You might have had their clips recommended to you on YouTube, or seen a video of a small shark girl doing something silly in passing. These are the most common ways fans tumble down what’s been affectionately nicknamed “the rabbit hole” of Vtubers.
Vtubers are streamers that use a virtual avatar instead of their actual face. From that basic premise, an entire culture has developed. It’s common now to see Vtubers with elaborate models, short backstories, catchphrases, songs, and even merchandise. Companies have also formed around hiring Vtubers and marketing them. The largest of these companies are Nijisanji and Hololive.
After our own journey down the rabbit hole, we’ve made a list of the best English-speaking Vtubers you should be watching right now.
Curious about YouTube history? Here’s a list of the Oldest Videos on YouTube You Can Still Watch Today.
1. Gawr Gura
Platforms: YouTube
Gawr Gura is the famous shark-girl from Holomyth. Since her debut on September 12, 2020 she has climbed to become the most subscribed Vtuber on YouTube with almost four million subscribers. The key to her success is her upbeat attitude toward life, adorable expressions, extremely chill karaoke streams, and priceless interactions through the chat.
Her streams are hilarious to watch, with both amusing tangents and adorable reactions to keep viewers entertained. This is best seen during her run of the Devil May Cry franchise where she died to a door.
But her karaoke streams are a spell-binding experience. Gura has a unique voice that takes slow and emotional songs to another level. The simplicity of the music (usually just Gura playing the song on her ukelele) and the bewitching melody makes each karaoke stream feel like you’re cozied up to a campfire and being serenaded.
2. Calliope Mori
Platforms: YouTube
HoloMyth alone can easily fill an entire Top Five list by themselves. HoloMyth is Hololive’s first generation of English Vtubers. Each one is themed after mythical beings and they’re all incredibly talented streamers.
Calliope Mori is a former grim reaper who decided to become a vtuber instead. Besides being a fantastic streamer, Calliope (or Calli for short) stands out from her genmates because of her incredible musical talent. She’s best known for her rapping, but behind the scenes she also writes and edits songs as well. She’s released eighteen singles on Spotify with seventeen of those songs reaching over a million listens.
While I recommend listening to most of her work (especially her collaborative work with Japanese Vtubers), a big standout is “End of a Life.” Most of Calli’s songs are high energy with a faster rap, but this one has a more chill, melancholy energy that I can’t stop listening to!
3. Iron Mouse
Iron Mouse is a member of Vshojo and is the third most subscribed channel on Twitch. She has a feisty personality and spits insults as fast as she takes them when she’s working with other streamers.
But what draws viewers is how she is a skilled, multi-talented entertainer. She’s received opera training in the past and uses it to create phenomenal karaoke streams. Her lively personality also easily carries entire streams where she interviews other streamers, reacts to videos, or just talks with chat.
Iron Mouse is also the perfect example of the strength behind the vtubing medium. She suffers from Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID), a disorder with her immune system that has left her with a slew of health issues and difficulty leaving her bed. By using a virtual avatar, Mouse is able to keep her entertainment skills and the audience’s enjoyment at the forefront of her streams instead of her disease.
4. Vox Akuma
Platforms: YouTube
Vox Akuma is a demon with one of the smoothest voices on the internet. While his regular-speaking voice is amazing to listen to, his talent for voice-acting is what makes him stand out from other streamers.
Vox streams on YouTube and debuted in late December 2021 with Nijisanji’s Luxiem wave. In the six months since, he’s grown to almost 700,000 subscribers – a ridiculously fast rate for any new YouTube channel. He usually streams horror games, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, and various projects where he gets to take full advantage of just how gorgeous his voice sounds.
These projects include ASMR and reading various lore pieces from other games. But his Smash Ultimate streams with viewers are particularly hilarious. One example is the saga of Vox getting destroyed in Smash Ultimate by a fan named “Kat Gaming” and the ensuing tale of Vox’s revenge. A highlight reel of the entire saga can be found here.
5. Mysta Rias
Mysta Rias is a detective with a dog theme and, based on this infamous tweet from him, also struggles to cook rice.
He is part of the talent agency Nijisanji, and part of their wave of English-speaking male Vtubers. He debuted with the rest of Luxiem (the name of the group) in late December of 2021 and has grown to 554,000 subscribers since then.
Mysta usually streams on YouTube and is known for spouting absurd remarks, being a hot mess, and also being a magnet for comedy gold. A great example is his Ring Fit Adventure stream where he shouted, “die to my ass” and “taste these cakes” to a boss while struggling to squat. But Mysta’s brand of comedy shines when it’s combined with his heartwarming and emotionally honest moments. It’s part of the reason why his fans can’t help but keep tuning in for each stream to support their lovable dog detective.
6. Nytasha Nyanners
If you love juxtaposition, then you’ll love Nyanners. Nyanners is one of the eight talents from the company VShojo. She’s known for her sweet and soft voice, often paired with her complete lack of a filter. Her content is chaotic and hysterical just because there’s a unique brand of comedy that can only come from an innocent-looking anime catgirl screaming obscenities while making lewd jokes.
She usually streams reaction videos, cooking, VR chat, games, and her chats with viewers on Twitch. Her VR streams are a special kind of hilarity – with Nyanners usually putting her special brand of madness on full blast for her viewers.
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