Nekomiya Hinata - VTuber

Nekomiya Hinata is a popular gaming VTuber, particularly within Japan. Her rise in 2018 earned her a reputation as a skilled shooting game player, contrasting with her cute design. As of 2021, her channel growth has plateaued at around 500,000 subscribers.

Nekomiya Hinata Background

Nekomiya Hinata is a Japanese VTuber formerly managed by ENTUM. Currently, she is an independent creator and specializes in first-person shooter games.

Nekomiya Hinata History

Nekomiya debuted in early 2018. She launched her YouTube channel on February 11 and bilibili channel six days later. By June of that year, Nekomiya had reached over 300,000 subscribers. She hit her largest YouTube subscriber milestone in May 2019, reaching over 500,000. Nekomiya's weekly viewership plateaued and dropped in the second half of 2019. Introducing Nekomiya's channel partner Inugami Kokage helped maintain steady views through 2020.

Nekomiya Hinata Physical Description

Nekomiya looks like a preteen catgirl, though she personally denies it. She has long pink hair worn in loose twin tails with shaggy bangs. The ends of her twin tails feature green ball barrettes. She claims that her two fluffy cat ears are a result of bad bedhead, despite the fluffy white fur inside them. Her bright blue eyes look sleepy and heavy-lidded peeking out from beneath her bangs. She wears a simple white tank top that hangs loosely on her thin frame. In response to fan comments, Nekomiya has stated that she needs to be careful when moving around to avoid exposing herself. She also wears black bicycle-style shorts, and mismatched orange and orange striped thigh-high socks. For accessories, she wears a black choker and smartwatch.

Nekomiya Hinata Personality

Nekomiya has a very laid-back, almost lazy personality befitting a house cat. When speaking, she tends to sway from side to side, slumping her shoulders in a relaxed posture. Despite her sleepy demeanor, Nekomiya occasionally makes witty jokes in response to fan comments. She is also easily frightening, letting out a high-pitched squeal when startled. Although English language video titles use feminine pronouns in reference to Nekomiya, her gender has not been officially confirmed. Fans have assumed her gender as female, which she cheekily commented on when looking at fanart. She uses the pronoun "boku" as well, adding to her childlike appeal.

Associated Company

Nekomiya debuted under ENTUM, a virtual YouTuber management company. The company famously launched the Mirai Akari project upon its creation in 2018. In December 2019, the company closed with most of its talent continuing operations as independent creators.

Notable Games and Series

Nekomiya boasts top-level skills in first-person shooter and third-person shooter games. Her skill level has caused some viewers to question her legitimacy. Others jokingly call her a "cheater" to emphasize her seemingly overpowered abilities.

Skills in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) is an online multiplayer, battle royale style first-person shooter game. In 2018, it became a popular game for VTubers to stream on their channels. Nekomiya played the game in her second video, posted before her official introduction. In the video, Nekomiya demonstrated considerable skills, earning her reputation as an elite-level player. Viewers appreciated her laid-back approach to the game and limited trash talk when compared to other VTubers. In her second PUBG video, Nekomiya played with a handicap to show off her abilities. Similar challenges and gimmicks became a trend in her first-person shooter game videos.

COMPASS Series

Combat Providence Analysis System (#COMPASS) is a mobile 3v3 game using battle, strategy, and card game elements. Nekomiya first started playing the game as an unofficial streamer in November 2018. Three months later, #COMPASS invited her to stream as an official player in the TEPPEN Battle official tournament. In April 2019, #COMPASS announced Nekomiya's appearance in the game as a collaboration gunner hero. When playing the game, Nekomiya often uses other hero skins, such as Levi Ackerman from the manga Attack on Titan. She usually plays #COMPASS during events or promotional periods for shorter, casual viewing videos and streams.

Notable Partnerships/Collaborations

On Christmas 2019, Nekomiya introduced a partner VTuber to her channel, Inugami Kokage. Since Inugami's introduction, she has appeared in many videos as a gaming partner or participant in challenges and friendly banter. She has also created her own solo gaming videos on the channel.

Inugami Kokage

Inugami is a tall teenage girl with blue hair and dog-like ears. In contrast to Nekomiya's cat-like appearance and personality, Inugami takes after a dog. She is high-spirited, energetic, and playful. She wears a long white vest with deep pockets lined with red trim. The vest stays open, revealing a dark grey bandeau top underneath. She wears a matching dark grey mini skirt and sleek running shoes. In her solo videos, Inugami plays racing and shooting games like Nekomiya. In 2020, she began posting Virtual Reality games, reflecting her active, sporty personality.

Merchandise

Nekomiya's immediate popularity earned her high-profile merchandise within the first year after her debut. She received a Nekomiya Hinata Nendoroid, underscoring her popularity during the rise of the VTuber phenomenon. More recently, Nekomiya became the model for a set of reaction stickers on the messaging app LINE.

Links

Nekomiya Hinata YouTube Channel
Nekomiya Hinata Twitter
Nekomiya Hinata bilibili
Nendoroid Nekomiya Hinata
VTuber Main Page
Mirai Akari - VTuber
VTuber Label