The term VTuber might confuse some people, but they are some of the most popular content creators in the world. The first VTuber – short for Virtual YouTuber – was Kizuna Ai of Japan back in 2016. Since then, dozens of VTubers have burst onto the scene, many amassing millions of fans while keeping their faces hidden behind an adorable anime avatar. If you’re curious about the scene and are looking for the best VTubers to check out, here are our top picks.
The best VTubers – our top ten picks
There is more to being a VTuber than simply slapping an image into your overlay. While the software and rigging needed have come down in price, creating the virtual avatar takes a great deal of time and skill. The software moves the avatar as you move in front of your camera, mimicking your facial expressions and body language to bring the character to life. It takes a lot of time and effort to grow a platform in the VTubing scene and here are the best ones worth checking out.
10) Hirakami Fubuki
Freed from the burden of a mortal form, many VTubers like to portray themselves as mythical or fantastical creatures. Shirakami Fubuki is one such streamer, choosing the form of a kemonomimi with large fox ears as her avatar. Her streams, which have earned her nearly two million subscribers on YouTube, range from chatting with her fans to drawing to playing MMOs with other VTubers. Her usual calm and relaxed persona slips on occasion, especially when streaming horror games, making for entertaining viewing.
9) Mirai Akari
Mirai Akari has been a VTuber for longer than most people and has a backlog of videos going back all the way to 2017. Like many VTubers, she has created a whole backstory for the character she plays; in this case, she has no past since she lost her memory shortly before her debut. Mirai Akari’s videos portray her dancing and gaming, but she performs many of her original songs on her channel as well.
8) Monarch
While the vast majority of VTubers are from Asian countries, the trend has been gaining steam in the US as popular YouTubers try out the virtual side of things. One of these is Monarch, played by YouTuber LeeandLie. Monarch is a self-described villain VTuber, giving her a very different flair from most of the other people on this list. Monarch adds a fair amount of chaos to all her videos, making them well worth checking out.
7) Mori Calliope
Ever wanted to hear a death god rap? Mori Calliope can make that happen for you. She is portrayed as the apprentice to the Grim Reaper. She has over a million subscribers on YouTube and streams regularly as part of the hololive VTuber agency, giving her more resources and a higher budget than most others in the scene. The contrast between her intense look and backstory and her calm, soothing voice is one of the things that keeps her coming back.
6) Kuzuha
The third of our villain VTubers is Kuzuha, who casts himself as a 100-year-old vampire. He has been streaming since 2018 and became the first male VTuber to reach over one million subscribers back in 2021. Kuzuha tends to get a bit carried away with whatever game he’s playing and often streams alongside fellow male VTuber Kanae, who features further down this list. The contrast between the pair, with Kuzuha often playing the role of chaos and Kanae keeping it cool, is a big reason why they work so well together.
5) Inugami Korone
It only took Inugami Korone just over a year to earn her first one million subscribers on YouTube. This VTuber takes the persona of a dog-girl who owns and operates a bakery. She is a variety streamer who plays everything from retro titles to platformers to FPS games. Inugami Korone is part of hololive Gamers, the gaming contingent within the hololive VTuber agency, and has over 500 videos to get stuck into.
4) Usada Pekora
Bunny girls are a common trope on the internet, but Usada Pekora takes that trend even further. She’s a rabbit girl with such a strong dedication to carrots that they can usually be seen dangling from her hair. She is one of the most popular VTubers in the world, with more than two million subscribers on YouTube. She often plays games with other hololive VTubers or takes part in singing streams with her fans.
3) Kanae
While most of the characters on this list are female, there is a growing number of male VTubers out there to check out. Kanae is someone who provides a level of chilled-out comfort to all of their streams. He is soft-spoken and soothing for most of his gaming playthroughs, though moments of madness and chaos seep through during stressful moments. The contrast here is a big part of what makes his videos so fun to watch. And, with more than 2,500 videos on YouTube, there is plenty of Kanae content to check out.
2) Houshou Marine
Who says pirates can’t have fun? Houshou Marine started VTubing to help her save up to buy a pirate ship and search for treasure on the seven seas. Until she can realize that dream, she’s content to simply cosplay as a pirate and chat with her more than two million YouTube subscribers. Marine’s streams cover everything from gaming to illustration to singing original songs.
1) Gawr Gura
Gawr Gura is one of the biggest VTubers active at the moment. With over four million subscribers, this shark girl streams primarily in English while playing games like Mario Kart and Minecraft or just chatting with her fans. The fun of Gawr Gura’s streams is the barely contained chaos that she portrays, with the most popular games with her fans being the ones that confuse or frustrate her. Regardless of her reactions, she plays the role of the tsundere perfectly.
