This article is a general overview comprising all the branches of NIJISANJI Project. For information about the main branch, see NIJISANJI (main branch).
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NIJISANJI Project (にじさんじプロジェクト), colloquially known as just NIJISANJI, is an agency of primarily 2D Virtual YouTubers who are also known as "Virtual Livers"[note 1] (バーチャルライバー Bācharu Raibā) due to posting on sites outside of YouTube, such as NicoNico, Twitch and Bilibili.[1]
Managed by ANYCOLOR Inc. (known as Ichikara Inc. until 17 May 2021), a company founded by Riku Tazumi in 2017, NIJISANJI started in Japan in February 2018 as one of the first major VTuber agencies. Their focus on livestreams set its members apart from other early VTubers, such as Kizuna Ai or Kaguya Luna, who primarily made prerecorded videos. This, as well as the use of Live2D over expensive 3D, led to NIJISANJI's success in the Japanese market and codified the current VTuber format of Live2D streaming.
As of September 2024, the agency manages 187 active Livers across two branches: 156 members of NIJISANJI's main branch (137 JP, 7 ID, 12 KR), and 28 NIJISANJI EN members. Collectively, their YouTube channels amass over 60 million subscribers, positioning the agency as the second-largest in terms of total subscribers, trailing only behind hololive production.
Hyakumantenbara Salome, a Japanese member of the main branch, is the current world record-holder for being the fastest VTuber to reach 1 million subscribers in just under 14 days.
Technology
NIJISANJI Livers usually stream with iPhoneX facial motion capture technology, Live2D models rigged in-house by ANYCOLOR, and the NIJISANJI app (commercially unavailable). This method is technically simpler and much less expensive than full-body 3D motion tracking equipment, but mobility is typically limited to facial features, head rotation, and limited upper body movement. These models suffered from many stuttering and accuracy issues in NIJISANJI's early days, but such issues are seen less often today as their technology has improved over time.
After debuting, Livers may receive 2.0 and 3.0 brushups, which expand their range of movement and allow for more facial expressions. 2.0 brushups were distributed randomly at first, but have been distributed per wave since 2021. 3.0 brushups began in 2021 with new expressions, further expanded movements and toggle options, and are distributed to random members through a lottery system. Those with 3D models are also eligible to receive 3D brushups, which are also announced through Twitter. Updates of any kind are tagged with #にじあぷで on Twitter.
As of November 2022, 146 Livers from NIJISANJI have received 2.0 brushups. Since 2022, all members already begin with 2.0.
As of March 2024, 92 NIJISANJI Livers (85 JP, 2 ID and 5 KR), and 16 NIJISANJI EN Livers have received 3.0 brushups.
In addition to Live2D and conventional full-body 3D motion capture, NIJISANJI also supports "Niji 3D" (にじ3D), which allows Livers to stream using their 3D models without a studio. The range of motion for Niji 3D is limited to the upper body and hand tracking.
As of April 2024, 106 Livers from NIJISANJI's main branch (104 JP, 1 ID, 1 KR) have received 3D models (including Livers who have used their models in events but have not had their YouTube debut yet) and 7 have received 3D brushups, while 7 Livers from NIJISANJI EN have received 3D models.
History
2018
On 8 February, Ichikara Inc. announced the debut of eight Virtual YouTubers on Mirrativ. At the time, their role was to serve as official representatives for Ichikara's iPhoneX Live2D facetracking app, NIJISANJI.[2] These eight would later be known as NIJISANJI's first generation.[note 2]
On 15 March, Ichikara Inc. officially announced NIJISANJI's second generation of Virtual Livers, formalizing "NIJISANJI" as the agency's name for the first time.[3]
On 2 May, Ichikara Inc. introduced NIJISANJI Gamers, a new Virtual Liver group with a focus on Let's Play streams, with Kanae and Akabane Youko being its founding members.[4]
From 5 to 15 May, Ichikara Inc. held an audition for NIJISANJI SEEDs, a third Virtual Liver group under the NIJISANJI Project.[5] The first batch of selected candidates started their activities on 3 June.[6]
On 8 June, Ichikara announced the formation of VOIZ, an all-male group of four Virtual Livers.[7] However, two members ceased activities on 30 June, and the group was eventually disbanded on 9 August, with the two remaining members transferring to NIJISANJI SEEDs.
On 17 July, Ichikara Inc. announced Shanghai and Taipei branches of the NIJISANJI Project as an expansion intoto Chinese and Taiwanese VTuber markets. However, they are no longer active within NIJISANJI, and on April 2019, were transferred to another VTuber group called "VEgo" which only lasted for a month before retiring from YouTube entirely.[8][9]
On 13 December, Ichikara announced that both NIJISANJI Gamers and NIJISANJI SEEDs would be merged into the main NIJISANJI group at the end of the month.[10] After the merge, Livers who originated from Gamers or SEEDs started to use the term "ex-Gamers/SEEDs" when having a collab with their debut-mates.
2019
In April 2019, a new company called "VirtuaReal" officially began their activities in China, as separate business focused in the chinese market. This company is a joint venture formed between Ichikara Inc and Bilibili, with the second company managing operations and everything while Ichikara provides technology support.
On 10 May, Ichikara Inc. announced the commencement of their NIJISANJI NetWORK (にじさんじネットワーク NIJISANJI NETTOWAAKU) partnership program, aimed at supporting the overall VTuber community. The first VTubers to participate in the program were Tenkai Tsukasa and Fairys Chan.[11] It was first hinted at on 8 May.[12]
On 19 July, Ichikara Inc. announced a new branch of the NIJISANJI Project in Indonesia called "NIJISANJI ID." Auditions for four initial virtual YouTuber positions were open from 19 July until 4 August[13], and the three selected candidates officially began their activities in September 2019.
On 18 November, Ichikara Inc. announced a new branch of the NIJISANJI Project in India called "NIJISANJI IN." Auditions for three initial virtual YouTuber positions were open from 18 November until 2 December[14], and the selected candidates officially began their activities in January 2020.
On 17 December, Ichikara Inc. announced a new branch of the NIJISANJI Project in South Korea called "NIJISANJI KR." Auditions for five virtual YouTuber positions were open from 20 December until 6 January 2020[15], and the four selected candidates officially began their activities in late January 2020.
On 31 December, NIJISANJI NetWORK ceased operations, and its former members are no longer officially partnered with NIJISANJI.[16]
2020
On 22 June, NIJISANJI IN was rebranded as "NIJISANJI EN".[17] NIJISANJI also launched its official English YouTube channel on this same day.[18]
On 3 July, NIJISANJI's official YouTube channel opened memberships.[19]
On 27 November, the India-based branch previously rebranded as NIJISANJI EN was rebranded back to NIJISANJI IN.[20]
On 1 December, Ichikara Inc. announced the launch of NIJISANJI's first-wave auditions for English-speaking countries. Auditions were open from 1 December until 15 December.[21][22]
On 25 December, Ichikara Inc. announced it would assume official ownership of the previously unofficial NIJISANJI subreddit, r/Nijisanji.[23] Many of NIJISANJI's Livers joined the subreddit as moderators as well.
2021
On 13 April, NIJISANJI IN announced the upcoming graduation of its Livers and the branch's suspension of activities on 30 April 2021, 23:59 JST.[24]
On 12 May, the English version of NIJISANJI's official website was released.[25] Later on the same day, Ichikara Inc. announced a new branch of the NIJISANJI Project for English-speaking countries, "NIJISANJI EN".[26][27] Three initial virtual YouTubers, previously selected during the auditions in December 2020, officially began their activities on 16 May.[TZ]
On 13 May, NIJISANJI launched its official TikTok account.[28]
On 17 May, Ichikara Inc. announced that it would change its name to ANYCOLOR Inc.[29]
On 18 June, ANYCOLOR announced the opening of VIRTUAL TALENT ACADEMY, a training program for amateurs interested in becoming VTubers, featuring vocational courses specialized toward streaming and content creation. Admission is audition-based, and training costs are covered by ANYCOLOR. Upon completion, academy graduates may be given an offer to debut directly into NIJISANJI, or are otherwise freely permitted to audition for any agency.
2022
On 17 February, ANYCOLOR announced that NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR would be merged with the main NIJISANJI branch in early April. Currently active Livers would continue their activities under the NIJISANJI brand, using any languages of their choice. All activities and events on the ID and KR social media channels would be cancelled, including currently running programs and new wave auditions.[30] NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR officially merged into the main branch on 15 April.[31]
On 24 April, the NIJISANJI official YouTube channel reached 1 million subscribers.[32][33]
On 7 July, ANYCOLOR announced their transmedia project, "Lie:verse Liars". a joint effort between ANYCOLOR, KADOKAWA and BALCOLONY.[34] The project includes various forms of media, voice dramas, light novels, and a web manga. In addition to professional seiyuu, the cast includes NIJISANJI Livers serving as virtual "actors", with characters incorporating the Livers' designs.[35]
On 28 July, the NIJISANJI official website received a full redesign.[36]
On 11-14 August, NIJISANJI held their Power Pro 2022 (パワプロ2022, Pawapuro 2022) tournament, "NIJISANJI Koshien 2022" (にじさんじ甲子園2022). The four-day event featured Livers from all across NIJISANJI (excluding VirtualReal), and was hosted by Maimoto Keisuke and Tenkai Tsukasa. The event was sponsored by Rakuten Collection, and the finals stream reached over 320,000 concurrent viewers, breaking the previous year's record of 201,000.[37][38]
On 26 September, NIJISANJI launched their official Weibo account with the hashtag #NIJISANJI入驻微博#.[39]
On 8 November, the NIJISANJI official website was updated with a "Streams" feature that displays all Livers' streams in a unified schedule and allows fans to track their favorite Livers.[40] Following this update, ANYCOLOR announced on 18 November that the Itsukara.link website, which had served a similar purpose, would be discontinued on 30 November.[41]
2023
On December, ANYCOLOR announced an update in its official NIJISANJI app for all the agency to use assets in the model of the Livers. The update still is in beta for the time, being able to use only one asset but through 2023 its going to have a full release.
Branches
| H | Is on an indefinite hiatus |
| R | Retired from VTubing activities |
NIJISANJI
- Main article: NIJISANJI (main branch)
Prior to April 2022, NIJISANJI's main branch consisted of Japanese-speaking Livers and catered to Japanese audiences, so it was sometimes unofficially referred to as "NIJISANJI JP" to distinguish it from overseas branches. The Indonesian and Korean branches merged with the main branch on 15 April 2022.
NIJISANJI EN
- Main article: NIJISANJI EN
NIJISANJI's English branch, consisting of English-speaking Livers. Unlike other overseas branches, it is not associated with any specific country and is aimed at English-speaking audiences around the world, with members living in many different countries.
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| Yugo Asuma R | Zaion LanZa R | Nina Kosaka R | Mysta Rias R | Pomu Rainpuff R | Selen Tatsuki R | Kyo Kaneko R |
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| Hex Haywire R | Kunai Nakasato R | |||||
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Related Projects
VirtuaReal
- Main article: VirtuaReal
Also known as VirtuaReal Project, it is a joint venture company established in 2019 between ANYCOLOR and bilibili, with bilibili managing the entire project under ANYCOLOR technology support. VirtuaReal mainly has Chinese-speaking Livers and is catered to Chinese audiences, streaming mainly at bilibili.
While it also has two partnership programs in VirtuaReal Link and VirtuaReal Star, only the main group members are considered VirtuaReal, with the other two projects having indies who own their own IP partnered with the company.[note 3]
VIRTUAL TALENT ACADEMY
- Main article: VIRTUAL TALENT ACADEMY
VIRTUAL TALENT ACADEMY (also known as VTA) is a talent training project managed by ANYCOLOR, with students joining by audition with costs provided by the company if accepted. The program includes a vocational course specializing on the skill set required for streaming and content production, which require the students to have a 30-minute weekly relay live stream on VTA's YouTube channel. Aside from that, the students also have acting, dancing, singin and other classes alongside streaming. Upon completion, the graduate may be given the offer to debut as NIJISANJI Liver, freely move to other agencies or be indie.
Some of VTA's former students who debuted as NIJISANJI Livers are: Umise Yotsuha, Ponto Nei, Amagase Muyu, Fura Kanato, Watarai Hibari, Shikinagi Akira, and Seraph Dazzlegarden. More can be seen in the link for the page.
UN-DIMENSION
- Main article: UN-DIMENSION
UN-DIMENSION is a NIJISANJI fashion line-up collaboration project brand which offers products and services produced by NIJISANJI Livers highlighting their individual thoughts and personalities. Their vision is to transcend the barriers between 2D and 3D world through its various products, services, and purchasing experiences offered. The products are sold both online (website) and offline (pop-up store) for limited time.
NIJISANJI Livers who were previously featured includes: Kanae, Higuchi Kaede, Inui Toko, Fuwa Minato, Ibrahim, and Furen E Lustario.
Defunct Licensed Projects
NIJISANJI Shanghai/Taipei
Based in Shanghai and in Taipei, these branches were NIJISANJI's first presence overseas. Referred to as NIJISANJI VTuber Project (二次三次虚拟主播企划), it was created and fully operated by CAPSULE Inc. with ANYCOLOR (at the time, Ichikara) providing branding and technical support.
The branches began running from 24 August 2018. However, CAPSULE lost the license for the "NIJISANJI" brand and they abandoned the name on 29 March 2019, changing their name to VEgo.
NIJISANJI Shanghai
By the end of March 2019, with Saitania as its sole remaining member, the Shanghai branch had been deprecated and merged with the Taipei branch to form VEgo.
| Yingou R | Siddel R | Limaoshan R | Miyashita Mariko R | Angie Fei R | Royuanan R | Qing R | Saitania Liun Limse R |
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NIJISANJI Taipei
By the end of February 2020, VEgo only had one active member left, Talency, and finally ceased operations along with her retiring on 31 March 2020.
| Monmon R | Atles R | Dailechi R | Chen Kuang Kuang R | Kobayakawa Nana R | Mifentan R | Siarurin R | Talency R |
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Defunct Branches
| F | Left the group or agency |
| R | Retired from VTubing activities |
VOIZ
VOIZ (ボイズ, Boizu) was an ensemble of four male Virtual Livers launched in June 2018. Two of its members ceased activities after their first livestreams, while Naruse Naru and Harusaki Air, who initially were part of the group when debuting, chose to continue their activities and were transferred to NIJISANJI SEEDs a few months after debut.
| Harusaki Air (transferred to SEEDs) |
Naruse Naru (transferred to SEEDs) |
Kurohane Kuroto R | Kaminari Poaro R |
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NIJISANJI NetWORK
NIJISANJI NetWORK (にじさんじネットワーク) was a partnership program aimed at supporting independent virtual talents. It was launched on 10 May 2019 and its first participants were Tenkai Tsukasa and Fairys-chan. The program was ultimately terminated on 31 December 2019 but both members still continue their activities.
| Tenkai Tsukasa F | Fairys-chan F |
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NIJISANJI IN
NIJISANJI's Indian branch, also known as 3 idiots, consisting of English-speaking Livers and aimed at the Indian market, began their activities in January 2020. The branch was briefly rebranded to "NIJISANJI EN" on 22 June 2020 before being reverted back to "NIJISANJI IN" on 27 November 2020. It ceased operations after April 2021.
| Aadya R | Noor R | Vihaan R |
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NIJISANJI ID
NIJISANJI's Indonesian branch, consisting of Indonesian-speaking Livers and aimed at Indonesian audiences, began their activities in September 2019. Originally operating as a separate branch, it was merged into the main NIJISANJI branch on 15 April 2022, where all of its members were still active at the time of the merger.
NIJISANJI KR
NIJISANJI's South Korean branch, consisting of Korean-speaking Livers and aimed at South Korean audiences, began their activities in January 2020. Originally operating as a separate branch, it was merged into the main NIJISANJI branch on 15 April 2022. Below is the list of the members who retired pre-merge.
| Moarin R | Lorou R | Hakuren R | Yu Ruri R | Kaen R | Wiffy R | Shin Yuya R |
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| Nun Bora R | Ko Yami R | Lee Siu R | Lee On R | Shin Kiru R | Chae Ara R | |
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Known Staff
| Tazumi Riku ANYCOLOR CEO |
Tokimori Seisa VirtuaReal Producer |
Kurokos ANYCOLOR Staff |
Uchisa PUCHISANJI artist |
stove PUCHISANJI artist |
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| Aimai Moco PUCHISANJI artist |
SAKURA AI PUCHISANJI/PUCHILuxiem artist |
Iwanaga Taiki F Ichikara COO |
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Discography
- Main article: List of NIJISANJI Songs
| Nijisanji Music MIX UP!! | 27 November 2019 | |
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| Digital Release • YouTube | ||
| SMASH The PAINT!! | 18 March 2020 | |
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| Digital Release | ||
| "LIGHT UP TONES" Live Album | 2 Febaruary 2022 | |
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Trivia
- NIJISANJI can be represented as the number 2434, the reason being that when you say the numbers out loud in Japanese, it phonetically sounds like “ni” (ニ), “ji” (四) “san” (三), and “ji”, so this is sometimes seen in their material. During live-streams, fans sometimes donate 2434 yen (~$18.64 USD).
- NIJISANJI is often represented using the rainbow emoji (niji) and 3 o'clock emoji (sanji). Livers use this to represent their affiliation with NIJISANJI while fans use it to show that they are fans of NIJISANJI.
- ANYCOLOR Inc. is run by Tazumi Riku, the CEO and founder of the company and since 2021, executive officer at the Overseas VTuber Division. He has made appearances on the NIJISANJI YouTube channel and is even the inspiration behind some of the membership emojis. He has his own Twitter and YouTube channel.
- NIJISANJI used to be run the by Iwanaga Taiki, the former COO of ANYCOLOR Inc. He switched to running SLEE, an idol group that used to be under ANYCOLOR, after he started undergoing treatment for cancer. He has now gone into remission and has left ANYCOLOR to become the president of Yokaze Inc, where he will continue to run SLEE. His Twitter is here. He sometimes does live-streams as a female-looking VTuber named Iwanaga-chan whose Twitter is here.
- NIJISANJI's app has a mascot called Yugamin. Livers can stream as Yugamin instead of their usual forms as Yugamin has a Live2D model. Yugamin was designed by ほーじろ, who also designed Shibuya Hajime, Kenmochi Toya, Fushimi Gaku, Sister Cleaire, Amemori Sayo, Todoroki Kyoko, Yumeoi Kakeru, and Pax.
- Whenever someone who isn't a Liver appears in a 3D stream, their avatar is that of a kuroko (黒衣, black-clad), a stagehand in traditional Japanese theater wearing black clothes that cover the entire body. The kuroko are usually ANYCOLOR staff.
- There has been multiple instances where a model was left unused, one notable example being that of "Eudrick" who was revealed alongside Warabeda Meiji, Kudo Chitose, Fumi, and Gundou Mirei.[42] While it isn't that big of a deal at first after Fumi officially debuted alongside Hoshikawa Sara and Yamagami Karuta fans began to question about Eudrick whereabouts as he is the only left from the previously mentioned batch, as time goes on with many more member introduced, none of which are him it began to devolve into a running joke among even the Livers themselves who treated him as some sort of unofficial member,[43] he even makes an appearance at NIJISANJI Koshien 2021 where he was drafted and eventually join as part of Shiina Yuika's Team.
Gallery
External Links
Official Stores
- NIJISANJI Official Store
- にじさんじ公式 - Official Booth store
- NIJISANJI ID - NIJISANJI ID's official Booth store
- 니지산지 - NIJISANJI KR's official Booth store
- NIJISANJI EN Official Store
- 首页-NijisanjiShop-淘宝网 - Official Taobao store (Chinese)
- VirtuaReal虚拟偶像企划 - VirtuaReal's official Afdian account (Chinese)
Official Channels
- にじさんじ - Main channel (Japanese)
- にじさんじオフィシャル ニコニコチャンネル - Official Niconico channel (Japanese)
- にじさんじ [公式サブch] - Sub channel (Japanese)
- にじさんじ公式切り抜きチャンネル【NIJISANJI Official Best Moments】 - Official Clip channel (Japanese)
- NIJISANJI ID Official - Official Indonesian channel (Indonesian)
- NIJISANJI KR Official - Official South Korean channel (South Korean)
- NIJISANJI - Official NIJISANJI channel on bilibili (Chinese)
- VirtuaReal - Official VirtuaReal channel on bilibili (Chinese)
- NIJISANJI English Official - Official English channel (English)
- NIJISANJI_EN - Official English Twitch channel (English)
Official Twitter Accounts
- @nijisanji_app - Main NIJISANJI account (Japanese)
- @NIJISANJI_World - NIJISANJI EN (formerly international NIJISANJI account) (English)
- @NIJISANJI_IN - NIJISANJI IN (formerly NIJISANJI EN with former Twitter handle @NIJISANJI_EN) (English)
- @NIJISANJI_ID - NIJISANJI ID (Indonesian)
- @NIJISANJI_KR - NIJISANJI KR (Korean)
- @NIJISANJI_staff- NIJISANJI staff contact account (English)
- @Virtua_Real - VirtuaReal (Japanese)
- @kirinuki_2434 - NIJISANJI clip channel account (Japanese)
- @ANYCOLOR_Inc - ANYCOLOR Inc account
Other Official Accounts
- r/Nijisanji - Official NIJISANJI Subreddit (English)
- @nijisanji_official - Official NIJISANJI TikTok account (Japanese)
- @nijisanji_en - Official NIJISANJI TikTok account (English)
- @nijisanji_en - Official NIJISANJI Instagram account (English)
- @nijisanji_official - Official NIJISANJI Instagram account (Japanese)
- @nijisanji_officialstore - Official NIJISANJI Store Instagram account (Japanese)[1]
- @virtuareal - Official VirtuaReal Weibo account (Chinese)
- NIJISANJI-official - Official NIJISANJI Weibo account (Chinese)
References
Notes
- ↑ The term Liver, coined by mixing Japanese and English, is a heteronym that refers to NIJISANJI's focus on livestreaming.
- ↑ While international NIJISANJI debut groups are often referred to as "waves," NIJISANJI's first four groups are only referred to as「期生」 (typically translated to "generation") .
- ↑ One VirtuaReal member who was established prior to VirtuaReal, Joi, is listed as part of VirtuaReal Project on the official VirtuaReal website, but omitted from NIJISANJI's VirtuaReal roster. Thus, she is excluded from the member counts and tables on this page.
Citations
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