VTuber

, with viewers communicating live with the character. The character/performer shown is Fushimi Gaku of Nijisanji. VTubers use avatars created with programs such as Live2D, portraying characters designed by online artists. VTubers are not bound by physical limitations, and many of them engage in activities that are unconstrained by their real-world identity. Transgender VTubers may use their avatars as a means to better reflect their preferred presentation to their audience. VTubers often portray themselves as a kayfabe character, not unlike professional wrestling; Mace, an AEW wrestler who himself began streaming on Twitch as a VTuber in 2021, remarked that the two professions were "literally the same thing". Ironmouse described her character as being akin to a superhero costume. Some programs offload motion tracking to external phone cameras via mobile apps to save system resources, and take advantage of hardware features (such as Face ID on iPhone) that can enable more precise motion capture. The proprietary animation software Live2D is typically used to rig two-dimensional models constructed from drawn textures, while programs such as VRoid Studio can be used to create three-dimensional models. By contrast, some VTubers, colloquially known as a "PNGTuber" (in reference to the PNG image format), use sprites as opposed to a rigged model, with different frames for conveying different emotions or actions. Agencies and commercialization Major VTubers are often employed by talent agencies, with business models influenced by those used by Japanese idol agencies. Streamers are employed by an agency (sometimes via open auditions) to portray characters developed by the company, which are then commercialized via merchandising and other promotional appearances, as well as traditional revenue streams such as monetization of their videos, and viewer donations. == History ==

Predecessors On February 12, 2010, visual novel maker Nitroplus began uploading videos to its YouTube channel featuring an animated 3D version of its mascot Super Sonico, who would usually talk to the audience about herself or about releases related to the company. On June 13, 2011, UK-based Japanese vlogger Ami Yamato uploaded her first video, which featured an animated, virtual avatar speaking to the camera. In 2012, Japanese company Weathernews Inc. debuted a Vocaloid-styled character called Weatheroid Type A Airi on SOLiVE24, a 24-hour weather live stream on Nico Nico Douga, on YouTube and their website. In 2014, Airi got her own solo program every Thursday and began live broadcasting with motion capture. In 2014 the FaceRig indie software launched on Indiegogo as an EU crowdfunding project, and later that year it was released on Steam, becoming the first software suite that enabled live avatars at home via face motion capture that started being actively used on streaming websites and YouTube. The Live2D software module enabling 2D avatars and was added one year later in 2015 in collaboration with Live2D, Inc. Breakout , under Cover Corporation, manages over 90 VTubers from around the world across six branches; hololive, hololive ID, hololive EN, HOLOSTARS, HOLOSTARS EN and hololive DEV_IS. , under AnyColor Inc., manages over 160 VTubers from around the world across two branches; NIJISANJI and NIJISANJI EN. was founded in November 2020 as one of the first VTuber agencies based in the Western world. In late 2016, Kizuna AI, the first VTuber to achieve breakout popularity, made her debut on YouTube. She was the first to coin and use the term "virtual YouTuber". Created by digital production company Activ8 and voice-acted by Nozomi Kasuga, Kizuna AI created a sense of "real intimacy" with fans, as she was responsive to their questions. Within ten months, she had over two million subscribers and later became a culture ambassador of the Japan National Tourism Organization. Kizuna AI's popularity can be attributed to the oversaturation of traditional webcam YouTubers and for aspects of characters that the audience would not expect. For example, despite her otherwise juvenile appearance, Kizuna AI often uses profanity in her videos when she gets frustrated while playing a game. The VTuber trend Kizuna AI's sudden popularity sparked a VTuber trend. Cover Corporation, a company that was originally developing augmented and virtual reality software, shifted its focus to VTubers by establishing Hololive. By January 2020, there were over 10,000 VTubers. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an overall increase in viewership of video game live streaming in general in 2020, which helped contribute to the growth of VTubers into a mainstream phenomenon. In August 2020, seven of the ten largest Super Chat earners of all time on YouTube were VTubers, including Hololive member at number one, who by that time had earned approximately (approximately US$ in 2020). VTubers accounted for 38% of YouTube's 300 most profitable channels, with a total revenue of US$26,229,911 (roughly half of which being viewer donations). Pokimane also experimented with avatar-based streams using a model commissioned from a VTuber artist. YouTube's 2020 Culture and Trends report highlights VTubers as one of the notable trends of that year, with 1.5 billion views per month by October. On March 30, 2021, Kizuna AI was chosen as one of Asia's top 60 influencers. In May 2021, Twitch added a VTuber tag for streams as part of a wider expansion of its tag system. In July 2021, Gawr Gura—a member of Hololive's first English branch—overtook Kizuna Ai as the most-subscribed VTuber on YouTube. Cover's CEO Motoaki "Yagoo" Tanigo was selected as one of the Japan's Top 20 Entrepreneurs by Forbes Japan in its January 2022 issue. The following month, in the midst of a subathon event, Ironmouse accumulated the largest number of active paid subscriptions of all streamers on the platform at that point in time, although still behind an overall record previously set by Ludwig. According to data provided by parent company Amazon, VTubing content on Twitch grew by 467% in 2021 compared with a year earlier. In February 2024, Anycolor faced criticism over the treatment of its talent, following the termination of its contract with Nijisanji EN streamer Selen Tatsuki. The company cited "repeated breaches of contract", "misleading statements on social platforms", and actions causing payment delays for commissions to outside artists. After rebranding as the independent VTuber Dokibird, she stated that she had been hospitalized in December 2023 as a result of "bullying from within", and she had been in a "toxic and poor environment for numerous months that led to my breaking point". The claims regarding payments for commissions were also refuted by artists who had worked on content for Tatsuki—who had paid them personally. Criticism over Nijisanji's handling and response to the controversy resulted in declines to Anycolor's stock price, and multiple Nijisanji streamers announcing that they would take a hiatus from social media activity. On January 1, 2025, Neuro-sama broke the all-time hype train record on Twitch, reaching level 111 and surpassing the previous record holder, Pirate Software, who reached level 106. In December 2025, Neuro-sama surpassed her previous all-time hype train record, reaching level 123. In January 2026, Neuro-sama surpassed her previous all-time hype train record, reaching level 126, and garnering over 328,000 active paid subscribers on Twitch, the third highest of all-time. In May 2025, YouTube published a Culture and Trends Report on virtual creators. Per this report, VTuber related videos has amassed an annual average of over 50 billion views since 2022, and 16 of the 20 channels with the largest all time Super Chat Revenue were VTuber channels. Per a survey conducted by Google, 57% of 14 to 44-year-olds had watched a VTuber or virtual influencer in the past year. On July 21, 2025, VShojo founding member Ironmouse announced that she would leave the agency effective immediately amid legal issues, accusing the company of withholding Twitch revenue from her, including around $500,000 in revenue intended to be donated to the Immune Deficiency Foundation, for over a year; an associated charity campaign organized by Ironmouse quickly raised over $1,000,000, more than doubling the original amount of withheld revenue. On July 24, VShojo CEO Justin "theGunrun" Ignacio announced that the agency had run out of money and would be shutting down. == Use in marketing ==

Due to their popularity, companies and organizations have used virtual YouTubers as a method of advertising or bringing attention to a product or service. When SoftBank announced the release of the iPhone XS and XS Max in 2018, Kizuna AI appeared at the event and promoted the products on her channel. Some organizations and companies have employed their own VTuber characters as mascots within marketing. These include the governments of Japan's Ibaraki and Okinawa Prefectures (promoted by the characters Ibaraki Hiyori and Ui Nema, respectively), the streaming service Netflix (which developed the character N-ko to appear in videos promoting its anime content), Sega (who planned to have in-character streams with Sonic the Hedgehog and his Japanese voice actor Jun'ichi Kanemaru), and anime streaming service Crunchyroll (which launched a YouTube channel for its mascot Crunchyroll-Hime in October 2021). The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team has two VTuber mascots, named Takamine Umi (also known as Hawk Kannon Sea) and Aritaka Hina, both unveiled in 2020. They have their own YouTube channel and their own Twitter accounts. Occasionally, they make appearances on the Fukuoka PayPay Dome's videoboard. In August 2018, Wright Flyer Live Entertainment released a mobile application allowing VTubers to live stream videos while monetizing them and connecting with their viewers. In a news conference in Tokyo, the head of Wright Flyer Live Entertainment stated, "just increasing the number [of VTubers] is not that effective. We want them to keep on doing their activities. [To do that], gaining fans and monetization are essential. So, we are providing a platform to support that". This followed Wright Flyer Live Entertainment's parent company Gree, Inc.'s ¥10 billion ($89.35 million) investment in VTubers, as well as a ¥10 billion sales target by 2020. Good Smile Company has begun producing nendoroids of Kizuna Ai in 2018, with a full push for various Japanese and international VTuber PVC-made statues since the 2020s. In 2020, Japanese VTubers Ayapan and Jajami were invited by the Brazilian embassy in Tokyo, in November to present their content made for the Brazilian public and how VTuber works, where they had a meeting with Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, being the first contact of VTubers with a Brazilian authority. has been the offical brand ambassador for Sonic the Hedgehog in Japan since 2022 In June 2022, Hololive member Inugami Korone became the official brand ambassador for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in Japan. She would later appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film as the voice actress for one of the characters in the Japanese dub, and Korone-themed cosmetic items were released for Sonic Frontiers. She also made a cameo appearance in an episode of Yo-kai Watch that aired in March 2023. In November 2023, Arashi member Kazunari Ninomiya, who's been working with Puzzle & Dragons since 2014 (with Arashi, and from 2021 as himself), became a VTuber for the latest CM campaign. Ironmouse has served as an ambassador for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, having spread awareness for her own common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and hosting multiple charity marathons in support of the organization. In July 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers collaborated with Hololive on a theme night, which featured appearances by Usada Pekora, Gawr Gura, and Hoshimachi Suisei, as well as limited-edition merchandise. The collaboration was Hololive's first with a professional sports team in the United States, and was one of several held with Japanese properties by the Dodgers that season to build upon its signing of Shohei Ohtani. In October 2024, streamer Sykkuno participated in a virtual campaign event by 2024 United States presidential election candidate Kamala Harris with Vermont senator Bernie Sanders (who, in a viral clip, was asked by Sykkuno if he knew what a VTuber was). On October 31, 2024, Hololive Indonesia member Kobo Kanaeru collaborated with Honda Indonesia to launch the first virtual motorcycle club in Indonesia named BeAT Aeru. In March 2025, Simon Fraser University debuted its official VTuber mascots Mo and Faye Ayato, making them the world's first official university Vtubers. The virtual ambassadors would stream to review student work from the university's School of Interactive Arts and Technology. == Portrayals in media ==

The 2020 light novel VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral After Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream follows a member of a fictitious VTuber agency who experiences a surge in popularity after a stream she accidentally conducts while drunk goes viral. The story was adapted into a manga in 2023, and then an anime in 2025.'''' A 2026 episode of the 27th season of American crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit featured a plot in which the NYPD Special Victims Unit investigated the sexual assault of internet personality April Deieso (Sarah Desjardins), which she had publicized while streaming as the VTuber Jaded Ember; the episode was notably praised by viewers for its accuracy in portraying VTubers, including the involvement of two community artists commissioned to design the character and Live2D model for Jaded Ember. == See also ==