Have you heard of Vtubers? If you’re anything like me, wrapped up in the daily concerns of how to balance a full time job, with worrying about what to feed the kids in the thirty minutes between the six billion other things you have to do – not least wrestling socks from a dog with an underwear chewing fetish – then you may not have. I tend to miss a lot, unless it is literally shoved in front of my face.
This is one of the reasons why teaching Japanese university students is great. They often introduce me to current day issues and trends affecting young people, that otherwise I would have no clue about. One of the topics that has come up lately in class is “Virtual YouTubers.” Once I worked out what it was, I’ve found it fascinates me. The idea of someone seeking fame and recognition, yet at the same time hiding behind an avatar, seems almost diametrically opposed.
So what are Vtubers?
Basically Vtubers are online entertainers or content creators, similar in every way to any other, except they use a virtual avatar generated by computer graphics. Many of them play games over livestream and they interact with their fans. My students introduced me to ones they like who sing in virtual bands.
When did Vtubers start becoming popular?
I’ve done a little research and found some information about the history of Vtubers. It turns out they’ve gained popularity in Japan over the last five years, specifically thanks to a character called Kizuna Ai. She became the first superstar and actually coined the term “virtual youtuber”. Since she gained a following, many thousands of others have also appeared. Other characters, such as Kiryu Coco produced videos in English too. This has led to the phenomenon now spreading around the world.
Why do Vtubers hide?
So why hide behind an avatar and not show your real face? There are of course many reasons. Avatars can be taken beyond the bounds of human physical restrictions. They can blur the lines between fiction and reality. Without a doubt many fans and creators enjoy the anime and manga style of art that is often used too. However, I think that given the popularity of this new trend in Japan specifically, there may also be some other cultural factors contributing.
Unique Japan
With around 125 million people, Japan, an island nation, is one of the most populous countries on the planet. In addition, the majority of the population is clustered in urban areas on the coast, plains and valleys. This is due to the fact that Japan’s topography consists mainly of rugged mountains. The equivalent of more than half of the UK’s population is crammed into the greater Tokyo area alone. Much has been written about the correlation between Japan’s geography and its influence on Japanese culture and the so-called group mentality.
Traditionally people lived in close-knit farming communities where there was an emphasis on group cooperation. My own experiences of adapting to life in the Tottori countryside taught me that secrets are hard to keep in rural communities. Everybody literally knows everything about everybody. Is this how the Japanese concept of valuing personal space developed? Did people learn the art of creating their own bubble of privacy as a result of being in the most crowded of conditions?
Keeping things to yourself.
In my experience Japanese people live up to the stereotype of being extremely private. Even close friendship does not automatically mean you are privy to the intimate details of each other’s lives. People can have relationships spanning decades and still not hear about significant personal milestones such as a divorce or impending marriage until months later.
I see this with pregnancy a lot. It is culturally commonplace here to wear extremely baggy maternity clothes and hide a pregnancy. This is very different to my style, which was to wear tightly fitted t-shirts showing off my bump proudly. I have had women I’ve known for years suddenly tell me they are due to give birth next month and I’ve been totally blown away. I didn’t even realise they were pregnant!
I’ve mentioned in a previous article an amazing escape clause for not attending something or cancelling, which is “yoji ga arimasu” – “I have something important to do.” It wouldn’t fly in the UK to just say that. You’d immediately be demanded to explain what it was that was so important you needed to change your plans. Here though, only people in your very closest inner circle would likely probe further.
Hiding in crowds
If you take a walk around a neighbourhood in Japan, one of the things you will notice is that houses are frequently designed with privacy in mind. Many are hidden behind walls, fences or bushes. The building itself often has few, if any, large windows. This makes it impossible to peer inside. I’ve seen some homes and wondered if they get any natural light at all! Close to where I live there is even one house that is literally built into the ground, much like a bunker.
On public transport, if not napping, people nowadays tend to mostly be on their smartphones. This has the added benefit of making you look busy and further deterring any potential interaction with other passengers. However, when I first came to Japan, it was far more common for people to be reading a paper book. The custom of using a paper cover over the book to hide what you’re reading surprised me a lot.
Another peculiarity to Japan and perhaps other parts of Asia, is mask wearing. This was common here long before the Covid pandemic and not just for the prevention of the spread of disease or for relief from allergies. People would also wear them for cosmetic reasons, or to conceal their emotions. Some people feel they can hide their true selves behind a mask. As a teacher I saw this as a social problem in the classroom. I would often ask students to remove their mask when making presentations.
Not involving others
In addition to the emphasis on privacy, there is also a prevalent mindset of not involving other people in your affairs. The general consensus is to keep contact with strangers to a minimum.
The exception to this is the way Japanese people treat tourists. Many visitors will leave the country with remarkable tales of extreme kindness and the impression of a truly helpful people. I myself remember hitch-hiking into town with a friend on the remote Oki islands. A woman driving in the opposite direction stopped, picked us up, drove us to her home and then actually lent us her car! When we returned it she even invited us into her home for tea. Afterwards she dropped us back at the campsite we were staying at.
Yet, as a long-term resident, I hear tales all the time of how someone has fallen in the street and not a single person has attempted to help. This has happened to me personally once or twice too. I remember tripping in a park and spraining my ankle quite badly. On another occasion I fell off my bike after slipping on some ice. Neither time did anyone stop to ask me if I was alright.
Consideration on the roads
Something that frustrates me greatly when I drive is the extremely late signalling that is common here. Many drivers will only signal after they have already started to make the turn. Some never bother. It would be easy to dismiss this as laziness or perhaps a deliberate flouting of the traffic rules. However, I asked a Japanese friend about it once and she gave me an intriguing perspective. This is the reason she gave for not signalling.
She didn’t want to annoy the person behind her!
I had always thought the point of signalling was so that other drivers could predict your movements and thereby drive more safely. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had to slam on the breaks due to someone in front of me slowing down to a stop and turning without signalling.
Hiding on the net
So maybe this Vtubers trend in Japan is not so strange after all. Hiding behind an avatar seems to make total cultural sense. This isn’t a new concept online either. Japan is actually fairly unique in the world because Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms here. Japanese friends have told me that the reason for this is because people value the anonymity. Unlike with Facebook, they don’t have to use their real names.
A positive influence
My 12 year old daughter appears to know much more about Vtubers than I do. I asked her the other day if she knew any and she told me about one called Riinu-kun who is popular in her grade at school. Apparently he is very open about being a transgender male. I asked her what she thought about the personal struggles he has talked about on his channel. She told me she thought it must be really hard for him and others like him. It may very well be much easier for people to talk about certain issues behind an avatar. I think this is definitely one positive aspect.
The future for Vtubers
Vtubing is still relatively new, especially outside of Japan. There is apparently a lot of potential for growth. Businesses are actively investing and agencies that specialize in the production and management of Vtubers are springing up in Japan, Asia and around the world. I’ve also read several articles discussing the potential around fictional characters interacting with real people.
It is safe to say that it seems extremely likely that the number of animated influencers will continue to rise.