

In turn, many Japanese VTubers embraced their overseas fans, some studying English so they could communicate with them more readily. Western fans started supporting their favorite Japanese streamers, as well as creating their own characters on both YouTube and Twitch. The VTuber phenomenon came to the attention of western audiences thanks to individuals and groups on YouTube creating translated videos of the Japanese content, several of which went viral. Following the lead of Nijisanji and hololive, which were established in 2018, later VTubers moved more toward using 2D avatars, as well as shifting toward a live-streaming model. The early VTubers used 3D avatars, and released pre-recorded videos on a regular basis. Ai was the first to coin the term "Virtual YouTuber" as part of her greeting. However, most fans consider the first "true" VTuber to be Kizuna AI, who debuted on YouTube in 2016.
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The technology behind this has been around for decades note In the 90s Nintendo created software for Charles Martinet to portray Mario in this manner at trade shows and conventions, and some early takes on the concept were seen as early as 2011, such as UK-based 'animated' blogger Ami Yamato. Many VTubers also appreciate the level of anonymity using an avatar provides. Also, considering the first VTubers were Japanese and heavily anime-inspired, most who have followed utilize similar elements in their avatars, to varying degrees. The major appeal of using an animated avatar is that the performer is not constrained by real-world considerations (such as gender or appearance) and they can design their character to be just about anything, although most avatars are still generally humanoid in shape. note 2D avatars are, in general, easier to rig up and use for streaming 3D avatars are often reserved for special occasions or events. Both 2D and 3D avatars are used, depending on performer preference and available resources. The avatar is "rigged" to move and react as the performer does, utilizing various forms of motion capture software. Unlike virtual celebrities such as Hatsune Miku, the performer behind the VTuber is a real person, but they utilize an animated avatar to represent the character they are portraying.
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note Twitch prefers the term "virtual streamer," obviously not wanting to give their competition free advertising, but that isn't commonly used in fact, they finally gave in and provided a "VTuber" tag for streamers to use in early 2021. Regardless of the streaming service used, however, "VTuber" has become the default term for this type of performer. The phenomenon originated on YouTube, hence the name however, a large number of VTubers can be found on Twitch as well, and a few can be found on smaller services such as NicoNicoDouga in Japan and bilibili in China.
