Hololive English will be the first virtual YouTuber project to specifically target English-speaking countries, and it’s starting right away!

VTubers, or “virtual YouTubers”, have become a surprise smash hit since the breakout success of Kizuna Ai. These adorable animated avatars represent a real YouTube talent, and they can specialize in all kinds of fields such as streaming video games, promoting tourism, and starring in beautifully animated short stories.

Many of the most popular VTubers have been subtitled into English, whether by the YouTuber’s parent company or dedicated fans on YouTube itself, but the majority of these streaming sensations operate and interact with their fans primarily in Japanese. Budding VTuber fans who don’t speak Japanese are either left to rely on the kind souls who subtitle their videos or resign themselves to never understanding what the cute avatar onscreen is actually saying.

▼ Plenty of cute VTubers like Korone Inugami will speak a little English for fans, but only a little.

Sensing an untapped international market of die-hard VTubers, virtual YouTuber agency Hololive announced that they will start rolling out activities for a new sub-project, HoloLive English. Hololive is already a strong presence in the virtual YouTuber world; their dog-themed gamer girl Inugami Korone is popular with English fans, and they have already launched VTuber agencies in Indonesia and China. Hololive English will be the first English-language group from the company and features five different female talents who all come with their own official art, Twitter account, and of course a YouTube channel.

▼ Here they are in their first promotional video!

September 9 marked the opening of the new VTubers’ channels and Twitter accounts, but the fun will really start on Saturday 12 at 8 p.m. JST when the girls will start broadcasting on YouTube. Mori Calliope will debut at this time, followed by Takanashi Kiara at 10 p.m. The remaining three, Ninomae Ina’nis, Gawr Gura, and Watson Amelia, will debut in blocks from six hours later: 4 a.m., 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. JST respectively, on Sunday 13.

So who are our new girls? Let’s meet them one by one! Note that their official registered names are in Japanese order, so their given names are after their surnames.

▼ Mori Calliope

Pink-haired Calliope is the Grim Reaper’s number one disciple, but in the recent era of modern medicine she’s found that her reaper duties are less in need than ever before. That’s why she’s taking to streaming on the Internet instead, in hope of harvesting people’s souls through VTuber activities. Her avatar art was drawn by Yukisame. You can find her on YouTube here and on Twitter at @moricalliope.

▼ Takanashi Kiara

Kiara may be an idol, but her real dream is to someday be the manager of her own fast-food chain outlet. She represents a phoenix — not a chicken, and definitely not a turkey — and that’s very apparent in how she puts every drop of her life force into working her hardest. No matter how many times she withers away into cinders, she’ll rise out of the ashes every time. Her avatar art was drawn by huke. You can find her on YouTube here and on Twitter at @takanashikiara.

▼ Ninomae Ina’nis

Don’t be fooled by Ina’nis’ youthful appearance; she’s actually the priest of an Elder God. Ever since she picked up the strange tome she carries, Ina’nis has found herself able to summon and manipulate tentacles, and she’s so used to them at this point that she uses her tentacles in her everyday routine without a second thought. She’s still an ordinary girl at heart, though, and so she’s very concerned with looking cool and stylish. As per the divine orders her Elder God has whispered to her since her powers were awakened, Ina’nis is aiming to drain her viewers’ sanity through VTubing. Her avatar art was drawn by Kohaku Kuroboshi. You can find her on YouTube here and on Twitter at @ninomaeinanis.

▼ Gawr Gura

Gura is a descendant from the lost underwater city of Atlantis, who wound up on land after deciding “It’s way too boring under the sea LMAO”. She buys all her favorite fashions from Japan, including her emblematic shark hood. She apparently loves chatting about marine creatures in her spare time. her avatar art was drawn by Natsuki Amagi. You can find her on YouTube here and on Twitter at @gawrgura.

▼ Watson Amelia

Amelia ended up becoming an idol after a long and involved investigation into the strange rumors surrounding Hololive. Talking foxes? Magical squirrels? Extremely powerful dog deities? Amelia was too curious not to get involved. In her spare time, she likes to hone her reflexes with first-person shooters and puzzle games. “That’s only elementary, wouldn’t you say?” Her avatar art was drawn by Nabi. You can find her on YouTube here or on Twitter @watsonameliaen.

Which of these precious fictional streamers are you most likely to follow? Let us know in the comments, and if you’d like to try your hand at VTubing remember it can be as easy as downloading an app!

Source: PR Times via Otakomu
Top image: YouTube/hololive English
Insert images: PR Times