What are VTubers? The controversial class of streamers, explained

VTubers, the internet creators who use digital avatars while live-streaming, blew up on YouTube in the late 2010s. Since then, the streamers have expanded across other platforms. Twitch’s most popular streamer is VTuber Ironmouse, with 236,505 active subscribers. 

But lately, the VTubers have been in a panic. YouTube and Twitch accounts are continually shutting down their channels, citing a variety of rules including “using stolen payment information.” Even Ironmouse temporarily lost their YouTube platform in September (though the account has since been reinstated). Just last week, Twitch clarified that their Community Guidelines for dress applied to VTubers as well. Often inspired by Japanese anime and manga, the avatars are frequently hyper–feminine. Will the avatars be shut down for not covering her hips?

What are VTubers?

The term “VTuber” was coined by Kizuna AI, one of the first VTubers who premiered on YouTube in 2016. Kizuna was quite humanlike; her 3-D avatar hosted livestreams and virtual vlogs, interacting with fans almost exclusively in Japanese. As their channel exploded to over three million followers, Kizuna expanded outside of YouTube’s confines, joining the Chinese platform Bilibili. After almost eight years, Kizuna announced an indefinite hiatus in 2022, taking time to update her technology.

A slew of VTubers followed Kizuna’s lead. Exactly what these creators stream depends on the account; what they share in common is a digitally generated avatar that replicates human activity. Some users even use motion-capture technology for the avatars.

These VTubers can be wildly successful. (No wonder there’s now a cottage industry of management agencies like Hololive, which projects ¥30.166 billion, or about $200 million, in 2024 revenue.) On YouTube, paid Super Chats are an easy stream of income; VTubers represent eight of the top ten recipients since 2020, per Playboard. On Twitch, paid subscriptions can generate revenue; Ironmouse currently has an estimated 221,648 tier-one subscribers paying $4.99/mnth.

But VTubers haven’t been able to escape controversy. Ethical questions continue to swirl around the industry, including whether healthy to form a parasocial relationship with a non-human? Perhaps more damningly, there are also labor-related questions around the tech.

The platform-hopping class of streamers

In late September, Ironmouse lost her YouTube channel. The move was sudden: Ironmouse posted on X that they had “​​a legal team working on things,” and declined to explain the specifics. The account eventually went back up, but not before sending VTubers into a tailspin. Popular creator Bao the Whale dug into YouTube, writing on X that the video network was “trying so hard to replace television by pandering to TV networks they’re just going to kill the thing that sets them apart.” TAround the same time, a string of VTubers had their Twitch accounts suspended on suspicions of “using stolen payment information to purchase Twitch Bits.” (Twitch Bits are the paid tokens to boost chats and get recgonition.)

Twitch’s bad press didn’t stop there. In August, the platform rolled out a “Drop In” feature that allowed for impromptu collaborative streaming. After accepting a “Drop In,” the creators’ cameras would be turned on—a feature that creators feared would lead to some unintended face reveals. Twitch quickly changed the feature, but not before catching the ire of some VTubers online. Then, in early October, Twitch clarified that the company’s “Community Agreements” applied to VTuber-operated avatars as well. This meant that an avatar needed to cover their “genitalia, buttocks, hips, female-presented nipples, and underbust.” Many VTubers create their avatars based on Japanese manga characters, which are often highly sexualized. The clarification effectively forced VTubers to cover up their characters. 

With the sudden account terminations and policy changes, where is a VTuber to stream? There are alternatives: Bililbili, Niconico, and Kick all offer similar capabilities. What they don’t have, though, is the audience discovery tools. YouTube and Twitch offer strong algorithms for building an audience; those aiming for growth are likely stuck. 

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