Vtubers are growing in popularity as a unique form of content creator. But a lot of people still don't know what Vtubers are, how they create their content, why many of them choose the style — or how successful you can be doing it.
What Are Vtubers?
Vtubers are online creators and entertainers who use virtual (often cartoon) avatars in place of their "live action" selves. The name Vtuber is a shortening of the phrase "virtual YouTuber," though Vtubers are popular on all sorts of platforms beyond YouTube, including Twitch, Facebook, and Japanese video platform Niconico.
Vtubers read scripts, perform, and interact with their audience like a typical live action creator would, but instead of appearing on the screen as a human, avatars in the style of cartoons, aliens, animals, or other anthropomorphized things appear to be doing the "talking" and "acting."
When it comes to the kind of content these creators perform, it varies. But in general, the rule is, if a live action streamer or creator can do it, so can a Vtuber. So, things like gaming streams, chatting streams, and karaoke streams are all very popular forms of content for Vtubers.
Where Did This Kind Of Content Come From?
The "first Vtuber" conversation is a bit nuanced, though many fans attribute the rise in popularity to a channel known as Kizuna AI, which first appeared in November 2016. With millions of subscribers, the Kizuna AI YouTube channel has a visual aesthetic and style that many have come to associate with the modern "Vtuber look." The Kizuna AI creators are also credited with coining the term "virtual YouTuber."
However, creator Ami Yamato is also credited as the first YouTuber to use a digital avatar to represent themselves online. Yamato recently published a video celebrating 14 years on YouTube, with their first digital avatar video going live on June 14th, 2011.
Yamato and Kizuna AI are fundamentally different types of creators. Yamato is ultimately a vlogger who uses a digital character in place of her human self, while Kizuna is a character produced by a team of people and voiced by an actress. Still, both fall under the general umbrella of Vtubing. (And while there is "AI" in the name, Kizuna is far from anything related to our current interpretation of AI).
This form of content first grew in popularity in Japan before spreading to the rest of the world, thanks in large part to the growing popularity of livestreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon even jumped in to help explain Vtubing to potential advertisers, noting that between January 2022 and August 2022 the content style grew in viewership by 350 percent compared to the previous year.
Why Do Creators Choose To Become Vtubers?
While there are plenty of Vtuber channels ran by a whole team of people, most Vtubers are ultimately just individual creators. And there are plenty of reasons somebody may prefer to go the Vtuber route over being a more traditional live action streamer or creator.
More Creative Opportunities
Vtubers can do a lot more interesting things with their avatars and characters. Because they are not bound by the limits of, well, being in a human body, these characters are able to get more creative more quickly.
Additionally, it allows individual creators an opportunity to create characters and stories, adopting a sort of reality around their alter ego characters. Think of it like in wrestling, where wrestlers maintain "kayfabe," a portrayal of their personas, backstories, and events as true and genuine. It's like a more committed and immersive form of acting.
The very nature of being able to insert your virtual avatar into different worlds allows you to just be more expressive in an otherwise limited environment.
A More Level Playing Field
Vtubers have the opportunity to create whatever character they want and explore them in a way that allows a chance to just play and have fun, versus worrying about the external factors that affect live action creators. One of those biggest factors is look, both in terms of you personally and your setup.
Vtuber Leaflit does a great job of explaining it to Amazon. “Online content creation, especially for women, has been [focused on] physicality and how you look on screen," Leaflit says. "You know, spending lots of time on your clothing, on your makeup, and that kind of thing. How you look on screen can really affect how well you do, but VTubing has kind of turned that on its head and equalized streaming in a way. It now becomes an issue of how entertaining you are and removes a lot of that physicality. I think that’s why we’ve seen such a boom. A lot of streamers, even established IRL streamers, are trying out VTubing because it really gives you that kind of freedom."
Basically, Vtubers have the opportunity to win their audience based on their creativity and performance in a world where looks can be a factor.
Safety
This is a big one, especially for women and marginalized creators (who are more likely to face online abuse). Vtubers have the option of complete anonymity, down to how their voices sound. This can protect creators from harassment and hate perhaps better than any other factor.
But beyond just being completely anonymous, it can also protect you as a creator from the downsides of parasocial relationships. Because your audience is developing more of a relationship with a character than you directly, you're adding an extra layer of safety between these interactions.
Ok But How Exactly Does It Work?
Considering giving Vtubing a try but have no idea how it's done? While there are elements of creating the avatars that can be complex, it can also be super simple. Like, almost as easy as using a Snapchat filter, in some cases.
Essentially, Vtubers use the same types of tools as live action creators. You'll need a camera that can act as a webcam, a good microphone, lighting, and a decent computer, to start. While you won't be on screen, the software that allows your avatar to mimic your actions does benefit from a good source image and audio, so while even the cheapest of the cheap can work, you're setting yourself up for a better time with at least a good quality phone as your camera and microphone.
That's pretty much it for the minimum hardware component — which means you've probably already got what you need if you've already been creating a bit. The next step is to actually come up with the first character you want to use as your avatar. There are plenty of resources to get this done if you're not already an artist, from Fiverr to Upwork to Freelancer.com. You can also purchase one from sites like Sketchfab or 3D Cloud. And lastly, you can make one yourself with the help of plenty of sites out there, like VTuber Maker, VTube Studio, and VRoid Studio.
Once you've got your avatar, you'll need to use some motion tracking software. But don't worry, it's a lot easier (and more readily available) than it sounds. Options like VSeeFace, Wakaru, and VNyan all allow you to use motion tracking for free. From there, you plug that source into your streaming software or video capture software (which is probably OBS, to be honest). And you're off to the races!
From there, you're pretty much only limited by your imagination. Some Vtubers do some genuinely amazing things with their setups, while others keep it very simple.