Kizuna Ai - VTuber

Kizuna AI is the world's most famous VTuber. Many credit her with pioneering the genre, allowing for new possibilities in virtual reality entertainment. Currently, Kizuna continues to push the boundaries of virtual idols by appearing on national tv broadcasts and conducting virtual tours abroad.

Kizuna AI Background

Kizuna AI is the world's first fully software-created, virtual world resident YouTuber, creating the concept of the "virtual YouTuber" or VTuber. She currently has over 2 million subscribers and boasts the reputation as the world's most famous VTuber.

Kizuna AI History

Kizuna began her YouTube journey in late November 2016. In January 2017, YouTube banned Kizuna for making a joke about her holographic clothes making her technically "naked." They later lifted the ban and Kizuna reached 100,000 subscribers in February. She became the first VTuber to reach 2 million subscribers in July 2018. As of April 2021, Kizuna has over 10 million subscribers and followers across four channels and three social media sites.

Kizuna AI Physical Description

Kizuna looks like a perpetually 16-year-old girl. She has long brown hair with bangs and pink ombre highlights throughout. She wears a pink bow tied in a butterfly style on top of her head. Her color scheme is white and pink with accents of black. She wears a sailor-style white vest with a pink stripe running down the middle. Conversely, her white shorts feature a pink lining on the pockets and black accents on the front. Her white thigh-high socks have a thin pink stripe running down the front and a black lace trim at the top.

Her gaming design features a teal blue jacket over a cropped white tank top. The tank top retains the color scheme and lace motifs of her original design. She wears black shorts, fingerless gloves, and belt accessories on her legs. Her bright teal shoes match her jacket with white accents modeled off of gaming control motifs. Notably, gaming Kizuna has shorter hair, sporting a long bob to reveal the black headphones around her neck.

Kizuna AI Personality

As a self-proclaimed super-smart A.I., Kizuna has a clever, excitable personality. She loves to explain topics and learn new things. She's very expressive, often making exaggerated faces that have become beloved fan memes. Kizuna is also a fan of real-world and fictional idols, such as Nogizaki46 and the Love Live! series. As the pioneering VTuber, Kizuna has a friendly, senior-junior-like relationship with other VTubers, particularly fellow A.I. Kaguya Luna.

Associated Company

Kizuna originally debuted under the software company Activ8. She moved to their in-house virtual talent agency, upd8, in 2018. In late April 2020, Activ8 announced Kizuna was moving to her own subsidiary company, Kizuna AI Inc.

Notable Releases/Videos

Kizuna began with one channel posting videos related to general vlogging, such as chat sessions, challenges, and fan requests. In March 2017, she launched a second channel, A.I. Games, dedicated to gaming and Let's Plays.

A.I. Main Channel

Kizuna posts a new video or streams on her main channel nearly every day. Her content ranges from vlogs about popular topics, challenges, and reaction videos to her fan activities. However, some of Kizuna's most notable videos spurred negative reactions from fans. Her video interviewing controversial Japanese entrepreneur Horie Takafumi was her most disliked video until 2019. That August, Kizuna posted a video featuring the Four Kizuna AI of "Kizuna AI's Everyday" playing a punishment game involving ahegao. As of April 2021, the video has over 11,000 dislikes.

Kizuna's most popular videos tend to display her cuteness, musical talents, or interactions with other VTubers. Videos like her fitness test and acting challenges showcase her mobility as a virtual model and endearing expressions. Her videos with fellow VTuber Kaguya Luna prove very popular with viewers. Their face-to-face virtual world chat and rap battle videos average over 3 million views each. Kizuna's current most popular video is her original music video for "AIAIAI," the closing track on her debut album Hello, World. As of April 2021, the video has over 15 million views.

A.I. Games

Kizuna initially started by streaming Let's Plays on her original channel. Her December 2016 stream of the indie horror game Inside proved incredibly popular with viewers. As a result, she started a gaming-specific channel three months later with a video from the same game. Fans appreciate Kizuna's earnest and amusing attempts at video games despite her complete lack of skill. Her most popular videos and streams depict her playing puzzles or horror games that result in her exaggerated frustration. Her most viewed gaming video in April 2021 is her first attempt playing the arcade puzzle app game, Happy Glass.

Other Activities

In 2018, Kizuna became a cultural ambassador for the Come To Japan campaign. The same year she appeared in ads for the multinational conglomerate SoftBank and hosted a variety TV show. In July 2018, Kizuna released her first single "hello, morning" celebrating her 2 million subscriber milestone. She stars in a Virtual Reality rhythm game from Activ8 released in October 2020. In 2021, Kizuna announced a two-city virtual tour in Los Angeles and New York City with guests like TeddyLoid and Nyanners.

Merchandise

Like a traditional idol, Kizuna has merchandise representing her face and some of her fans' favorite slogans. Fans can show their love by wearing Kizuna on t-shirts and other apparel or through cosplay, honoring her 2.5D form. She also exists in chibi and scale figure form, stationery, home decor, and commemorative items related to her music.