Why is Ludwig receiving backlash for his VTuber model?

Twitch and YouTube streamer Ludwig Ahgren recently made his VTubing debut. The launch has sparked mixed reactions from the anime and VTubing communities. For those wondering, Ahgren's VTuber journey began in December 2021 when he lost a gaming challenge against popular VTuber Ironmouse. As a forfeit, he was asked to become a VTuber.

As evident, the VTubing model took quite some time to build. Additionally, Ahgren had to work on a debut stream, which would explain the streamer's lore behind the VTubing avatar. Here's what his VTuber model looked like:

Ludwig shares his VTuber model on stream (Image via X/@LudwigAhgren)

A video was uploaded to his YouTube channel titled, This video took 3 years to make. The Twitch streamer showcased his virtual model, which is based on a cat-like appearance in a human body (cat boy). The video has over 450K views at the time of writing. Watch it here:

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Why is Ludwig receiving backlash over his VTuber project?

Ludwig is one of Twitch's most popular streamers, boasting over 3.4 million followers on the Amazon-owned platform. Naturally, his decision to debut his VTuber model has generated a lot of reactions.

Some of these reactions have been negative as well. One notable critique came from fellow VTuber Momma Occo (@MommaOcco), who accused Ludwig of "bastardizing a medium" in their post. They wrote:

"The amount of vtubers cheering this saddens me. We need to gatekeep against people that would bastardize a medium."

Ahgren responded to the criticism, refuting the claims. He stated that he tried to be as authentic as possible and follow the practices of other VTubers by explaining his lore. He said:

"I'm sorry you think I bastardized the entire medium. I think vtubers are cool and I tried my best during my debut stream! I know I don't understand as much as native vtubers so I tried to make it faithful to what a debut stream should be while also making it fun for my regular audience."

Momma Occo followed up with a second response, expressing concern that Ludwig might attract an audience that does not respect the VTubing industry:

"I enjoy seeing the idols in this medium and it's various communities thrive and have fears when people of large stature like yourself come in with audiences that I fear will not respect it. Do I think you will? You say so and I'd be willing to bet you might. Do I think people who follow you will? Not everyone will. That's my concern."

Read Momma Occo's entire response by clicking here

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Despite some skeptical reviews, Ludwig's VTuber project was generally received in a lighthearted and positive manner. Many even requested that his VTuber model go bald, as the streamer himself is currently bald after a recent stream.