Most Subscribed VTubers on YouTube

VTubers are virtual, anime-style characters who create and share content as YouTubers. Once you start getting into VTuber world, you might start wondering which VTubers are popular.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the VTuber subscriber rankings while getting to know some of these VTubers.

VTuber YouTube Subscriber Rankings (As of October 2024)

The following rankings focus exclusively on individual VTuber channels, excluding official accounts run by VTuber agencies.
VTuber fans are probably most familiar with this type of ranking. Let’s start with sixth place.
Note: Due to changes in YouTube’s specifications in September 2019, subscriber counts are now approximate, and the increase or decrease in numbers are estimated based on changes over several days.

6th Place: Kobo Kanaeru (2.58 million)

Ranked sixth is Kobo Kanaeru, a member of Hololive, one of Japan’s largest VTuber agencies. She is part of Hololive Indonesia (ID)’s third generation. Although her name is written in hiragana, and she has some knowledge of Chinese and Japanese, she mainly streams in Indonesian and English, as indicated by her affiliation with ID. Known as the “Rain Shaman”, she is often described as a “mischievous kid” by her fellow VTubers in Hololive thanks to her impulsive and unpredictable behavior during streams. Despite her playful personality, she’s incredibly talented in many areas. Her singing, in particular, has drawn significant attention, with some of her original songs surpassing 17 million views on YouTube.
https://hololive.hololivepro.com/talents/kobo-kanaeru/[ja]

5th Place: Usada Pekora (2.62 million subscribers)

Coming in at 5th place is Usada Pekora, another member of Hololive’s third generation. Known for her signature greeting “Konpeko!” and her bunny ears, Pekora is active on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, where she streams and engages in music activities with her original songs. Since 2023 was the Year of the Rabbit, she launched the “#TurnAllHumansIntoRabbitsProject”, taking on daily streams and a wide range of special events. This project helped her gain a huge boost in subscribers, earning her a well-deserved spot in the rankings.
https://hololive.hololivepro.com/talents/usada-pekora/[ja]

4th Place: filian (2.89 million subscribers)

Taking 4th place is filian, an independent VTuber who is primarily active in the English-speaking community, with the social VR platform “VRChat” as her main platform. Although she debuted recently in November 2021, she already surpassed 100,000 subscribers by March 2022, just about four months later. Currently, she boasts an impressive 2.89 million subscribers. On March 8, 2024, filian’s YouTube channel surpassed 1 billion total views, marking her the first individual VTuber to reach this milestone. Since her content mainly targets the English-speaking audiences, her recognition in Japan was initially limited. That said, her popularity has been gradually increasing in Japan since the beginning of 2024. We look forward to her future activities in the Japanese market.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvjNdLLy5sinqD92Axk8w-g[ja]

3rd Place: Kizuna AI (2.99 million subscribers)

When people think of VTubers, Kizuna AI may be the first name that comes to mind. As a pioneer in the VTuber world, she ranks third on the list. Kizuna AI began her activities as a virtual talent in December 2016, and as the world’s first virtual YouTuber, she engaged not only in streaming but also in full-fledged music artist activities. Unfortunately, she is currently on an indefinite hiatus for updates. Fans eagerly await her return.
https://kizunaai.com/

2nd Place: Houshou Marine (3.44 million subscribers)

Landing in 2nd place is Houshou Marine, a third-generation member of the Hololive, the same generation as Usada Pekora. As the captain of the Houshou Pirates, Marinecaptivates audiences not only with her fast-paced, humorous livestreams but also with her strong commitment to music production. She has gained popularity with numerous original songs set in a pirate-themed world and have gained widespread popularity. Most of her music videos—including cover songs and original collaborations with overseas VTubers—have surpassed 5 million views. Additionally, she is also a talented illustrator, to the point where she regularly hosts drawing streams alongside professional artists. Marine’s strengths lie in her engaging talk, singing ability, and artistic skills, offering a wide range of charms that keep her audience entertained.
https://hololive.hololivepro.com/talents/houshou-marine/[ja]

1st Place: Gawr Gura (4.51 million subscribers)

Once again, Hololive takes the top spot with Gawr Gura, a member of Hololive EN’s “Myth” generation. Known as a descendant of Atlantis, she is affectionately called “Shark-chan” for her favorite shark-themed outfit. Although she is an English speaker, she diligently studies Japanese and occasionally collaborates with Japanese Hololive VTubers in her streams. Her fluency in both English and Japanese has helped her gain fans from both Japan and overseas, securing her number one position.
https://hololive.hololivepro.com/talents/gawr-gura/[ja]

By the Way

We have ranked the top six individuals based on the number of video posts (including stream archives and shorts).

1st Place: Usada Pekora – 1,857 videos (5th in subscribers)
2nd Place: Houshou Marine – 1,137 videos (2nd in subscribers)
3rd Place: filian – 1,167 videos (4th in subscribers)
4th Place: Gawr Gura – 541 videos (1st in subscribers)
5th Place: Kobo Kanaeru – 524 videos (6th in subscribers)
6th Place: Kizuna AI – 113 videos (3rd in subscribers)

Although Kizuna AI has an extremely low number of posts due to the absence of stream archives, it was surprising to find that Gawr Gura, who was previously ranked 1st, has only about one-third of Pekora’s posts. While the number of posts is a factor in subscriber count, it does not appear to be an absolute condition.

(Source: YouTube Channel, October 2024 Survey)

Top 3 Fastest Achievements of 1 Million Subscribers (As of October 2024)

Now that we’ve reviewed the current subscriber counts, it’s worth noting that long-term activity can be advantageous. As a bonus, let’s take a look at which VTubers quickly reached the milestone of 1 million YouTube subscribers—a goal many streamers aspire to achieve. Specifically, we’ll identify the VTubers who went viral right from the start.

3rd Place: Kobo Kanaeru (105 Days from Debut)

Kobo, who ranked 6th in subscriber count, takes the 3rd spot here. Kobo also achieved 2 million subscribers in just 389 days, ranking 2nd among all VTubers.

2nd Place: Gawr Gura (39 Days from Debut)

Gura, who was 1st in subscriber count, surprisingly ranks 2nd here. However, Gura surpassed Kobo by reaching 2 million subscribers in just 127 days, securing the 1st position.

1st Place: Hyakumantenbara Salome (14 Days from Debut)

From the major Japanese VTuber agency Nijisanji, Hyakumantenbara Salome achieved the top spot with an astonishing speed of 14 days. Salome is the first female VTuber from Nijisanji to surpass 1 million subscribers. Although she currently ranks 20th with 1.81 million subscribers, several factors contributed to her rapid success. These include her unique solo debut within Nijisanji, her distinctive “desuwa” speech style, and the impactful first stream where she shared an image of her own endoscopy. These elements helped her achieve 1 million subscribers in just two weeks.
https://www.nijisanji.jp/talents/l/salome-hyakumantenbara[ja]

Summary: Factors for a VTuber’s Original Song Hit Extend Beyond Singing Ability

While singing and streaming frequency are keys to increasing subscribers, capturing popularity in English-speaking regions is also crucial. Additionally, the initial impact can be considered a significant factor.
Although VTuber awareness among the general public overseas seems to be still developing, given the rapid growth of the global VTuber market, it is likely that VTubers in English-speaking regions will continue to expand.