“VTubers” is a phenomenon that started under the radar in 2010 but is only playing out to a full show now. The trend has caught the fancy of not only eastern nations, particularly, Japan, but even the western nations like the US.
What Or Who Are VTubers?
They are computer generated, animated avatar entertainers that take on a human persona to conduct “live” YouTube streams. Amazingly, these avatars generate millions of dollars. Many have become “stars” in their own right, with gigantic fan bases.
The Characters
Kizuna AI, a very cute, doe-eyed avatar crafted by illustrator En Morikura, started the craze. “She” sports a butterfly inspired pink bow in her long hair, which is trendily speckled with bright, colorful streaks. Her animated character posts Content to YouTube in much the same way as “real” vloggers do, but her channel has a massive, loyal fan base in Japan, & China. As of 2020, she had 4 million followers across her channels.
Most of her earnings on YouTube are derived from the platform’s SuperChat facility that allows users’ comments to be highlighted during a “live” stream, for a fee. However, that’s not her sole earning stream. She has participated in major advertising campaigns & even “performed” with a real band as part of a music concert.
She’s not the only Japanese Vlogger earning millions for her creators, but she’s one of the most identifiable & lucrative VTubers. Her voice is done by Nozomi Kasuga, & she has her own multi-million company, Active8 Inc. In reality, the company is run by Takeshi Osaka who is responsible for producing the computer generated videos that have made her a household name.
Animated characters have been popular for decades, both in the east & the west. You simply have to consider the viral influence of Disney movies to understand the money spinning potential of anime. VTubers, with their youthful asexually, sexual appeal, have really come into their own due to the constraints imposed on the entertainment market by the pandemic. Fan bases grew astronomically while people were confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starved of “live” group events, “live” streaming, especially when conducted by a non-threatening, super cute animated character, became the next best thing.
Until late 2012 Kizuna AI was the most popular VTuber, but her popularity has been eclipsed by Gawr Gura, whose channel has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. For westerners unfamiliar with Japanese Manga culture, virtual avatars play on a wider tradition of art & animation which is particular to the eastern mind set, but Gawr Gura is poised as a crossover VTuber whose “live” streams are posted in English to appeal to the western market, & it’s working!
She appears as a super sweet white-haired girl with massive eyes and sharp teeth dressed in a blue shark outfit topped with pointy fin-like ears, & she sports a long tail, which makes her a unique cross between a mermaid & a shark.
How Are The Avatars Generated
There is a fair amount of secrecy surrounding the techniques employed to generate the most popular avatars. Obviously, each VTuber is backed by a voice over artist/actor/actress, but there’s much more to it than that. Firstly, the character has to be created by a competent illustrator or made up from a selection of ready-made “body” parts. Then, it must be brought to “life” by software that either tracks the movements of a “real” human or is generated by a computer program.
In the past the process of creating lifelike animations was extremely expensive & time-consuming. The go-to software was Maya or Blender, both of which have a really steep learning curve. However, new & exciting strides in technology have produced programs that have simplified the process of creating 3D animated avatars.
There are some truly innovative tools on the market right now that are adroit at creating astoundingly professional animated avatar characters :
- Ready Player Me – scans your face using a Webcam & automatically generates a personal virtual avatar. Once created, users can customize their creation using the software’s tools before exporting the result.
- Facerig – uses a Webcam to track facial expression, eye, lip & head movement. In addition, it tracks shoulder positioning, which can then be transposed onto a virtual avatar.
- Vroid Studio – is a solution to create anime-type avatars where you can customize their hair, skin tone, eye & body shape as well as their clothing.
- VMagicMirror – uses mouse/keyboard input to control an avatar & supports LeapMotion without the use of a Webcam. Facial expression is controlled by shortcuts & key phrases.
- VSeeFace – automatically detects facial expression and offers hand tracking via LeapMotion. Users can also manually manipulate their avatar & it supports body tracking for those with a VR setup.
- Bot 3D Editor – is an iOS app that tracks facial expression & head, eye and lip movement. The app supports avatar customization & allows users to manually manipulate the avatar via a series of tools to create poses that can be used, subsequently, to create a video.
How Do VTubers Make Money?
Coco, the top earner, appears as a 3500+ year old dragon-girl who hosts a morning “news” show. She’s quirky & tarnishes her innocent look by swearing fairly often.
SuperChat statistics supplied by Playboard rank VTubers in the top 3 positions for earning worldwide:
- Coco 桐生ココ By Hololive – $1 464 494,94
- Rushia 潤羽るしあ By Hololive – $1 276 187,34
- Pekora 兎田ぺこら By Hololive – $978 053,14
Obviously, VTubers also earn via YouTube advertising. But there’s a huge spinoff market for toys, guest appearances & from marketing campaigns. Due to the earning potential, the number of VTubers has exploded. The Bangkok Post puts the figure at 10,000 VTubers. Even famous human YouTubers such as PewDiePie have decided to replace themselves with virtual avatars. PewDiePie launched a virtual version of himself in January 2021, & announced that all future videos would be shot with the virtual replacement.
Hololive is the biggest VTuber agency (Nijisanji is the 2nd largest) & it is branching out in an attempt to capture an international market with Hololive China, Hololive Indonesia, & Hololive English. Kiryu Coco has been their top earner, but they manage over 52 other VTubers who have more than 40 million subscribers between them on YouTube alone, not to mention Twitch or the Chinese version of YouTube, Bilibili.
What Is The future?
Coco, Hololive’s most talented VTuber, graduated (or retired) in June 2021. She set a trend & other VTubers have followed her lead. Modern motion detection technology & the proliferation of avatar creation apps means that talented “actors/actresses” such as CoCo can make their own videos without the assistance of an agency.
So, in the years to come, there are probably going to be a lot more independent players in this field. The appeal of using an avatar rather than appearing on camera in person will most likely lead to a host of current & future YouTubers using VTubing software to remain anonymous. After all, it’s easier, safer & far less lifestyle-invasive to use an anonymous virtual avatar than it is to act in person.
Image credit: Coco Ch/Youtube, readyplayer.me, Gawr Gura Ch/YouTube, Kizuna AI
