Mirai Akari - VTuber

Mirai Akari debuted in the birth of the VTuber trend alongside big names Kizuna Ai and Kaguya Luna. Originally conceived as a time traveler, she won over fans with her energetic attitude and dirty sense of humor. Today, she has started the transition to virtual idol with a major label debut and new large-scale collaborations.

Mirai Akari Background

Mirai Akari is a female Japanese VTuber affiliated with Zizai Inc. and GOOM STUDIO. Her initial concept was a futuristic girl who traveled to 2017 to learn about the past. Today, she mostly streams typical VTuber content, such as gaming and chat streams.

Mirai Akari History

Mirai debuted on YouTube on October 27, 2017. In March 2018, she did her first high-profile collaboration with fellow Eilene Family VTuber Yomemi. Shortly after, Mirai surpassed 500,000 subscribers. Through 2018, Mirai made several event appearances, such as AnimeJapan 2018 and Comiket 95. In early 2019, she appeared as a guest on several commemorative VTuber events. Notable appearances include Kaguya Luna's variety show LUNA TV and the HIMEHINA First Anniversary celebration. Mirai's subscriber count peaked in September 2019 at over 750,000.

In December 2019, Mirai's management company, ENTUM, announced its closure. In February 2020, Mirai entered a doctor-ordered four-month hiatus, further postponed by the COVID-19 Pandemic. She resumed activity on June 15, 2020. In September 2020, Mirai announced her partnership with GOOM STUDIO as their first signed talent. As of May 2021, Mirai has 710,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Mirai Akari Physical Description

Mirai is a slender young woman from the distant future with long blond hair and blue eyes. She styles her hair in a high ponytail, adorned with her trademark butterfly-shaped ribbon. In her debut design, Mirai wore a cropped, fitted blue vest revealing a black and silver bra underneath. Her miniskirt, held in place with black suspenders, was mostly black with a blue trim and silver accents. It sat low on her hips, revealing the strings of her infamous leather thong. Her accessories included mismatched knee-length and thigh-high black socks and long white gloves.

In her current design, Mirai wears a sleek, futuristic hooded blue and white dress. Around her neck, she wears large black headphones. Two yellow straps hang loose down her back with her name written in black, English lettering. Her signature butterfly bow is transparent and holographic, mimicking the pastel rainbow accents on her thigh-high socks.

Mirai Akari Personality

At her debut, Mirai was a time traveler from the future sent to the year 2017 for unknown reasons. When she arrived, Mirai suffered amnesia and started a YouTube channel to connect with more people in hopes of remembering her mission. After the 2018 split between ENTUM and the Eilene Family, Mirai's backstory mostly vanished from her channel. Instead, she showcased her extroverted personality through chat streams and gaming. She's known for her dirty jokes and double entendres. Mirai also has a large ego and earned a reputation as the "Princess of Egosurfing."

Zizai Inc. and ENTUM

Mirai debuted under the management of ENTUM, Duo Inc.'s in-house talent agency. As Duo Inc.'s first largely successful talent, the company created ENTUM primarily to manage her and subsequent creators. The company rebranded in early 2019, changing their name from Duo to Zizai Inc. At the end of the year, Zizai shut down operation of ENTUM and took over the management of Mirai and other select talents. As of May 2021, The Mirai Akari Project remains the company's most successful virtual talent endeavor.

Eilene Family

The Mirai Akari Project began as a partnership between Duo Inc. and VTuber and talent manager Eilene. Eilene transformed her original YouTube channel into the Mirai Akari channel, transferring her activity to Natsumi Moe's channel. Due to her conceptual relationship with Eilene, Mirai was considered part of her VTuber group, the Eilene Family. However, in June 2018, Eilene parted ways with ENTUM while Mirai remained under their management.

Notable Releases/Videos

In her early videos, Mirai's behavior and discussion topics closely referenced her backstory as a time traveler. However, over time she drifted away from the original concept and adapted to prevailing VTuber trends. Mirai primarily posts edited videos rather than live streams, with new content, posted several times per week.

Monthly Livestream

Prior to 2021, Mirai usually held live streams only for celebratory events and special announcements. However, starting with her birthday live stream in 2020, Mirai began streaming more regularly. She has a monthly live stream event held on the last weekend of the month. During these streams, Mirai usually hosts a variety of content, plays games, or hosts guests, such as Kizuna AI. The broadcast begins at 8:00 pm Japan Standard Time, usually on Friday or Saturday nights. She announces the exact date of the live stream a few days early on her Twitter.

Original Songs

Prior to signing with a label, Mirai released original music independently throughout 2019. Mirai posted her first original song video on December 31, 2018. Immediately after, she released her second original track, "Mirai to Mirai," on New Year's Day. The video for "Mirai to Mirai" is Mirai's most popular with over 2.9 million views. She released the song commercially in March 2019 on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

Other Activities

Like many VTubers, Mirai began performing original songs after she developed a substantial fanbase. Under GOOM STUDIO, Mirai made her major-label debut with her single "Fly to NEW WORLD." As of May 2021, she has released three major singles, including January 2021's "Illuminate" and April 2021's "Shinin'!"

Merchandise

In May 2018, Mirai received her first high-profile merchandise with a Mirai Akari Nendoroid Figure from Good Smile Company's line.