VTubers Surpass Real-Life Streamers in 2025: YouTube’s Top Trends
Metaverse
5 minutes read
Original Author: 庭庭迴旋踢 Edited by: VIVERSE Team
For the past three years, HTC’s VIVE Post-Wavehas closely followed the rise of virtual creators—VTubers, virtual idols, and beyond—forecasting them as the next major wave in content creation.That forecast just became fact. YouTube’s newly released 2025 Culture & Trends Report places virtual creators center stage, recognizing them as a defining force in global digital media.
Supporting this shift, recent data from Streams Charts confirms what many fans already feel: virtual creators are no longer niche. Their influence shows up in rising watch hours, increasing platform dominance, and explosive audience reach.
VTubers Go Mainstream: The Data Says So
In 2020, fewer than half of YouTube users were open to watching virtual creators. But by 2024, 57% of viewers aged 14–44 had watched VTuber or other virtual creator content within the past year—a leap in mainstream adoption.
That popularity is backed by numbers:
- VTuber-related videos now average 50 billion views annually
- A pandemic-era peak in 2023 saw that number exceed 55 billion
- Hatsune Miku, the genre-defining Vocaloid, racked up 6 billion views in 2024 alone
Check out this Hatsune Miku song released earlier this year—already surpassing 60 million views.
Beyond VTubers: 4 Types of Virtual Creators on YouTube
As seen in our previous post, VTuber Rigging 101, virtual creators are evolving—and YouTube’s 2025 report helps categorize them:
- VTubers: Anime-style characters operated by individuals or agencies like hololive or VShojo.
- Virtual Artists: Musicians like Hatsune Miku or aespa’s Naevis who perform as digital personas.
- Virtual Humans: Realistic characters such as Lil Miquela or Code Miko, often tied to brand deals and digital fashion.
- Gaming Virtual Creators: Built in spaces like VRChat or Roblox, these creators use avatars to blend performance, livestreaming, and social interaction.
Fewer VTubers, More Views: The Rise of Elite Talent
According to Streams Charts’ Q1 2025 ranking of top female streamers, 8 out of the top 10 are VTubers. Only Valkyrae (#3) and Emiru (#7) are real-life streamers.
| Rank | Name | Watch Hours (millions) | Type | Affiliation |
| 1 | Usada Pekora | 140 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 2 | Sakura Miko | 126.7 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 3 | Valkyrae | 57.1 | Human | 100 Thieves |
| 4 | Shirogane Noel〔博衣小夜璃〕 | 54.7 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 5 | ironmouse | 53.7 | VTuber | VShojo |
| 6 | Subaru Oozora | 53.4 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 7 | Emiru | 49.4 | Human | OTK |
| 8 | 〔戌神沁音〕Inugami Korone | 48.7 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 9 | 〔綺綺羅羅薇薇〕Kikirara Vivi | 47.6 | VTuber | hololive JP |
| 10 | Koseki Bijou | 47.4 | VTuber | hololive JP |
Across platforms—YouTube, Twitch, Kick, and Korea’s SOOP—VTuber content hit 500 million watch hours in Q1 2025, an all-time high.
This happened even as the number of active VTubers dropped below 6,000, signaling a shift toward elite, high-performing talent and platform maturity.
Merch Over Money: Why IP Is the Real Moneymaker
While VTubers excel at engaging fans live, the real business model lies in IP-driven monetization—merchandise, games, and licensing.
- As of February 2025, 16 of the top 20 Super Chat earners are VTubers
- COVER Corp’s 2024 revenue hit ¥43.4 billion JPY (approx. $297 million USD) — up 43.9% year-over-year
- ¥20.5 billion JPY in merch sales alone (approx. $140 million USD) — thanks largely to the breakout hit hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME
Livestreaming? Still powerful at ¥9.3 billion JPY (approx. $63 million USD), but that’s only part of the story.
Unlike human creators, VTuber avatars are scalable brands. They can become plushies, mobile games, cafe pop-ups, even NFT drops—without the physical burnout.
Are Virtual Creators the Next Dream Job?
Sure, being a VTuber isn’t all sparkles and fanart. Burnout and mental health concerns are real. But the aspiration remains strong:
A 2025 Nifty Kids survey found that 23.2% of children want to be VTubers—more than those who want to be traditional YouTubers (18.1%).
It makes sense. This is a generation raised in Minecraft, Roblox, and FaceTime. To them, digital-first expression isn’t strange; it’s second nature.
So, if your child says they want to be a virtual creator? Don’t be surprised. They’re probably already building worlds and rehearsing behind the screen.
Ready to Start Your VTuber Journey?
Explore our beginner’s guide:
VTuber Rigging 101: How to Bring Your Virtual Persona to Life
