Virtual Youtuber Images

VTuber Schedules (Recommended Websites):





Please do not add any information to VTubers hinting at their IRL identities or other aliases they might use in other professions (e.g. as a singer or mangaka/artist) or past incarnations as other VTubers. This is generally frowned upon within the VTuber community.

Exceptions are if the information is officially given by the respective VTuber or related people involved.

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See also subcategories:

• VTuber Unit
• VSinger
• VTuber Illustrators
• Non-Japanese VTubers
• Retired VTubers
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Virtual Youtuber are the animated equivalent to youtube celebrities. They're popular for their content uploaded via "Youtube". By now, VTuber reached various other platforms like Twitch. While there are other terms in use like "VTwitcher", "VStreamer", VSinger or "Virtual Talent", "VTuber" is used in general for virtual personalities regardless of the platform.

Although the concept of people represented on stream by animated characters already existed on other streaming services like "Niconico/Nico Nico Douga", it made its breaktrough on Youtube at the end of 2016 with Kizuna AI/A.I.Channel as the most famous one. Also with the debut of Kaguya Luna in December 2017, suddenly many more people became aware of virtual youtuber.

During 2017, more and more virtual youtuber started to show up presenting content in the vein of real youtuber which includes "Let's Play"s, Live Streams/Live Chat, character stories etc. Depending on the youtuber, the content can be either scripted or improvised. The initial generations of VTubers rely mostly on an edited video format while the majority of recent generations prefer live streaming and direct interactions with their audience via chat.

Information about the person (actor/seiyuu) behind the youtuber is usually not disclosed.

There are two sorts of VTuber:

• The VTuber stays in character and stick to their lore, maintaining the illusion of his character actually being alive/real.
• The VTuber mainly uses the character as an avatar, a means of presenting himself, without playing a role.

It became a trend, that many VTubers mix both types which means that while they're playing a character, character traits/personality and IRL stories are tied to and define the character which changes the character to a mirror version of the person behind the avatar instead of a role to play. That is also the reason why VTubers mostly "retire" when ending their VTuber activities instead of being replaced with a different actor like it happens with voice actors for characters in anime. VTubers are seen as irreplaceable because of their strong connection to their IRL identities.

VTubers, so far more of a niche, became especially popular overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 which resulted in companies like Hololive or Nijisanji to open their overseas branches, the founding of companies focused on english VTubers like VShojo and the rise of english-speaking indepentent VTubers. A lot of the culture more typical to western streamers (Streamer jargon/Twitch Slang; profanity or sexual more open language) popped up which in turn entered the japanese VTuber space by now. In general they also tend be more easy-going in regards to secrecy of their IRL identities.

*(2022-10-28)/sub