Why Japanese virtual YouTubers can earn over US$1 million a year from fans who can spend big money and dedicate hours of their day to their idols

Virtual YouTubers live-stream as animated characters, with fans doing things like paying to have their comments highlighted in chat

Some VTubers are considered family by their dedicated viewers, with one superfan saying he can spend up to 10 hours a day thinking about his idol

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Yume Kotobuki is an animated character voiced by virtual YouTuber Mayu Iizuka. VTubers have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:15am, 10 May 2022Updated: 4:36am, 10 May 2022

Mayu Iizuka sheds her soft-spoken personality and starts cackling, screaming and waving wildly in a makeshift studio in Tokyo as her avatar appears on a live-stream before hundreds of fans.

Virtual YouTubers like Iizuka, who voices and animates a character called Yume Kotobuki, have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry where top accounts can rake in more than a million US dollars a year.

The videos are designed to make fans feel they are interacting directly with their favourite animated idols – with viewers sometimes paying hundreds of dollars to have a single comment highlighted on a live-stream.

“When I’m playing video games on my channel and succeed at something, my fans congratulate me … [and pay tips] as a way to show their support and appreciation,” says Iizuka.

The 26-year-old uses a laptop, webcam and a motion sensor worn around her neck to appear on screen as Yume, whose facial expressions are controlled by a producer.

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