The VTuber industry has grown a lot since it first emerged, with some of the most popular content creators on the planet being VTubers, with the likes of Gura and Ironmouse dominating their respective platforms.
It’s difficult to say exactly when VTubing began, but many credit Kizuna Ai’s rise to prominence in 2016 as being the catalyst for its eventual growth. That was followed by the emergence of large Japanese companies like Hololive and Nijisanji, and soon after, their influence spread to the West.
At their peak, VTubers have broken records, like Ironmouse becoming Twitch’s most subbed streamer and Pekora being the most watched female streamer. Make no mistake, VTubers are massive, and there’s no sign that the industry will slow down anytime soon.
With so much talent these days, it can be hard to keep track of who the biggest VTubers are. To help you out, we’ve listed the biggest streamers who use an anime avatar across both YouTube and Twitch as of December 31, 2024.
Most popular VTubers on YouTube
| Rank (#) | Name | Company | Primary Language | YouTube Subs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gawr Gura | Hololive | English | 4,530,000 |
| 2 | Houshou Marine | Hololive | Japanese | 3,680,000 |
| 3 | Kizuna AI | Kizuna AI Inc. | Japanese | 2,980,000 |
| 4 | Filian | Independent | English | 2,940,000 |
| 5 | Usada Pekora | Hololive | Japanese | 2,650,000 |
| 6 | Kobo Kanaeru | Hololive | Indonesian | 2,610,000 |
| 7 | Hoshimachi Suisei | Hololive | Japanese | 2,570,000 |
| 8 | Mori Calliope | Hololive | English | 2,490,000 |
| 9 | Shirakami Fubuki | Hololive | Japanese | 2,490,000 |
| 10 | Akemi Nekomachi | AKA Virtual | Indonesian | 2,330,000 |
| 11 | Minato Aqua | AKA Virtual | Japanese | 2,270,000 |
| 12 | Sakura Miko | Hololive | Japanese | 2,250,000 |
| 13 | Inugami Korone | Hololive | Japanese | 2,160,000 |
| 14 | Shigure Ui | Independent | Japanese | 2,020,000 |
| 15 | Shirogane Noel | Hololive | Japanese | 1,970,000 |
| 16 | Nekomata Okayu | Hololive | Japanese | 1,910,000 |
| 17 | Kuzuha | Nijisanji | Japanese | 1,900,000 |
| 18 | Hetto | OWOZU | Spanish | 1,840,000 |
| 19 | Hyakumantenbara Salome | Nijisanji | Japanese | 1,810,000 |
| 20 | Amelia Watson | Hololive | English | 1,800,000 |
Most popular VTubers on Twitch
| Rank (#) | Name | Company | Primary Language | Twitch Followers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nimu Spacecat | Independent | Spanish | 2,496,000 |
| 2 | Ironmouse | VShojo | English | 2,231,000 |
| 3 | Shylily | Mythic Talent | English | 1,458,000 |
| 4 | Shxtou | Independent | English | 1,329,000 |
| 5 | Veibae | Mythic Talent | English | 1,090,000 |
| 6 | Filian | Mythic Talent | English | 1,090,000 |
| 7 | Emikukis | Mythic Talent | Spanish | 1,064,000 |
| 8 | Nyatasha Nyanners | Independent | English | 1,041,000 |
| 9 | Projekt Melody | VShojo | English | 702,000 |
| 10 | Kanae | Nijisanji | Japanese | 694,000 |
| 11 | Neuro-sama | Mythic Talent | English | 674,554 |
| 12 | Nephtunie | Independent | Spanish | 643,000 |
| 13 | KendoMurft | Independent | Spanish | 639,000 |
| 14 | Nekomugi Tororo | Independent | Japanese | 581,000 |
| 15 | Bao | Independent | English | 572,000 |
| 16 | Chibidoki | Mythic Talent | English | 564,000 |
| 17 | Karubi Akami | Independent | Japanese | 563,000 |
| 18 | Zentreya | VShojo | English | 548,000 |
| 19 | Tachibana Hinano | VSPO! | Japanese | 523,000 |
| 20 | Yumeno Akari | VSPO! | Japanese | 516,000 |
Who is the most popular VTuber?
The most popular VTuber is Gawr Gura. As of January 2025, the Hololive EN 1st Gen member has over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube, placing her firmly ahead of the competition.
Gura’s incredible growth as a content creator has been apparent ever since her debut in September 2020. Within just two weeks of her debut, Gura hit 500,000 subscribers, making her the fastest-growing VTuber at the time, only since surpassed by Hyakumantenbara Salome.
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The Shark went on to become Hololive’s most popular VTuber just over a month after her debut and became the third-ever VTuber to pass 1,000,000 subscribers in October 2020.
She has remained Hololive’s most subscribed VTuber overall since June 2021, a title that looks likely to last for the distant future. The agency’s next most subscribed member is Houshou Marine, who still trails Gura by over one million subscribers.
Technically, CookieSwirlC has a staggering 21 million subscribers on YouTube, so there’s an argument she is actually the most popular VTuber. However, she is typically not included in the conversation as her content is targeted at children rather than the core VTuber audience, but it wouldn’t feel right to not at least mention her.
That’s everything you need to know about the most popular VTubers across Twitch and YouTube. These rankings will be updated monthly as these streamers continue to grow and move up the charts. To learn more about streamer culture, check out the Top 20 Twitch Streamers and Biggest Twitch Records.