Glossary of VTuber terms

The following glossary of VTuber terms lists jargon or slang commonly used in VTubing.

Glossary[]

2.5D idol: Idol VTubers who perform in both virtual and live-action spaces (which may or may not include a face reveal), sometimes blending both styles. Examples of 2.5D idol groups are 22/7 and Strawberry Prince (STPR).

affiliate: On Twitch, a streamer whose channel has been approved for monetization. In hololive specifically, refers instead to a streamer who has ceased general activities but is still associated with the company for cameo appearances and merchandise. The latter use originated with hololive member Watson Amelia.

akasupa: A high value donation message on YouTube, denoted by its red (赤, aka^?) background color (see: superchat). Short for "akai superchat" in Japanese.

ASMRtist: A VTuber who specializes in ASMR content. Not necessarily lewd in nature: there are ASMRtists who do relatively clean content (e.g. sleep triggers, ear cleaning) as opposed to the more suggestive types (e.g. kissing sounds, ear licking) who may be more common. Alternatively called "ASMRist". A portmanteau combining "ASMR" and "artist".

anti: A troll or hater.

AVTuber: A VTuber who mainly does R-18 content outside of mainstream platforms, like YouTube and Twitch (which can get them banned due to breaking Terms of Service). There are generally two types: those who are fully virtual, and those who also do live-action work. Example agencies are Kemomimi-Refle! for the former and Masquerade for the latter. Alternatively called "lewdtuber". A portmanteau combining the Japanese term for pornographic video (AV, adult video) and VTuber.

babiniku: A VTuber who is male in real life, but uses a female model (see Category:Babiniku). They do not keep their real gender a secret, and may use their normal voice, a voice changer, an artificial voice, or no voice at all. A Japanese abbreviation for virtual beautiful girl incarnation (バーチャル美少女受肉, baacharu bishoujo juniku^?)

BJ: "Broadcast Jockey," a Korean term for a livestreamer.

black company: A VTuber agency that conducts exploitative, controversial and unethical practices (e.g. nonpayment of salaries, doxxing), harassment and/or other forms of abuse towards their talents. Agencies that break taboos within the VTuber industry (e.g. replacing the talent behind a VTuber) are also often considered black companies. Adapted from the Japanese term black company (ブラック企業, black kigyo^?) which originally refers to "sweatshops". Alternatively called "black corpo".

carrier pigeon: A carrier pigeon (伝書バト, denshobato^?) is a viewer who relays messages and information between two different streams through Live Chat. This behavior is often frowned upon in Japan and can in some cases be considered a form of stream sniping, because it can bring information that is otherwise not accessible to the VTuber. VTuber stream rules sometimes contain specific clauses forbidding carrier pigeon behavior.

clipper: A channel that creates clips of a VTuber's content. Often a third-party channel unrelated to the VTuber, but VTubers may also designate or create their own official clipper channels. May or may not be monetized, as some do it out of passion for the VTuber, for financial purposes, or a mix of both.

clipping: The process of creating videos from segments taken from a VTuber's stream archive. Normally done to capture notable and funny moments, memorable statements and/or also translate them for the benefit of foreign audiences. Also done to preserve pieces of content from platforms that normally don't save VODs, like Twitch.
Can also be done with malicious intent, which is why some VTubers and agencies have specific clipping rules and restrictions or even disallow clipping entirely. In the case of the latter, the VTuber will often make their own clips or have their own officially approved clipper.

collab: A collaboration, or a stream where multiple VTubers appear together.

DD: Short for "daredemo daisuki" which literally means "loves anybody" (誰でも大好き^?) in Japanese. A term for a fan who has no particular oshi and will like any VTuber, regardless of affiliation or other distinctions. Often also used as a jab for fans who are perceived to have no loyalty to any one VTuber or group. Not to be confused with hako-oshi.

debut: A VTuber's official launch stream. While this is often synonymous with their first stream, a VTuber may stream for some time before making an official debut, and some VTubers have never made a formal debut. A debut traditionally introduces the VTuber and reveals their likes, dislikes, goals, official social media hashtags, and model credits.

delivery: A literal translation for the Japanese term for a broadcast or live stream (配信, haishin^?).

doxxing: The act of revealing a VTuber talent's real-life identity and other identifying personal details (e.g. real name, home address, contact numbers). A widely condemned act not just within VTubing, it is also considered a crime in some countries.
Doxxing is considered extremely offensive within VTuber circles especially because it destroys the anonymity and privacy of the talent, which are normally considered to be part of the core principles of VTubing.

dullahan: A Korean term for a livestreamer who does not show their face. Many have static image avatars similar to PNGTubers. They may also sometimes use cameras, but it only shows the streamer from the neck down. In Korean streaming services, they are often considered competitors to VTubers.

endurance: A type of challenge stream by a VTuber targeting a specific objective, usually a YouTube subscriber milestone. Can end quickly, last for several hours or even continue across several streams, depending on the VTuber's end goal and their ability to continue streaming. Typically done on YouTube and involves karaoke or difficult video games (see: subathon for a related concept on Twitch).

enjou: Massive online backlash or a storm of criticism online (炎上, enjou^?, lit. going up in flames) against a VTuber or other online personality. Similar to the English expression "getting flamed" but often used to refer to drama of a greater magnitude involving multiple angry viewers (or antis). Sometimes also translated as "getting canceled".

fan name: A group nickname for viewers of a certain VTuber. Often officially decided by the VTuber and included among their hashtags. Some VTubers do not have fan names.

fleshtuber: A streamer who is not a VTuber.

Free Chat: A type of waiting room on YouTube that uses its scheduled stream function, to allow fans a place to talk about the VTuber in general through the Live Chat feature. It is often scheduled more than a year into the future to keep it accessible and persistent. Not to be confused with "free talk" which usually refers to chatting streams (see: zatsudan).

gachikoi: An obsessed fan (ガチ恋, gachikoi^?, lit. serious love). Usually refers to the type of obsessed fan who has "seriously fallen in love" with a VTuber talent, and their actions can go well beyond what is normally acceptable for a fan. These acts may include making unusually large and frequent donations, looking for and messaging a talent's personal accounts or even real-life stalking. A term borrowed from the JP idol fan community.

graduation: Retirement (in most cases, particularly in big agencies). Some VTubers celebrate their retirement with elaborate graduation streams, while others may retire without notice, depending on circumstances and preference. A term borrowed from the JP idol industry.
In smaller agencies, especially Japanese ones, this could also refer to a talent leaving the company while keeping the character and intellectual property, becoming an independent VTuber. If they choose to do a special final stream as a member of the agency before going indie, it is considered a graduation stream.

guerrilla: Unscheduled streams, often with no prior notice. "Prior notice" usually comes in the form of a Tweet shortly before the stream starts. Sometimes done in response to unexpected events, but a sudden stream when a VTuber simply feels like going live is also a type of guerrilla stream.

gyakutotsu: A reverse call-in (逆凸, gyakutotsu^?) stream. A variant of the totsumachi call-in stream: in the gyakutotsu, the VTuber who is streaming is the one who calls selected friends and/or colleagues, typically during a commemorative stream such as an anniversary or a birthday. Short for "gyaku totsumachi".

hako-oshi: A term for a fan who likes all members in a group or agency. A "fan of the group" (箱推し, hako oshi^?, lit. box push) where "box" (箱, hako^?) is JP slang for a group/agency. Not to be confused with DD.

kami-oshi: Super-favorite or top favorite.

kirinuki: The Japanese term for video clips (切り抜き, kirinuki^?, lit. cut-out). Some JP clip channels translate it back to English literally as "cut-out" instead of clip which is the normal English term.

kojin-zei: An independent (個人勢, kojinzei^?, lit. individual type) VTuber. They are often freelancers but may also be part of indie groups or multi-channel networks, but not agencies. The key difference being, they are their own boss and can freely make their own content choices.

kusa: An expression of laughter. The Japanese equivalent of the Internet expression LOL, from the JP word for grass (草, kusa^?), which itself is derived from "www" - another JP expression for laughter (with enough length it looks like a field of grass, hence kusa).

Live2D: An animation technique used to produce two-dimensional models. Often refers specifically to the software Live2D Cubism.

Liver: A livestreamer. Written in Japanese as (ライバー), it is a wasei-eigo pseudo-loanword that was coined by the Japanese as a contraction of "livestreamer." Commonly used in the NIJISANJI fandom.

lore: Fictional elements of a VTuber's setting or background.

mama: The designer, illustrator, or rigger of a VTuber's model design. Popularized in 2017 by Kaguya Luna, in reference to her illustrator Mika Pikazo. Sometimes used to refer specifically to the illustrator regardless of gender.

member: A viewer who has paid to be part of a Virtual YouTuber's channel membership to access special perks, or just to support the VTuber. They sometimes have a fan name that is different from the VTuber's regular fanbase name. Becoming a (temporary) member is also possible through gift memberships paid for by other viewers. They are identified in YouTube Live Chat by their green names and member badges.

mengen: A members-only (メン限, mengen^?) stream. Can also refer to content that are exclusively available to viewers who are part of a Virtual YouTuber's channel membership. Short for "member gentei" (メンバー限定, member-exclusive).

moderator: A viewer who has been granted the privilege and task of removing rule breaking or unwanted viewers from a VTuber's chat during a stream. Some VTubers have multiple mods, some have automated mods (e.g. Nightbot) and some have none. For bigger VTubers, the moderator can be from their staff, or they can also be volunteers recruited by the VTuber from a pool of loyal or trusted viewers.
On YouTube, VTubers will often grant moderator privileges to other VTubers who visit their stream to give them better visibility in chat. These "celebrity" mods are not expected to enforce rules, but may do so if they wish. They are identified in YouTube Live Chat by their blue names and the spanner icon.

mute: A VTuber who does not speak in their content (see Category:Voice: Mute). They may do this for various reasons, including disability or personal preference.

off-collab: A collaboration between two VTubers where they meet in person, as opposed to online. Short for offline collaboration.

oshi mark: An emoji or set of emojis which is officially chosen to represent a VTuber. It usually appears in a VTuber's social media name, and may be used similarly by their fans to show support. Also called "fan mark" in Japanese. Some VTubers do not have oshi marks.

oshi: Favorite VTuber. Originally a term from the Japanese idol fan community to refer to their favorite idols.

otsu: Short for "otsukaresama deshita," literally "you must be tired," but figuratively "thank you for the work." A traditional office greeting at the end of a day. "Otsu" (written おつ or sometimes 乙) became popular on Japanese streaming site Niconico, where streamers often had individual variants of this term (e.g. otsucanan, otsurittan). The practice continues in the VTuber era; e.g. Usada Pekora's "otsupeko."

papa: The designer, illustrator, or rigger of a VTuber's model design. Sometimes used to refer specifically to the rigger regardless of gender, although many male illustrators are referred to as "papa" (e.g. Huke-papa, Kuroboshi-papa).

past life: The identity which a VTuber had before becoming a VTuber. Revealing it is generally a major taboo. (see: reincarnation for a related concept)

PNGTuber: A VTuber who represents themself with a static image (hence "PNG", from the graphics format). This is commonly done as a cheaper alternative to acquiring a model, as a temporary measure while waiting for a model to be produced, or as a temporary measure to maximize PC performance, especially while playing competitive video games, to deal with demanding hardware requirements (or weaker hardware on the VTuber's PC). The latter reason is more common with eSports-oriented VTubers.

pre-debut: A term used to describe a VTuber whose design has been revealed, but who has not yet made an official debut.

raid: The automatic and simultaneous transfer of all current live viewers to another livestream when a stream ends. Viewers who came from another stream in this manner are called raiders. A feature on Twitch, which is now also implemented on YouTube. Called a "manual raid" when a VTuber tells their viewers to go to another stream on their own without using the automatic transfer feature.

re-debut: Another debut stream for a VTuber who has already debuted. This may be done to introduce a new design, a name change, joining an agency or some other major change that would benefit from an official unveiling.

redesign: A permanent change to the design of a VTuber model. Unlike a new costume or new model which can be changed at will, this implies that any design that came before will not be used anymore. The redesign becomes the new "main" appearance of the VTuber. Redesigns can range from minor detail improvements to radical changes that completely overhaul a VTuber's appearance. Can also happen when the VTuber's main character designer is permanently replaced by a new illustrator who has their own distinct art style.

relay: A series of streams by different VTubers following a single theme/activity. Typically each stream is limited to around 30 minutes only, especially if there are many VTubers participating. The streams are scheduled one after another, all on the same day, and often involves the use of a raid feature to pass the viewers like a baton from one VTuber to the next. Types of relays include debut, karaoke and outfit reveals.

reincarnation: A retired VTuber talent restarting activities under a new VTuber identity. Related to the term "past life" - the reincarnation is the "next life" of a VTuber talent. Connections between the different VTuber identities are often kept secret, and revealing this connection in public is also considered taboo, unless the VTuber themselves publicly disclose it.

rigging: The process of creating a Live2D model.

RTX model: Cosplaying one's own VTuber model. Named for RTX or ray-tracing graphics, the joke being that the "model" looks realistic. Originally coined by VTuber and cosplayer Lumi.

seiso: Pure or prim-and-proper (清楚, seiso^?). Used to describe VTubers who don't swear, talk about rude topics, crack dirty jokes or make lewd innuendos and other NSFW remarks. They may also have more wholesome character designs to reinforce the clean image.

stream sniping: The act of watching a stream to gain unfair advantage while playing in the same multiplayer game as a VTuber. This is not only considered undesirable behavior but also a form of cheating and can ruin game streams. VTubers will often place random overlay images (sometimes even their own model) to cover their mini-maps and other crucial information in competitive games to help prevent this. Adding a stream delay is also another technique, often used during VTuber tournament streams to also counter carrier pigeons. Stream sniping is also known as "ghosting" (ゴースティング^?) in Japan.

subathon: A marathon streaming session, the goal of which is to see how many Twitch subscriptions. Subathons may last many days and usually feature a system where each subscription raises the event's duration.

superchat: A type of donation on YouTube livestreams. Especially popular VTubers sometimes have superchat reading streams or segments to thank viewers for superchats.

talent: The individual behind the VTuber, as opposed to the character themselves. The identity of the talent is often a closely guarded secret, and revealing it is taboo in the VTuber community, even if it is known to some people.
As opposed to regular voice actors or actresses, a VTuber's talent is considered irreplaceable by the VTuber community, and retired VTuber IP without the original talent often stay retired due to this. Replacement of the talent (even after retirement) is considered a taboo, following a precedent set after the controversies surrounding the Game Club Project.

teetee: Endearing, affectionate, or precious (てぇてぇ, teetee^?). JP online slang often used to describe cherished connections and interactions between VTubers (e.g. the relationship between Nekomata Okayu and Inugami Korone as "OkaKoro"). The term is more common in content that features pairings, like "OreApo" (Kamito and Tachibana Hinano), but the term is not necessarily romantic in nature and can also describe sibling-like relationships, (e.g. Kuzuha and Honma Himawari).

totsumachi: A call-in (凸待ち, totsumachi^?) stream. A type of stream where the VTuber waits for friends, colleagues or other guests to call-in on their stream, usually as part of a celebration like an anniversary or a birthday. (see: gyakutotsu for the reverse variant)

unarchived: A livestream for which a VOD will not be retained, usually for copyright reasons.

utaite: A singer. Commonly used to refer to amateur singers of cover songs, originally on the influential Japanese site Niconico, later on YouTube (sometimes referred to as "youtaite").

utattemita: A cover song (歌ってみた, utattemita^?, lit. "I tried to sing").

utawaku: A Karaoke or singing stream (歌枠, utawaku^?, lit. "song frame").

VOD: Video On Demand. An archived recording of a live stream.

VLiver: A virtual livestreamer on IRIAM JP. Short for "virtual liver."

VSinger: Short for Virtual Singer. A type of virtual content creator that focuses on music-related content, like karaoke streams, song covers, and original songs.

VTuber: A video content creator or livestreamer who uses a virtual avatar to represent themself in their content. Short for "Virtual YouTuber," a term originally coined by Kizuna Ai. Despite the etymology, the term also applies to creators who use sites other than YouTube.

VUP: Chinese term for VTuber, popular on bilibili. From "Virtual UP."

zatsudan: A chat stream (雑談, zatsudan^?). Also known as the "Just Chatting" category on Twitch. Not to be confused with "Free Chat" which on YouTube is a persistent waiting room "stream" used as a chat room for viewers.

Glossary of VTuber terms

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