[VTuber History] How Agency VTubers Found their Footing through Lore

In this Video I cover the evolution of VTuber Agency Lore, mostly on the English side. From Hololive's character trailers and group lore, to Nijisanji's group songs, to the VShojo Mythos, VTuber lore has changed a lot over time
0:00 Markiplier
0:31 Intro
1:29 Before 2020- The land before ENVTubers
3:50 HoloEN 2020
6:26 VShojo 2020
7:43 Nijisanji 2021
10:51 HoloEN 2021
13:15 VShojo 2021
14:49 2022-2023
15:30 HoloEN- Present Day
20:31 Nijisanji- Present Day
22:47 VShojo- Present Day
26:15 Analysis
27:10 Timeline
29:22 Conclusion
31:42 Screenshot Time!
Credits: pastebin.com/BsjP8YVD

[@YamAlbat]

I HAVE A DISCORD SERVER NOW! JOIN US discord.gg/J7cQc8f7mt

[@malmorose]

My favorite thing in VTuber lore is always when the lore paints someone as being super cool, powerful, and mysterious, then you go to watch their streams and they're Vesper

[@YamAlbat]

LOL I know, the tempus boy's lore is so grandiose and cool and then... theyre the maglore and grandpa vesper

[@donnatienza7940]

I can at least trust papa ves if a zombie apocalypse breaks out

[@spankminister]

@@YamAlbat Great video, and I absolutely see the appeal of lore videos and RP for sparking the fan imagination and keeping people engaged as they have. But as I watch a lot of the Tempus boys, the obvious lampshading of staying "in character" is part of the charm. Vesper's a good example, or Bettel talking about taking his horse "Accord" to the garage to get new "horse shoes."

[@lanzelet7386]

I love this about LeeandLie/Monarch's lore. She's like ruler of the multiverse but in reality just the Scuff Queen.

[@DTux5249]

I AM AN EMBODIMENT OF RAGE, WAR, DEATH, AND DESTRUCTION!!!! - Signed: The memelord who mashes the fart soundbyte at random intervals during stream

[@blacksiopao]

I do remember vaguely from Coco's debut that she indeed had an illustrated video lore, where she crashed onto the Hololive office and started streaming to pay off for the damages. Yeah Coco really pioneered a lot of things we see today

[@ScribbleDaru]

no vtuber lore comes close to her.

[@gexianhen]

hakai hatto into hachama Arc was some of the most crazy stuff any vtuber as pulled. it really was scary to watch without knowing what was actually happening

[@YamAlbat]

akai haato is amazingly creative and always knows how to stay relevant!

[@DemonicChocobo]

So, I hate to point this out but you DID mention her so I can't help but bring up the glaring omission that the first 3 minutes of Kiryu Coco's debut stream was not only a lore video, but was also a comedic AND a musical one that predates Myth.

[@YamAlbat]

Hey that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know, I’m going to go track that down!

[@elk45]

An informative video! I think I'm going to miss the "mismatched cast" energy. There's a charming chaos in figuring out how a random dog, a clown who is also a fox, and an elf from space all ended up becoming idols. When HoloX debuted, the logical conclusion was just "Oh, of course there's been a secret society all this time." - that's just how the world of Hololive works. HoloMyth seemed to strike the right balance - a group of random mythical beings, but united by the premise of being investigated by Amelia.

[@aramondehasashi3324]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of how the latest Niji gens look so much alike.

[@telliusbian]

Sana's lore video is still probably my favorite. So simple and so hilarious. I think it was a slip in one of Magni's streams but I think the popularity of vtuber lore mostly steams from the popularity of stuff like roleplay in creative circles? He said something along the lines of "DND isnt hard because playing a character is what I'm doing everyday" and then chuckled and tried to correct himself.

[@YamAlbat]

Sorry if you can tell I was sick while recording this. Hope you all enjoyed my descent into madness! Extra special thanks to @Raelice for his 1 minute lore series, without that, I would have given up on this video idea halfway. Raelice Channel: www.youtube.com/@Raelice

[@fananox2057]

Hopefully you recover swiftly

[@YamAlbat]

@@fananox2057 Thank you! I feel much better! (especially now that the video is complete!)

[@heyRAINA]

Oh hey, you featured Calli's Christmas Catastrophe! I had so much fun working on that together with the team at MW Media - Ina's "is this vore?" line was one of my faves to write XD Loved this video!

[@YamAlbat]

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I’m a HUGE fan of Calli’s Christmas Catastrophe and a lot of the VTuber projects that Merryweather media has produced (hence why I made this video)! Thank you so much for your hard work of bringing these stories to life. Your work is very appreciated ☺️💕

[@TripsStarlake]

Great video explaining the progression and history of all things vtuber lore! While I definitely think we are going to get more and more professional lore videos, I kinda miss the ones like Shu Yamino's...

[@YamAlbat]

Eeeeey babey itsa meeeee Yeah. There’s a definite charm to the comedy lore of the 2021 era Nijisanji lore!

[@DragonSlayerKyo]

Things have honestly progressed really fast in the past few years I think. And it makes me wonder- there's this push, the lore media, and a whole ton of stuff. a lot of this lore media would make great OVA movies.

[@YamAlbat]

Yeah, I think agencies have realized that having a multimedia brand is best for their talents because it allows them to make the branding more immersive and casts a wider net in the waters of discoverability! Thanks for the comment as always!

[@waffling0]

Thanks for another great video Yam! I love that you gave a small moment to Haachama's horror arc - that was really a special moment in time when no one knew what would come next, or what she would do. It really felt like she was pushing the boundaries of what a vtuber could be back then and it always felt so exciting whenever she would release something new. As a viewer you could really feel how she was having fun playing around with that creative freedom. Even though the story she was coming up with was fairly abstract, it had a lot of heart, and I really connected with that.

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you! Haachama is truly a special content creator. She’s always been such a trailblazer along with Coco! It was fun researching on her earlier skits for this video!

[@Kita15190]

Congratulations! That was a thorough analysis of lore development along the years, and you exposed how elaborate and necessary a proper VTuber lore has become. I have the impresson that major companies have been heavily investing into VTuber lore especially for marketing purposes and a way to deal with a market that has been getting saturated. Taking Hololive as example, the first generations are either based on more conventional image of idol (I.e. Sora, Suisei and AZKi) or common anime tropes (highschoolers, sexy school nurse, tomboys, maid, mahou shoujo etc). By the time the first Holo EN was being auditioned, we were amidst COVID pandemic and demand for livestream content spiked. Probably all companies were aware that western audience was a large unconquered territory, and repeating the same tropes would not have the same impact, or even jeopardize previous talents. So by revolving on a single theme, character design and theme becomes somewhat easier as they need to follow a single concept, and it's a powerful marketing tool as it generates hype and you can advertise all the talents along a single narrative. And my guess? It worked pretty well that they even applied this strategy on Holo X. I guess that this makes the competition among major companies even more intense and so will be auditions (since they have to be certain that the candidate fits the role the company needs), but at the end, we can expect future generations to be as fresh and as interesting as their ancestors.

[@YamAlbat]

Hey, thats a really good point! I didnt think about how the pandemic may effect the way they marketed holomyth! I am glad that they didnt continue the anime trope based branding into the EN branch, Its charming but it has already been done. Thanks for adding your insight to this discussion!

[@longdo5910]

So to talk about a elephant in the room: Hololive Alternative which is Cover entire multimedia project consisting of manga and games and a lore book. The practical purpose of it is to act as a way to utilize their IP independently of their talents, retrofit HoloEN lore buildup to earlier talents and fulfilling Yagoo's dream of becoming a game developer. The only issue is that the entire project is held back by Cover's size with the HoloEarth game being a financial black hole until they can finally release it. Stuff that are part of the HoloEarth brands include a AyaFubuMi manga(but not the HoloX manga) that is ongoing although translation have slowed, HoloEarth with is a mixed between a game and a alternative streaming platform and Holonometria the wiki for all of HoloAlt lore and by extension the lore for HoloEarth. The fact that it launch with only Two manga and being unable to replace the 2nd one after it was cancelled should tell how cash strap the entire project is right now.

[@YamAlbat]

I did watch the two Hololive Alternative videos, and loved the animation! I hope they continue to develop hololive alternative and holoEarth!

[@savruenvod]

My favorite thing about vtube rlore is that it feels like a short movie

[@YamAlbat]

Yeah it felt like I was binging VTuber Netflix in preparation for this video!

[@kaos1109]

Just to be clear about Haachama's Horror 'Coexistence' arc, it happened during 2021, not in 2020. I know because I was there with everyone freaking out in chat 😅. It remains one of the most ambitious creative endeavors in which a Talent took a fan idea ("Haato-san is alive but locked in Haachama's basement") and built upon on it, which in turn inspired fans to create more fan art which in turn was used by the talent in the streams only to repeat the cycle again. This lasted several weeks, but it ended up being too much for her and she brought it to an end with what felt almost not a conclusion, but we got a really beautiful and introspective song out of it: Infinity. Sorry, I get excited when I talk about that saga 😅

[@sevds]

I honestly wish that the HoloEN girls would play more with their lore. Kiara even mentioned this that she played more with her lore than most anyone else. I love Amelia Watson but until her recent Chiku-Taku video she almost did nothing with her lore herself.

[@aphs]

What do you mean? How do you want to see them play to their lore more?

[@wolfee2320]

You know, I actually just watched Myth's Bad End again before watching this, and it reminded me of just how well Fan Made lore can blend in and contribute to the actual lore written by the Vtubers And I have to say, the entirety of Vtuber lore is only made better by what some of the fans create, like, I often use Myth's Bad End as an example, it's amazing quality and feels like a real bit of lore, and it fits pretty much perfectly into Myth's lore even with all the new stuff that's been revealed It's honestly great to watch what Vtuber's create as their own lore, and how fan's projects and ideas can make the lore so much more... I dunno how to put it, but Immersive I guess would be the best way to describe it? Either way, it's always something great to see

[@YamAlbat]

The adaptive lore of VTubers that gets contributed to by their fans in real time is truly special, and doesn't really happen in any other medium! It's super special to witness it!

[@xSaraxMxNeffx]

i would love a cryptid vtuber; like an unfinction project. we've already seen open ended unfiction projects do really well and switch gears back to standard content creation before with Dad; id love to see a vtuber do it

[@mael4377]

i forget who said it but someone said their agency asked them if they were aware of SCPs.

[@Larissa-zt6nr]

i personally like jp's approach to lore a lot more.. it's more fun! But something that bothers me a little its all the goddess or other ultra powerful concept vtubers... its just too much for someone who just streams videogames lol

[@YamAlbat]

I totally agree! In the defense of agency VTuber using goddess and ultra powerful concepts: they are meant to be put on a pedestal as agencies want to create a separation between the talent and their audience. That doesn’t mean everyone should use that style of lore, that’s for sure. I will cover what lore is most appropriate for each type of VTuber in my next video!

[@aphs]

​@@YamAlbatI was puzzled by the use of high-powered beings too, but your interpretation makes sense! Effectiveness would be up to how the vtuber decides to interact with their audience, but having that sort of lore could help provide a story reason if the vtuber finds they need to restore that sense of space.

[@LassoCatsidy]

You did a great job of condensing this all down. Looking forward to your next lore vid as well!

[@YamAlbat]

Why thank you Lasso Catsidy, Catboy Cowboy who streams on Twitch Thurs-Mon 5PM Central at twitch dot tv slash lassocatsidy!

[@couturissime]

i absolutely love this video as someone who loves to write lore and is just starting to write for a silly vtubing project, and its really cool to know more about the history of it, this was thorough and really cool ^_^ ive been watching a lot of ur videos to learn more about vtubers (its kind of becoming my go-to) and its really helped me :3 ur videos r literally the best, i hope u have a nice day ^U^

[@YamAlbat]

thank you so much for saying so! I am glad my videos can serve as inspiration for your own project!

[@YourRyeBread]

I was SO confused at first lol cuz I watch Mark a lot already XD omg I have to check out Haruka to support my fellow autist

[@Kometaf]

things i still think about: Zentreya going "hell is real? what?" in kson introduction video.

[@YamAlbat]

Yeah, I love KSon's lore video so much loll

[@Crescent-Adam]

Your hardwork is finally done! Hope you can finally rest now for a while. Looking fwd to watching it at last!!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you Adam! I appreciate your comments as always!

[@JezebelleTauralene]

I love how informative your videos are! thank you for the quality content that always get's me thinking

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you for saying so! I am always afraid to take my time on my uploads because of the KZbin algorithm but I would rather take my time to make the editing the best I can to get my point across.

[@simercury515]

Great video, I can see how we got to the Bubi anime now 😀

[@YamAlbat]

It’s fun to see the progression of things, I agree 😊

[@davidkaminski615]

A very well presented and structured analysis! Just watching a few lore videos would have my head spinning! Lore is a fun aspect of Vtubers. It interesting to see how it shapes their interactions with viewers and spawns and shapes future projects. Just seeing how the lore of Amelia Watson has developed over the years has been impressive both with her creations and fan productions. If you had asked me how to describe Vtubers, I would have said they are a manga/anime character come to life to interact with every day. Now it's the Vtubers that are spawning manga/anime. It's also interesting to see the development of fan involvement such as Merryweather and Kanauru in official releases. Can't wait to see what the future holds for them! I'd also like to add that I like your model updates! Hope you feel better soon!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you so much! It is wonderful to see community fan artists being recognized and hired back time after time! The development of VTuber in the future looks promising!

[@Kita15190]

Fan productions have been playing an important role in VTuber community, often being a way to introduce people to certain VTubers (that's how I was drawn to Hololive), and it is a strong PR move from companies to allow them feature in official works, especially when there are some really good artist out there. It sends the message of the companies being present at the fanbase and give a chance for these people to shine (ngl, I was pretty stoked when I saw Komainu's animation on Pekora's Zenjinrui Usagika Keikaku).

[@ekozoidmajiker6186]

Shxtou an indie was the 1st to capture my interest thru lore

[@greed-1914]

Always a treat to watch your videos

[@YamAlbat]

Thanks for commenting as always!

[@LuisAlfonsoAlvarez_Syrup_gamer]

In general, I like vtuber lore. Because it brings character design consistency to each generation and increases community investment by inviting them to write fanfiction of the talents. However, I ain't that interested in today's approach with the deep lore and complicated stories. Because, after being invested in many extended fantasy universes, I prefer when the stories and lore are more streamlined and easier to follow. But now I wonder, do you have any lore?

[@YamAlbat]

Well put! I don't have any lore yet! I am using these videos to research my own approach. The next video will talk about the other approaches VTubers can take other than the Agency high production route!

[@Crescent-Adam]

Finally had enough time to watch this video. Fantastic work as always Yam! Very succinct, simple presentation of an unwieldy subject 👍🏼 The trend of the uber powerful mega cool back stories is very dominant indeed. Even older Niji generations have wanted to rewrite their lore to match the new kids 😄 (Selen, Rosemi and Pomu had a stream where they tried coming up with cooler lore. It ended up being hilarious lol). Some members have used new outfit debuts or original songs to add to or re-contextualise their lore (Reimu's new outfit debut for instance). But I do agree that I don't like the homogenisation/standardisation of Vtuber lore. Having Iluna and Xsoleil share a uniform and setting is ok for a gen or two but it's kinda restrictive to varied, unique designs. It's a little worrying that Obsydia and Ethyria's outfits 2.0 were made to have a consistent design despite their 1.0 being very different. It's great from a marketing and merchandising side of things but lame from an audience perspective. I feel it's hard now to get whacky or non-human Vtubers (at least in NijiEN). I'm also not a fan of every Vtuber lore being done by the same crew like most Vtuber music videos are done by the same couple of people. Obviously those creators are fantastic and that's why they became so sought after. But if everyone uses the same people, the end products all end up so similar and lose their shine. I hope the hiring pool gets more diverse. As for my favourite lore stuff, I'm a sucker for sad stories (usually personal) or really comedic ones. So Haruka's original lore is beautiful. Myth's Bad Ending is incredible obviously. And pretty much anything Millie does is hilarious. Generically 'cool' lore is ok but often not memorable. Can't wait fir your next video!

[@rizzolicharming1229]

Great video! Initially wanted to put this in the background while I worked but I ended up so entranced that I barely got any work done lol. Looking forward to the next one!

[@YamAlbat]

Oh no, Good luck with your work! though I will take it as a major compliment that my video engrossed your attention!

[@venandr]

Wow, I'm really impressed with this video! So well written and researched.

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you so much Venandr! That means a lot. 💕✨

[@BrotherL0VE]

Thank you for another in-depth video. You're REALLY good at this, so I hope you're happy with the end results!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you sooo much for the sweet comment! The voice over isn’t up to my standards, but I’m really proud of the editing of this video. Still, I hope I learn to get faster at uploading!

[@angelquinones9201]

Really good video.

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you!!

[@ScribbleDaru]

This video is a good note to keep in mind that you're not writing a marvel cinematic universe, but much like an introduction to you as a vtuber that sooner or later, changes or didnt even bother to care at some point.

[@gas_on_my_hands8283]

the beginning made me laugh so hard lol

[@XichensMaleWife]

i love making lore for characters, so my future vtuber has a fair bit of lore, problem is i give all my characters mountains of trauma so its pretty messed up stuff ;A; i gotta fix it at one point

[@Lyviapotensa]

was i the only one waiting for ILUNA of nijisanji en

[@LunNightMoonLight]

How are indies suppose to compete now the production is so high now

[@YamAlbat]

By choosing originality over production value! That’s what I’m going to talk about in my next video! I wish it fit into this one but it unfortunately didn’t 😭

[@Lohpezhoh]

Pretty sure Shylily demonstrated is not necessary

[@Dullsonic3]

Was dat da bite of 87?!

[@cheeseonfloor]

im very late to commenting on this vid 😭but would solo debut vids, not apart of a company or anything, still follow these rules? like shoto the demon slayer, for example

[@YamAlbat]

There are no rules! Just have fun with it!

[@AluminumAllium]

Just wondering, Does Yam have any lore?

[@YamAlbat]

Not yet! I’m making videos while I research the best approach for VTuber lore for my own character!

[@aramondehasashi3324]

Great video. For me personally I don't care about lore at all. I couldn't tell you what the lore is for my favorite Vtubers.

[@arinrumi]

Hello, I'm still new at vtuber fandom/culture.... Whatever this is.... Question, is it taboo to make a fanfiction about vtuber? Considering they we're real people?

[@YamAlbat]

It truly depends on each vtuber’s preferences. I believe as a default, making shipping or spicy fanfic is considered taboo. However, normal stories without such content wouldn’t be a problem to most VTubers

[@arinrumi]

@@YamAlbat Got it. I was never one to write those kind of stories (never find it within me...). I was planing to making a crossover with Transformers or Attack on Titans.😆

[@RemitheDreamfox]

My brain feels like it grew many wrinkles after watching this video (´・ω・｀)

[@YamAlbat]

now you can graduate with a degree in vtuber lore!

[@byunrosie]

vtuber lore goes way over my head. and im someone whos been writing my own stories long before i started streaming. theres something so wack about seeing the most dramatic and emotional lore video then clicking on the channel just to see its a cat girl playing fortnite or something. like???? thats embarassing??? idk whyi cringe so much at that but i am NOT having my lore be so deep knowing im gonna be making casual streams dawg. my lore video gotta actually reflect my channels vibes and not just be something cool youd see in some cool anime because cool. naturally it shouldnt be boring but you know.

[@jakejacob6729]

turn on subtitles, they are hilarious

[@YamAlbat]

Wow, KZbin really doesnt know the word VTuber, thats for sure lol

[@akiraguy]

I never knew holostars got a manga.

[@donnatienza7940]

Meanwhile, Phase Connect

[@YamAlbat]

Phase connect is awesome too 🥰

[@donnatienza7940]

@@YamAlbat I mean phase gen 2 lore involves sadgirls in a basement so .... Hahhaa

[@jamiekosch2562]

tank you for manchne me i m deviney omage apalth hav a nices day

[@rebeltheharem7028]

Rip Vshojo lore.

[@YamAlbat]

Yeah 😔

[@headontheclouds]

im sorry but WAS THAT THE BITE OF 87???

[@YamAlbat]

Finally a fellow internet user of culture