VTuber Trends in 2025: 6 key insights you need to know
From the graduations of Shion Murasaki and Gawr Gura to the sudden dissolution of VShojo and the departures of Ironmouse and Kson, the English-speaking VTuber scene is facing a potential shake-up. It seems 2025 is gearing up to be a year of transformation. Amidst all this, the latest Streams Charts report for Q2 2025 has highlighted some intriguing new VTubing trends.
Here are six key observations from the VTuber world:
1. English VTubers Reach New Heights
When it comes to total watch hours, Japanese VTubers have traditionally dominated. However, in Q2 2025, two English-language VTubers broke into the Top 10 Global VTuber Watch Time rankings for the first time: Zentreya, in eighth place with 4.72 million hours, and Koseki Bijou, in tenth with 4.54 million hours.
Zentreya, a founding member of VShojo, announced her departure from the agency on July 11 to pursue personal freedom and new creative opportunities. Her Q2 surge was largely driven by a subathon (a marathon fundraiser). Meanwhile, Koseki Bijou, a member of hololive EN, overtook Ironmouse this season, pushing her to eleventh place with 4.53 million hours watched.
2. Twitch Becomes the Go-To Platform for VTubers
While YouTube still holds the majority share of watch time, accounting for over 64% of total viewing hours, Twitch has become the preferred platform for VTubers due to its user-friendly streaming features and community culture. Over 60% of active VTuber channels are on Twitch. Interestingly, Zentreya, the top English VTuber, streams exclusively on Twitch, reflecting current VTuber trends.
3. Slight Dip in Global VTuber Watch Time
In Q1 2025, global VTuber watch time surpassed the 500-million-hour mark for the first time, reaching 516 million hours. In Q2, the figure eased back slightly to 507 million hours but remained well above the 500-million-hour mark. According to Streams Charts, while overall watch time saw a modest decline, creator followings and fan engagement continued to grow, suggesting this was only a minor fluctuation. This trend across is consistent with findings from recent studies of the VTuber market.
4. VTuber Culture is Expanding Beyond Japan
Demographic trends in the VTuber world reveal some interesting shifts. Female creators, who already make up a large portion of VTubers, increased from 70.2% in Q1 to 73.7%. Additionally, the proportion of Japanese VTubers decreased from 41.8% in Q1 to 37.3% in Q2, while Taiwanese VTubers saw a slight increase from 2.3% to 2.7%. This indicates that VTuber culture is spreading beyond Japan and entering a global phase, supporting the observation that VTubers are no longer a niche culture, as noted in the YouTube 2025 Trend Report.
5. hololive Remains the Dominant Force
Despite several popular VTubers graduating from hololive, its Q2 watch time share surpassed 25% for the first time, capturing a quarter of the overall market. This may be linked to the parent company’s aggressive expansion into the US market and brand collaborations, as evidenced by the establishment of Cover USA’s LA office, reflecting hololive’s global ambitions.
6. Signs of a Major VTuber Shake-Up?
In addition to VShojo’s dissolution, Q3 also saw Brave Group’s acquisition of South Korea’s StelLive, both of which are likely to impact the future of the VTuber scene. With VShojo’s end, several members have also been released. Will they form a new group or grow individually? And will the new Brave × StelLive alliance disrupt the current landscape?
Moreover, the recent V-POP ASIA VTuber talent show aims to recruit potential talents from Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and Hong Kong. What does the future hold for the VTuber world? It’s certainly something to look forward to.
