Since the first Virtual Youtuber appeared in 2016, the medium has taken off as a form of livestreaming and content creation. Since then, VTubing has spread across the globe from Japan to Europe, America, and even to South Africa. Any country with Internet access is likely to have their share of VTubers. In South Africa, many VTubers have emerged, creating fun and creative content to thousands of viewers worldwide.
For the uninitiated, Virtual YouTubing involves creating video content (usually livestreams) using an avatar . Motion capture data is fed into the avatar to make it follow the movements of the creator. As the practice originated in Japan, most VTuber avatars are created to resemble anime characters. This is not universal, however, as many VTubers use models that are not anime-inspired and, sometimes, not even human.
South Africa actually has many VTubers, so only a few will be discussed here. Most notable are Kitanya_Is_Here, Nekoreen, Gamagachi, and the streamers of Comfort Corp.
Kitanya_Is_Here is a fox girl who has recently debuted her superhero form. Her streams are mostly characterized by her engaging and silly sense of humour and affectionate banter with her viewers (who she has nicknamed “Max”). You can expect Kitanya to keep you on your toes, as she sticks googly eyes to her model and streams from The Void.
Nekoreen is “a cybernetic cat girl and certified dork”. Neko makes frequent use of her 3D model and often streams herself in VRChat, creating an immersive experience. She also takes great pleasure in teaching her viewers Afrikaans swear words. Who says VTubers can’t be fokken educational?
Gamagachi is an adorable alien. Her cute voice and unusual model are an immediate pull, but viewers stay for her charisma and entertaining stream antics. A fan favourite is when she whips out her kazoo. You can never quite tell what’s going to happen next in Gama’s streams and that’s what makes them fun.
Internationally, the most prominent VTubers belong to major companies like Hololive and Nijisanji . But South Africa has our own VTuber company. Comfort Corp is home to VTubers Sixx, SkyeVitrixe, LelaWithGlasses, and KinTailFox. This company is filled with a kind of fun and friendship that makes viewers feel warm inside, truly living up to their Comfort Corp name.
Sixx is a friendly pink-haired VTuber, who’s aim is “to help [his] VTuber friends grow to their fullest potential”. Not only does he stream, he is also a talented artist and creates VTuber models. In fact, he drew the model for his fellow Comfort Corp member, Vitrixe, and is in the process of making a model for Lela.
LelaWithGlasses is an adorable bundroid (bunny android) who alternates between streaming with her voice and using text-to-speech. Her streams are relaxed, and she usually plays low-stress games. A perfect place to go when you just want to chill.
SkyeVitrixe is a siren who swims with the Cape fur seals and great white sharks. Her lore relates her transgender journey into her formation as a siren, creating a lovely mystic feeling. It’s not only her siren song that will lure you in, but also her silly sense of humour and the gentle atmosphere she creates.
KinTailFox describes himself as “your little ray of sarcastic sunshine” and this couldn’t be truer. His love for Pokémon leads him into obsessive shiny-hunting streams. His complaints while hunting are almost charming, given his comfy demeanor and nerdy fox appearance.
Watching South African streamers is a refreshing experience in an Internet of international content. Imagine watching two anime girls rant about loadshedding and make fun of Eskom. It’s the perfect comic relief to the many problems we face in our country. I recommend checking out Kitanya’s Eskom-hating parody of Chandelier by Sia as good place to start. It’s never too late to jump down the VTuber rabbit hole and what better way than by laughing with our fellow South Africans.