While Japan reigns supreme in the VTuber world, the country could face fierce competition from neighbouring cultural superpower South Korea in the coming years, warned Cover Corp’s CEO Motoaki Tanigo.
“Aspiring K-pop singers have survived tough training and are already professional,” making the country a potential goldmine for VTuber actors, he told AFP in Tokyo.
“Can we easily find people like that in Japan? Of course not.”
South Korean VTuber companies “stand a good chance of growing exponentially” in the important US market because American audiences prefer polished performers, Tanigo said.
In contrast, in Japan, fans often cherish the process of unskilled idols evolving, he explained.
Global expansion can also come with political risks, with one popular hololive streamer incurring the wrath of Chinese viewers by inadvertently suggesting self-ruled Taiwan – which Beijing claims as its own – was a country.
HUMAN TOUCH
While VTubers live in a digital world, Tanigo said the human element behind the characters is an important part of their appeal.
“In principle, we won’t” use generative AI technology to create new virtual talents, he said.
“This whole business is based on fans’ desire to support someone because of their extraordinary artistic talent,” Tanigo said.
“I think fans would be left feeling confused as to what, or who, they are rooting for.”
Calliope fan Ian Goff, 23, agreed, saying he is fascinated by the actors behind VTubers, and their avatars are just the “cherry on top”.
“You can make a character with AI, but you can’t make a person with AI because that’s what makes the VTubers who they are,” the San Diego resident told AFP.
