What are VTubers? Japan’s virtual YouTubers are taking over the world, says Sony, and are ‘an inspiration to others’
- In K-pop, virtual hybrid entertainers like girl group Aespa are rising in popularity. In Japan, virtual YouTubers are well-established content creators
- Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) has launched Vee, a project featuring five Japanese VTubers that it is hoping will gain global popularity

Japanese virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, can earn over US$1 million a year – but what is it about them that makes them so special?
VTubers – video creators and entertainers who use virtual avatars – have seen increasing growth in Japan in the past few years, with some of the biggest names in entertainment investing in their further growth.

While conversations about the metaverse (a virtual world where people are expected to socialise, play, trade and work in the future) in English-language entertainment spaces truly kicked off in early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was well under way, Japan’s VTuber scene has been around since the mid-2010s. Some VTubers are hoping to go global as virtual entertainment continues to grow.
In May, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) launched Vee (formally VEE), a project featuring five VTubers that is said to be “Sony Music’s largest virtual talent development and management project in history”.