainment company in the world.

Corporate vs. Indie
Unlike most forms of content creation, VTubing required company backing to some extent due to the the expensive equipment required in order to create a quality model and video in their early years. Actors and actresses would dawn on motion capture gear and have full teams assisting them in producing their content. Eventually individuals shifted away from 3D models and opted for more anime-like 2D models and used a software called Live2D in order to animate them. While 3D models at the time felt more interactive, 2D models were a bit more cost effective, especially for those without company backing. You didn’t require motion capture equipment and/or the space for it, 3D assets, powerful PC to contain it all, or a team to ensure nothing went wrong. With 2D models you simply needed a cut up png image, rigged through the live2D program, a webcam, and your standard PC/laptop to stream from. Some VTubers don’t even bother rigging their model, and simply just use a png image to represent themselves, though those wouldn’t necessarily be considered a form of VTubing until years later. Currently a majority of VTubers are indie as many of them are self funded and unrepresented by any corporation. However many of those content creators hope to one day join a corporation in order to gain support and company backing for sponsorships and recognition for their abilities. That being said there are a lot restrictions that come with working for a corporation, such as requiring permissions from game companies, you are a public representative of the company, and your IP and content is owned by the company regardless of who funded it. The corporation will also take a cut of the donations or sponsorships to continue running the business, all very standard to an entertainment company. In addition, there isn’t a guarantee that you will be able to work as a content creator full time simply by joining a company, as many western companies haven’t quite found that strategy to keep their doors open past 4 or 5 years. As you can imagine if you were a larger creator, becoming a corporate VTuber might not be as beneficial for you compared to those struggling to find their way in the industry. Sometimes creative freedom and ownership over your content is much more valuable when thinking about auditioning to join a VTuber corporation.

Public reception
For the most part, reception to VTubing has been fairly positive. It has given people a chance to pursue artistic careers in creating assets, models, rigging, or assisting in producing music content. For many it has made streaming more accessible especially those with anxiety showing their face/body on camera. A perfect example would be the powerhouse creator, Ironmouse, a Puerto Rican-American VTuber who is diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), unfortunately causing her to be bedridden for much of her adult life. Not only has VTubing allowed her to feel more normal, it gave her a career, a ability to pay her medical bills, and the opportunity to bring awareness and donate to the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Through her efforts she even briefly surpassed Kai Cenat‘s initial record of being the most-subscribed Twitch streamer of all time during her 2024 subathon. However the unfortunate side effect of her achievements is that there are people who choose to harass her, assuming that she is AI or a man using a voice changer as the least insulting comments, often ignoring her character as a person. While Ironmouse remains professional and is somehow able to get past the backlash she receives, close friend and frequent collaborator, Connor Marc Cloquhoun, better known as CDwagVA, made a video defending her and bringing awareness to harassment she and many VTubers receive.

Because you see a cartoon character it is common for society to see it as something childish and having less value. It is frequently forgotten that there is a person behind the avatar, so it isn’t uncommon for things to be taken out of context or to the extreme.
There is also the issue of tribalism within the western fandom. Between 2 of the world’s biggest VTuber companies, AnyColor Inc, owners of Nijisanji, and Cover corp, owners of Hololive, instead of enjoying content from each group respectfully, tribalism between the two has exploded when Nijisanji EN was introduced. It also didn’t help that there was a huge controversy when Nijisanji EN and one of their ex-talents had a huge fall out approximately 1 year ago. Many VTubers and fans decided to turn their back on the company, despite the CEO of AnyColor Inc apologizing to the fans and shareholders over how the company handled the situation.

While in Japan this is culturally seen as an extremely sincere apology and promise to do better in the future, western fans weren’t as forgiving and meme’d on him, expressing that it wasn’t good enough of an apology. This is not to say that Cover Corp has not made their own mistakes with their talents and management. Just recently they were in Japanese news for not paying many of their contracted artists for 2 years. The difference is that due to the positive reception Hololive has in the west, fans were willing to overlook that controversy, while in Japan there are many critics highlighting issues with the company. It was only recently that western fans began to show concern when 2 very popular talents announced their departure from Hololive, one willing to come back for special events, while the other ending all activities all together.

Overall the world of content creation and VTubing is extremely complex. It can be full of drama, excitement, and heartbreak the more you get invested in this sub-genre of streaming. If you’re interested on more of my content covering VTubers, you can listen to my podcast episode on New Music Now where I interview Silvi, an indie owl VTuber and her journey producing original music. Regardless of what platform you decided watch them on, I hope I peaked your interest and look forward to you finding your oshi soon.