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Why Japanese virtual YouTubers can earn over US$1 million a year from fans who can spend big money and dedicate hours of their day to their idols
- Virtual YouTubers live-stream as animated characters, with fans doing things like paying to have their comments highlighted in chat
- Some VTubers are considered family by their dedicated viewers, with one superfan saying he can spend up to 10 hours a day thinking about his idol
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Mayu Iizuka sheds her soft-spoken personality and starts cackling, screaming and waving wildly in a makeshift studio in Tokyo as her avatar appears on a live-stream before hundreds of fans.
Virtual YouTubers like Iizuka, who voices and animates a character called Yume Kotobuki, have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry where top accounts can rake in more than a million US dollars a year.
The videos are designed to make fans feel they are interacting directly with their favourite animated idols – with viewers sometimes paying hundreds of dollars to have a single comment highlighted on a live-stream.
“When I’m playing video games on my channel and succeed at something, my fans congratulate me … [and pay tips] as a way to show their support and appreciation,” says Iizuka.
The 26-year-old uses a laptop, webcam and a motion sensor worn around her neck to appear on screen as Yume, whose facial expressions are controlled by a producer.
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