July 21, 2026
Behind the avatar, beyond the drama
VTubing: How a Japanese Phenomenon Is Going Worldwide
Anime avatars are huge money now, but commenters say the article is years behind
TLDR: VTubing has become a major business, with Japan’s market soaring and more creators worldwide using animated avatars to stream and perform. But commenters say the real story is that this “global rise” happened years ago, turning the thread into a roast of the article’s timing.
VTubing — where online creators perform through animated anime-style characters instead of showing their real face — is being pitched as a Japanese phenomenon going global. The article points to a massive boom: Japan’s VTuber market reportedly hit 80 billion yen in 2023, with big agencies and new English-speaking stars pushing the format far beyond its original niche. Some performers say the appeal is simple: it’s not about “hiding,” it’s about freedom, privacy, and playing a character in a way ordinary face-cam streaming can’t match.
But in the comments, the crowd was absolutely not here for the “going worldwide” framing. The loudest reaction? “This is old news.” Multiple commenters rolled their eyes and basically said the party started years ago, especially during the COVID lockdown era, when VTubers exploded across the internet. One blunt reply summed up the mood with a dagger: “Went worldwide, half a decade ago.” Ouch.
That didn’t stop others from adding plot twists. One person admitted they originally assumed VTubing was just about hiding your face, then realized there was a lot more going on. Another chimed in with a funny nostalgia bomb, comparing today’s weird assumptions about anime avatars to the old-school panic over picking a game character who didn’t look like you. And then came the finance flex: commenters reminded everyone that the biggest VTuber companies are so established they’re literally publicly traded in Japan. So yes, the anime avatar economy is real — even if the commenters think this article just woke up from a very long nap.
Key Points
- •VTubing uses animated avatars to represent performers onscreen, with software such as Live2D Cubism enabling the avatar to mirror real-life movement.
- •The article says the Japanese VTuber market reached 80 billion yen in 2023, up 153.8% from the previous year based on agency sales revenue.
- •Japan remains the dominant market for VTubing, but the article says participation is increasingly expanding internationally, especially in the United States.
- •Interviewees including Sakuraha Rua and Amikoto Ash describe VTubing as a valid creative format centered on expression, privacy, and character performance rather than hiding one's identity.
- •The article says common VTuber activities include in-character livestreams, video creation such as songs and skits, and virtual live concert performances.