VIRTUAL ICONS: THE RISE AND CRAFT OF VTUBERS
Virtual Icons: The Rise and Craft of Vtubers:
What VTubers are, their impact and how they come to be
Eastern Michigan University, School of Art & Design
October 24, 2024
COVID–19 had a huge impact on the world, not only did it isolate everyone from each other, but it also changed the way we consumed content online. At an age where everything could be done remotely, it seemed like anything was possible. This was especially true for content creation. Streamers and YouTubers were already immensely popular, and quarantine only (maximized) that, people had more free time to both make and watch videos. This is where something else began to emerge, something that had been around for a while, but took the sidelines in Japan. VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers or streamers were people who were using these anime-like virtual models to create content online. In place of someone smiling in front of a camera, instead came these characters who could move in real time and talk with their audience.
It’s often argued on who exactly was the “first” VTuber, because what can you really define as a “VTuber”? Is it just anyone who has some kind of character, or did they need to have become one after the term was coined? Ami Yamato, a YouTuber from 2011, was someone who vlogged (video blogged) herself going to various places, and, to protect her identity, she would use software to change her face to something that looked Disney-esque.
Ami Yamato - YouTube Vlogger
At the time, this was just seen as a unique way of vlogging, not necessarily its own niche. Later in 2016, Kizuna Ai appeared. A bubbly, 3D, anime girl who could walk, talk, and have her own personality. It should be mentioned that Kizuna Ai was a character, unlike Ami Yamato she did not use her real name. She sang songs; and would appear in advertisements all over YouTube, showing interest to not only Japanese viewers but also others around the world. Kizuna Ai was Japanese, and as such only streamed in the language, however, fans would start translation projects that would show English-speaking viewers what was going on in her streams. This was the beginning of when the term “Virtual YouTuber” was coined.
It should be noted that anonymous content creation is, and was not a new thing at all. Prior to 2019 there were thousands of people still streaming or producing content in a multitude of different ways. Many people would hide their identity through clothing like masks, while others just wouldn’t use a camera at all. This especially wasn’t new to the art world, creators like JaidenAnimations, or Emirichu, would draw their avatars speaking to the audience through storytime animations, but these were edited videos, not something that was happening in real-time. So the interest in this type of content was always there, waiting in the background.
Kizuna Ai - 3D Model - VTuber
From 2016 up til Covid, Vtubers had its own, relatively smaller, fanbase online, and was especially more popular in places like Japan. It took only Covid for more people to begin to learn about these virtual livers, especially in the West. According to VTuber concept review: The new frontier of virtual entertainment (2024):
As highlighted in the 2020 YouTube Culture & Trends Report[...], VTubers have reached 1.5 billion views by October 2020, becoming a major content creator type on the platform in a very short period of time within the pandemic temporality, with increasing participation among content creators in donation income between 2020 and 2021
Quarantine took a massive mental toll on society: people were isolated from their loved ones and were barely making any human contact. And a lot of those people still wanted to connect with others, but it was getting increasingly difficult. This is why when VTubers slowly started to make their way to mainstream media, a light bulb went off. Streaming behind a virtual avatar, and watching those creators, was a way for people to feel less lonely, with the bonus of anonymity.
With the beginning of Covid, more people sought to enjoy the content made by these “faceless” creators, and were able to enjoy the aesthetic appeal of the drawn characters. VTuber companies, like Hololive and Nijisanji, would take notice of this interest and start debuting (releasing) English-speaking content creators. They offered jobs to streamers to work for them where Talents would get custom-made models, would stream, earn a profit, and get merchandise made, splitting income with the company. It’s one thing to be watching clips of a Japanese creator with subtitles, and it’s another to be able to fully watch a stream while being able to understand it. There was a wide variety of vtubers appearing online, from humans to animals, to gamers to singers, and so on. Not to mention every person streamed differently: some were themselves, while others “roleplayed” as the character they looked like. This exploded in the community and more and more English-speaking vtubers were debuting every day. Some worked for companies, and others were indie (independent), the demand for vtubers was increasing and people were quickly filling the quota.
Gawr Gura Hololive | Shu Yamino Nijisanji EN | Aia Amare Nijisanji EN
DokiBird Indie | Shxtou Indie | Kuzuha Nijisanji
In 2019 came the appearance of CodeMiko, another 3D virtual creator like Kizuna Ai. However, unlike Kizuna, CodeMiko was an indie streamer on the platform Twitch, and not an “idol” backed by a company. Youna Kang, the face behind CodeMiko used Unreal Engine to create the character, which looks a lot like those in video games. The difference between her and the 2D models mentioned before is that Youna utilizes a motion capture suit, and isn’t just sitting in front of a camera. As she mentions during a SIGGRAPH Asia 2021 panel, she uses a $2000 headset and iPhone that displays her facial expressions to the model, ManusVR for her hands, and an Xsens suit for her body (Kang, 2021). While this isn’t necessarily the “typical VTuber”, it does showcase just how much variety has appeared within this field.
Youna Kang using her gear to make CodeMiko move
Obtaining a Vtuber model can be an expensive and time-consuming task. There’s always the option to do everything yourself, but even then you need to learn how to do it all. With the creation of VTubers, jobs were also opening up because people needed a way to get these models. Here is the step-by-step process of how a Vtuber model is typically made.
First, a design is developed. Depending on the person, this can go through multiple drafts until a satisfactory one is found. The person can either fully do it themselves or commission a character designer to help them. Next, a reference or character sheet must be made. This sheet should show the entire full body of the character and every small detail that’s important to the design. This step is usually commissioned because it makes the next steps easier.
Hizaki Gamma Holostars Reference Sheet | by @tkyk01c
Issei Kai Indie Reference Sheet | by @0ishi
Next is the actual creation of the model, in this case 2D models, where an artist takes the character sheet, and draws the character in their style. However, it’s not as simple as just drawing them, they need to cut the model up so that every “moveable” part is on its own layer, from the hair to the clothes, and even the mouth. These layers are extremely important because they’re the baseline for how the model will move in the first place. Sometimes some people only get the character drawn, and someone else cuts it for them. Of course, price is also a factor here, as the more expensive it is, the more detail it tends to have. Next is the rigging, the model and all its layers are given to a rigger who then puts it into some kind of program like Live2D or VTubeStudio. Like a 3D model for a movie, they use parameters to simulate movement and physics, like the hair bouncing, the number of teeth being shown when they talk, and so on. This can be an incredibly lengthy process depending on how “smooth” the commissioner wants the model to be: looking at the end result in the actual program will show you the character covered in thousands of little circles called polygons (Live2D. 2023). As with most things, the budget of the person will equate to what the final product looks like, which is why models can cost as much as $20,000 sometimes. Streamer Shxtou’s 2023 model cost around $10k, and he’s gone through multiple models throughout the years and even had a new version made in 2024 (Shoto’s tail. 2023). This isn’t even going into the VTubers that use 3D Models which can go over $15,000. Though, this isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of free and cheaper options that can look equally as good.
DokiBird Model Layers (for Rigging), displayed are the shadows below her hair | by @cillia & @choeurie
Polygons are used to create movement on models, parameters (bottom right) let the user manipulate them | Live2D Tutorial
A model’s eye, cut up and rigged. / by @studioikaltd
From 2019 to 2024, there’s been a lot of time for the technology surrounding this concept to improve. Early streamers saw limited motion, flat-looking characters, and a lot more lag, but as time went on, new ways were learned to make it better, and in some ways, easier for people to use. Programs like VTube studio allowed beginners to have “default” rigging that made it so they didn’t need to do it themselves, while programs like VRigger did the same, but with a wider array of movements that created 2D characters that seemed to move like 3D ones.
VTubers models are a blend of art, animation, and simulation, creating these expressive movements that people can find themselves connecting to. Much like what people feel when watching movies, streamers, or cartoons, viewers find themselves relating to and enjoying these people. There’s something about being able to enjoy what a person does without necessarily needing to know who they actually are that’s really appealing, not to mention the incredible aesthetic appeal that comes with seeing these models move. And as time goes on, VTubing technology will only continue to improve.
References
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