Every year the tag "VTuber" becomes more and more common on various streaming services and even appears in news feeds, yet many do not understand what is behind it. Streams Charts tells you who VTubers are, how they appeared, why this phenomenon is called the future of the entertainment industry, as well as names the most popular VTubers on YouTube and Twitch.
Who Are VTubers And How Have They Become Popular
VTubers, or virtual YouTubers, are bloggers and streamers who use computer-generated virtual avatars to create content and communicate with their audiences.
However, not all VTubers have ever shown their real faces. Many of them prefer to be anonymous, so a man can be behind the masks of a girl and vice versa.
Origin
Animated avatars appeared in Japan at the beginning of the last decade. In 2010, gaming company Nitroplus started publishing videos with an animated 3D version of its mascot Super Soniсo on its YouTube channel. The girl shared with viewers information about herself, as well as informed them about the upcoming releases of the company.
FaceRig, the first software that made it possible for anyone to create and animate an avatar using facial motion capture, was released in 2014. Later, the Live2D software module for creating 2D avatars was integrated into FaceRig in collaboration with Live2D, Inc.
Who Is The First VTuber?
Ami Yamato, a blogger from the UK, started her YouTube career in 2011. She has got a fully animated 3D avatar and used her video editing skills to create videos from a variety of locations. This made Ami Yamato the first VTtuber.
Breakthrough Of Kizuna AI
Kizuna AI was not the first virtual YouTuber, but she was the one who introduced the term "VTuber". The avatar, created by Activ8 and voiced by Nozomi Kasuga, appeared on YouTube in late 2016 and almost immediately gained enormous popularity thanks to its attractive appearance and more vivid interaction with viewers. In the first ten months, more than two million people subscribed to Kizuna AI's channel, and later she became an ambassador of culture for Japan National Tourism Organization.
VTuber As a Trend
Following the success of Kizuna AI, the number of virtual youtubers began to grow rapidly, and the audience interested in VTuber also increased. In 2018, the new agency Nijisanji promoted the use of 2D models instead of 3D, as well as shifting to live broadcasts instead of recorded videos.
After its overwhelming popularity in Japan, the VTuber trend began to spread around the world, and many virtual streamers began to appear on Twitch and other platforms. By early 2020, the total number of VTubers exceeded 10K.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the total number of viewers and content creators, including VTubers, has increased across all platforms. The 2020 YouTube Culture and Trends report pointed out the increased views of VTubers as one of the most phenomenal things of the year, and the tag "VTuber" appeared on Twitch in May of 2021.
2D avatars continue to be extremely popular after more than 10 years of technological progress, but 3D models have become times better. One of the most technologically advanced VTubers today is CodeMiko. Her avatar is created in the Unreal Engine 5 engine, and CodeMiko uses a full motion-capture suit to animate it.
Most Popular VTubers
As was mentioned above, there are many platforms where VTubers make their content, but the most popular of them is still YouTube. At the same time, some virtual bloggers broadcast on Twitch, and the best moments of the streams are uploaded to the platform from Google.
Most Popular VTubers On YouTube By Subscribers
Gawr Gura (over 4 million subscribers)
Gawr Gura began her activities in September 2020 and gradually made her way to the leaders in the number of subscribers on YouTube. She is a member of the Hololive English group and focuses on entertaining content, namely let's plays, karaoke and communication with the audience. She also has two music albums: "REFLECT" and "Domination! All the World Is an Ocean."
Kizuna Ai (over 3 million subscribers)
As previously mentioned, Kizuna Ai is one of the first VTubers and is considered the inventor of the term. On February 26, 2022, she went on indefinite leave after a farewell concert on her YouTube channel that featured over 1K VTubers as cameos. Kizuna Ai's discography includes the album "hello, world," as well as the singles "Hello, Morning," "Precious Piece" and "Replies."
Mori Calliope (over 2 million subscribers)
Mori Calliope, along with Gawr Gura, is a member of Hololive English. She began her career in September 2020. Unlike many VTubers, she has a rather low voice. Mori Calliope loves rap and has already released two music albums: "Mori Calliope" and "Your Mori".
Houshou Marine (nearly 2 million subscribers)
Houshou Marine is a third-generation VTuber from the Japanese band Hololive. She made her debut stream in August 2019. Houshou Marine loves jewelry, treasure, and money. Her dream is to become a pirate and go on a treasure hunt. She also has two music albums, "#GENSOKYOholoism" and "Ahoy!!! Warera Houshou Kaizoku-dan".
Usada Pekora (nearly 2 million subscribers)
Usada Pekora is another third-generation VTuber from the Japanese band Hololive. She is a girl with bunny ears who loves to eat carrots. She loves this vegetable so much that she always takes a few with her wherever she goes. The female VTuber made her first stream in July 2019, and her two music albums are titled "PEKORANDOMBRAIN!" and "Iiwake Bunny."
Most Popular VTubers On Twitch By Hours Watched, Q1-Q2 2022
Ironmouse (14 million Hours Watched)
Ironmouse is a Puerto Rican VTuber who has been active since 2017. He is a co-founder of VShojo Agency. The female VTuber gained enormous popularity after the February 2022 subathon stream. Ironmouse's Hours Watched number then increased several times, which made her the most popular female streamer of Q1 2022 on Twitch, outpacing even Amouranth.
Shylily (5.9 million Hours Watched)
Shylily is an independent female VTuber who lives in the Netherlands. She started her career on Twitch in August 2015. In January 2022, Shylily presented an updated model of her avatar, and in February she hosted a subathon stream, which boosted her viewer stats significantly. She was fifth in the aforementioned Top Female streamers of Q1 2022 on Twitch.
Veibae (3.9 million Hours Watched)
Veibae is one of the few female VTubers to show her real face. Her career began in 2015 as an independent VTuber, but in April 2021, she joined the VShojo agency. Veibae is quite popular in the Japanese community, even though she speaks in English. Maybe this popularity is attributable to the 18+ age rating of her broadcasts.
KSPKSP (2.8 million Hours Watched)
KSPKKSP is a VTuber from Taiwan who started her career on Twitch in August 2019. Her main category is Just Chatting, but sometimes she can also stream game content on the channel.
Zentreya (2.7 million Hours Watched)
Zentreya is an English-speaking Vtuber who started streaming on Twitch in November 2017. First, she was an independent content creator, but then joined the VShojo group in November 2020. She is known for her RP content in VRChat, as well as for using a voice conversion system. In May 2022, Zentreya presented an updated version of her 2D avatar, and it attracted a new audience.
How To Become A VTuber
All you need for becoming a VTuber is a computer, a good camera, and an avatar. We should note that almost any camera can handle the function of capturing facial movements. But for a more professional approach and to create smooth animations for all parts of the avatar's body, you'll have to invest in some extra equipment.
How To Make A Vtuber Avatar
There are several programs for creating avatars, but the most popular is Live2D. If you're not very good at drawing, you may need a professional artist to help you out.
The free equivalent of Live2D is VRoid Studio. The program doesn't require much computer graphics experience from a user, and it has ready-made models that you can modify instead of having to start from scratch.
How To Animate A Vtuber Avatar
Before you can make an avatar move using motion-capture techniques, you need to create and attach a bone structure to it. FaceRig, VTuber Studio, Wakaru and Luppet are some of the most common programs used by VTubers. You can learn about the functionality of each of them and practice creating animations with the help of the many tutorials published on YouTube.
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The total number of VTubers and the popularity of this trend is growing every year. Today everyone, who has a computer and a camera, can create his or her own avatar and broadcast thanks to modern technology. Currently, VTubers are far behind traditional IRL streamers and bloggers in terms of audience size, but this situation may change in the future.
