Top 5 fastest-growing VTubers of 2023

Virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, as they are popularly known, are among the biggest categories of streamers and creators within the online community today. For those unfamiliar with the term, they are typically content creators who use computer-generated avatars to interact with their audience. The avatars are usually anime-themed characters and are owned by big companies.

They often amalgamate gaming with Japanese pop culture to create their own unique brand of content. Additionally, these creators, or the majority of them at least, keep their identities hidden (their names and faces). Although initially started as early as 2010, it wasn't until 2020 that the category really skyrocketed in popularity.

With the new year rolling onto its second month, this article will look to explore five such virtual creators who are taking the internet by storm.

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5 VTubers who are rising in popularity

1) Gawr Gura

Gawr Gura is undoubtedly among the most well-known VTubers out there. Associated with Hololive, she debuted in 2020 as part of the group's fifth-generation AI character.

With over 4.26 million subscribers on YouTube, Gawr Gura is presently the biggest streamer in her cadre. As far as her appearance is concerned, she has shark-like features such as sharp teeth, blue hair, and eyes, and also adorns a hood that resembles the dorsal fin of a shark.

Her content revolves around titles such as Minecraft, and horror-themed and cooking-related games.

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2) Hyakumantenbara Salome

Hyakumantenbara Salome became the quickest VTuber to achieve one million subscribers within two weeks of debuting.

Salome made her debut in the middle of 2022, through the NIJISANJI organization. She became the first VTuber under the label to debut as a solo creator and was not part of a "generation" from the start.

The Japanese-speaking streamer achieved 100K subscribers just a few hours after her debut stream, making her the fastest NIJISANJI creator to do so. Despite exclusively speaking in Japanese, Salome has managed to acquire a lot of fans outside Japan.

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3) Sakura Miko

The 3rd VTuber on the list comes in the form of Sakura Miko, yet another Hololive member. She currently has 1.66 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, making her among the most popular Hololive creators.

Based on Miko's creator bio, she is a self-proclaimed "elite" gamer. However, her regular watchers will know that the word is only used ironically due to her poor gaming skills. As far as her content is concerned, she usually dabbles in animated music videos, songs, and dance videos.

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4) Shirakami Fubuki

The fourth VTuber to feature on the list is Shirakami Fubuki, who has over 2.06 million subscribers. She, like Gawr Gura and Sakura Miko, is a Hololive member.

Based on her bio, she is a:

“White-haired animal-eared otaku fox. She loves talking with people and will be happy if you give her the time of day. She aims to become a top otaku idol while enjoying each and every day.”

Fubuki usually plays various types of games such as Settlement Survival, Resident Evil Village, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter, YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse, Fate/Grand Order, and Splatoon 3, among others.

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5) Usada Pekora

Usada Pekora made her debut as a member of Hololive's third generation of VTubers, dubbed "hololive Fantasy." The streamer is easily among the most recognizable names within the VTube community.

At the time of writing, Pekora has a whopping 2.16 million subscribers. According to her profile, she is:

“A lonely rabbit-eared girl who loves carrots. She loves them so much that she always brings a few anywhere she goes.”

Similar to Sakura Miko, Usada Pekora engages in music and dance-related content.

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Other notable VTubers worth mentioning are - Ironmouse, Shishiro Botan, Watson Amelia, Inugami Korone, Houshou Marine, and Mori Calliope.