VTubing: How a Japanese Phenomenon Is Going Worldwide | TokyoDev

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VTubing is an online activity in which performers use animated models to portray themselves onscreen. Software such as Live2D Cubism allows the animated avatar to echo the real-life movements of the actor behind the camera.

What once seemed like a niche form of online entertainment has proven surprisingly lucrative, especially in Japan. Based on the sales revenue of VTuber agencies in 2023, the Japanese VTuber market hit 80 billion yen, a 153.8% increase from the previous year.

Since Japan is where VTubing first took off, it’s not surprising that Japanese VTuber companies still dominate the industry. However VTubing is increasingly drawing new participants from all over the world, particularly from the US.

To gain more insight into how VTubing is evolving worldwide, I interviewed a range of industry professionals: a former hololive employee, an artist who works for multiple English-speaking (EN) VTuber teams, and several multilingual VTubers.

In brief: What is VTubing, and why do people do it?

VTubing in Japan

VTubing outside Japan

The making of an EN VTuber

The future of VTubing

In brief: What is VTubing, and why do people do it?

“I would like to change people’s perception of VTubers,” said Sakuraha Rua, one of the VTubers I interviewed.

Sakuraha, alongside Amikoto Ash and Tsunano Toro, debuted online together in December 2025 as “Omen,” the newest generation of talents from VTuber agency Astraline.

“As big as VTubing has become at the end of the day,” Sakuraha went on, “in the grand scheme of things, it’s still considered a niche. There are people out there who will see an anime avatar and just not take it seriously. . . . [They] think we’re hiding behind an avatar, when I think it’s just as much of a valid way to be a content creator and express yourself as showing your face.”

“The assumption,” said Sakuraha, “is that one chooses to be a VTuber to make up for something that they don’t have, when that’s simply not true.”

I know so many VTubers who are so pretty in real life that I think they would be more popular if they showed their face. It’s just a choice, right? You would prefer to have this character represent you, whether for privacy . . . [or] to perform as a character.

The draw of creating a character

A character typically has a name, backstory, and personality separate from that of the performer. VTubers may create and play multiple characters throughout their career, either for agencies or for themselves. If the VTuber is employed by a large corporate agency, the agency usually owns the character and any IP associated with it.

Creating and playing a character is the big draw of VTubing for Sakuraha’s fellow Astraline member, Amikoto.

“It’s easier to play a character,” said Amikoto, “when I’ve got the costume, the makeup, the mask, and the wig, as it were. . . . I could be a face cam streamer and still play a character, per se. But there’s something about VTubing and the extent to which you can change your appearance and become a character from an animation [that’s] intriguing, especially to me, as I’m ultimately a voice actor more than anything.”

I like the freedom of expression that you’re afforded when you’re playing a 2D character. You can be a lot more eccentric and expressive and a lot weirder with it.

What do they do?

It’s difficult to generalize what VTubers do with their digital avatar, since there are always interesting niches and exceptions to the rules. Typical VTubers, though, are known for three activities: livestreaming in character, creating videos, and performing at “live” concerts.

While remaining in character, many VTubers will host long livestreams, sometimes more than eight hours at a time, to interact directly with their fans. Usually they play video games while chatting with viewers, but they may also watch TV shows, share their backstory or lore, and collaborate with other VTubers.

VTubers will also create videos for their channel that feature them singing covers or original songs and performing short skits, again frequently in collaboration with other VTubers. The ratio of livestreaming-to-video-creation varies: some VTubers focus more on streaming, others on content.

Particularly in Japan, prominent VTubers—mainly those affiliated with the two biggest agencies, hololive and NIJISANJI—use 3D motion capture technology to hold live concerts and other “in-person” events. Event participation numbers can be quite high: at the two-day hololive SUPER EXPO 2025, they estimated around 35,000 people attended.

While Sakuraha and Amikoto can speak Japanese, they aren’t originally from Japan. However, their fellow VTuber Tsunano Toro is a Japanese national who grew up observing the activities of professional VTubers.

“I was more of a viewer,” she said, “watching hololive and thinking they were cute and cheering them on, rather than...