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Mayu Iizuka, a virtual YouTuber, preparing for a live-stream in Tokyo. Virtual YouTubers have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry where top accounts can rake in more than US$1 million a year. Photo: AFP
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What are VTubers? Japan’s virtual YouTubers are taking over the world, says Sony, and are ‘an inspiration to others’

  • In K-pop, virtual hybrid entertainers like girl group Aespa are rising in popularity. In Japan, virtual YouTubers are well-established content creators
  • Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) has launched Vee, a project featuring five Japanese VTubers that it is hoping will gain global popularity
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Tamar Hermanin United States
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Japanese virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, can earn over US$1 million a year – but what is it about them that makes them so special?

Everywhere you look, virtual entertainers are taking over. In K-pop, they take the shape of girl group Aespa’s virtual “ae” members, AI-enhanced girl group Eternity and the new, partially AI boy band Superkind.
In Japan, where many of the most successful virtual entertainers such as Hatsune Miku have become household names, the metaverse’s reach is spreading to every facet of entertainment.

VTubers – video creators and entertainers who use virtual avatars – have seen increasing growth in Japan in the past few years, with some of the biggest names in entertainment investing in their further growth.

In May, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) launched Vee, a project featuring five VTubers. Photo: Sony Music Entertainment (Japan)

While conversations about the metaverse (a virtual world where people are expected to socialise, play, trade and work in the future) in English-language entertainment spaces truly kicked off in early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was well under way, Japan’s VTuber scene has been around since the mid-2010s. Some VTubers are hoping to go global as virtual entertainment continues to grow.

In May, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) launched Vee (formally VEE), a project featuring five VTubers that is said to be “Sony Music’s largest virtual talent development and management project in history”.

Japanese music acts get their time to shine in live-stream event

VTubers aren’t restricted by physical reality when it comes to the content they produce, and many have made sizeable sums from this form of entertainment, spurring a growing industry in Japan and burgeoning ones in other countries.

The five VTubers that are part of Vee – Otokado Ruki, Tulsi-Nightmare Madness IV, Hinahoshi Airu, Kujo Ringo and Syusetu Kohaku – not only host streams and produce videos on YouTube, they produce music and voice act as well.

Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) is hoping Vee will gain popularity around the world, and for VTubers to become the next great Japanese popular entertainment export after anime and manga series.

Mayu Iizuka is a virtual YouTuber who voices and animates a character called Yume Kotobuki. Photo: AFP

Vee’s virtual status extends to its public relations: when the Post reached out to Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) about the project, VTuber and spokeswoman Hanavee responded.

“I believe that a VTuber is an entertainer,” said Hanavee. “The VTuber scene is constantly evolving in surprising and inspiring ways. I find myself more motivated when I watch VTuber streams, so I think VTubing means being an inspiration to others.”

Virtual content creators aren’t replacements for traditional ones, but rather it’s a path that offers creators a different route to stardom: Hanavee says Vee’s existence enables the five individuals behind the VTubers to achieve their dreams.

Hanavee believes that a VTuber is an entertainer. Photo: Sony Music Japan

Hanavee doesn’t give anything away about what Vee is going to do to engage with international fans, but expresses the benefits of being a VTuber on the internet.

“Personally, and speaking only for myself, I feel like I’m living in a virtual space. I talk quite a bit with our talents, and those conversations are always so fun,” she says. Hanavee emphasises that Vee wants to create a sense of intimacy between VTubers and their audience, creating a lucrative parasocial relationship.

“To me, the project feels like a white canvas with colours being added one after another, growing more colourful with each stroke, filling me with heart-pounding excitement all the time.”

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