VTubers—"virtual YouTubers"—are entertainers who do not show their real faces but instead use motion-capture technology to superimpose their movements onto cartoon avatars in real time. Though the biggest VTubers host concerts and events, most remain in the digital realm, livestreaming footage of themselves singing, chatting or playing video games.
The phenomenon started in Japan around a decade ago as a niche curiosity and spread across the world during the coronavirus pandemic, as people went in search of entertainment and companionship online. According to Mordor Intelligence, a research firm, the global VTuber industry is worth an estimated $2.9bn and could reach $4.5bn by 2030.
Japanese VTubers dominate. Hololive Production, a VTuber talent agency owned by Cover Corporation, has opened outposts in the West to target English-speaking audiences. Its boss, Motoaki Tanigo, has said that "fans are drawn to VTubers because they know there is a real person behind the screen, someone they can connect with, empathise with and support."
Gawr Gura, an American whose avatar wears a shark costume, has 4.6m subscribers on YouTube—the most of any VTuber. Minato Aqua, a Japanese VTuber who wears a sailor uniform, is estimated to have made more than $500,000 from "Super Chats" (tipped messages during livestreams) in 2024.
Some 70% of VTubers are female; the majority of their fans are male. The use of alternative personas allows VTubers to be themselves whilst preventing admirers from getting too close.
VTubers represent a mix of two Japanese cultural exports: anime, the country's homegrown style of animation, and Japan's idol culture (akin to K-pop fandom), in which fans develop intense emotional bonds with public figures. Devoted fans, called "clippers", turn spontaneous moments into short, shareable videos with subtitles; talent agencies welcome clipping as free marketing.
Neuro-sama, an AI-powered VTuber, has built a large following on Twitch by playing video games and responding to fans with the help of AI models. Such "AITubers" can offer round-the-clock amusement. Yet the industry remains sanguine, arguing that what keeps viewers watching is the naka no hito: the person inside.
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