5 Best VTubers To Watch In Your Spare Time

We’re living in the internet generation where it’s difficult to get bored, yet sometimes we find ourselves craving something new to do. Luckily, creative souls are always finding new ways to entertain themselves and others. If you’re into watching live streams, Let’s plays and online content creators then we have a treat for you! Today we’re going to be looking at some of the best VTubers to watch in your spare time. So, let’s get into it!

What Are VTubers?

VTuber is an abbreviation for the term Virtual YouTuber. Many of you might have already seen some of them in passing as they are extremely popular on YouTube and Twitch. They are essentially virtual avatars that are controlled by a person using motion-tracking software. The real content creator behind the avatar is disguised and is traditionally not seen at all throughout the entire stream or even career. The focus is on the character and persona that they create using their virtual avatar.

These avatars or “VTuber models” typically take on the form of an anime-style character. The content did originally come from Japan and many of the features of VTubing are heavily inspired by Japanese pop culture. The VTubers themselves are referred to as “Teen Idols” by adoring fans which is the same term used to describe JPop band members. Also, anime has been a massive hit all over the world so it makes sense that these cartoon avatars take on the form of anime characters.

VTubing has been around for a while but it was only until about the mid-2010s where they started to make their appearance on major streaming platforms. The first VTuber Kizuna AI broke records with her success on YouTube amassing over 3 million subscribers during her relatively short career. VTubers produce content similar to any other streamer or content creator on the platform. They talk with their chat, host Q&As, do playthroughs of video games and even react to videos. The expressiveness intricacies of their VTuber models make them very lifelike and easy to become attached to.

How Do People Get VTuber Models?

Any VTuber worth their salt will have an iconic and expressive VTuber model that creates their online persona. These VTuber models are their internet identity so creators invest lots of time and money to make sure that they are perfect. Most VTubers get a professional artist to commission an avatar for them. The VTuber will explain their vision to the artist who will then create a full functional VTuber model based on the client’s requests.

The most common places to find VTuber commissions are on freelance websites like Etsy and Fiverr as well as dedicated platforms such as VTuberArt. A lot of artists also like to advertise their services on Twitter but these commissions tend to get full quickly. VTuber commissions can cost anywhere between $200 – $2000 depending on the intricacies of your avatar and the artist that you’re working with.

Alternatively members of the community who are on a budget like to make their VTuber avatars themselves. Those who have experience with graphic design and animation will have a significant advantage as making an avatar from scratch is no easy task. If you’re dedicated it’s entirely possible to learn the skills to make one. However, this process has been known to take months to a year for first-timers to get everything working correctly.

VTubers To Watch In Your Spare Time

Now that you’re all caught up on VTubers we can get into some of the most popular and entertaining VTubers to watch in your spare time. It’s important to note that we’ll mostly be covering English-speaking VTubers on this list but there are plenty of amazing Japanese VTubers whose streams are translated for their viewers.

Gawr Gura

Gawr Gura is probably the face of modern VTubing right now so there’s a good chance that you might have seen her around. She is renowned for her iconic shark head hoodie, her adorable jagged teeth and her big blue eyes. She’s softly spoken with a loveable personality. Her fans know her to be quite dippy with a poor sense of direction. Gawr Gura has a running joke in her chat calling her “dumb shark” but despite this always finds ways to be quick-witted and entertaining for her viewers.

Gawr Gura has over 4 million subscribers on her YouTube channel making her one of the most subscribed VTubers ever. The main content that she uploads are Minecraft commentaries and horror game playthroughs as well as many other video games. So if you’re a gamer she’s the one to watch.

Kson

Kson is another massively popular VTuber with 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube. She primarily streams video games on YouTube but does make appearances on Twitch. Kson was originally an independent VTuber but signed to VShojo in recent years. VShojo is the biggest American VTuber talent agency meaning they certainly work to make her content top-notch. Being part of an agency means that she collaborates with loads of other successful VTubers partnered with VShojo. This is a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with some of the best in the biz

Kson’s content has a nice variety as she hosts karaoke streams, Let’s Plays and even just chatting sessions. So hopefully there’s something for everyone.

Kazuha

The first Japanese VTuber on our list is Kazuha. Famous VTubers tend to be predominantly female so it’s nice to see one breakthrough into the mainstream. Kazuha takes on the form of an extravagant vampire gamer who lives with his pet pig. What makes his streams so exciting to watch is how animated and expressive he gets whilst playing video games. He is often shouting or boasting about his own genius which breaks the suave persona he carries most of the time.

Sadly Kazuha’s streams are only in Japanese but fans create channels dedicated to translating them into English and many other languages.

Ironmouse

Ironmouse is a fan favourite demon queen who primarily streams on Twitch. She has a whopping 1.4million followers on Twitch and a commendable 800,000 subscribers on YouTube. People tune in to watch her light-hearted personality who never fails to make her chat or fellow streamers laugh. She’s known to discuss quite lewd topics and make a lot of adult jokes so this stream might not be suitable for children. Her YouTube channel is home to loads of stream highlights, memes and inside jokes from her community.

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, Ironmouse’s stream is definitely the place to go!

Watson Amelia

Watson Amelia is an English VTuber partnered with the Hololive English branch. She was one of the first VTubers to debut as part of this generation and has seen great success since then. Amelia takes on the form of an old Sherlock Holmes-esque character with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Amelia definitely has the cuteness factor as she has a “smol” character design also.

Amelia streams competitive games like Apex Legends, Overwatch and Valorant. But she does dabble in games like Minecraft for collaborations and Elden Ring for playthroughs. Watson Amelia has over 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube which is her main streaming platform but also likes to make the occasional TikTok from time to time.

Fans refer to her as a “true gamer” so if you’re in need of a gaming stream to watch you won’t be disappointed.