Houshou Marine passes Kizuna Ai to become Japan’s most subscribed VTuber

Houshou Marine has become the most subscribed Japanese VTuber on YouTube after the Hololive Gen 3 member surpassed one of the industry’s pioneers, Kizuna Ai.

Hololive was one of the first VTuber agencies founded having debuted its first member in September 2017 when Tokino Sora took the stage. Later talents and generations would follow with 2nd Generation in 2018 and Hololive Fantasy in 2019.

However, Hololive is actually predated by the likes of Moemi Yumeno, Nora Cat, and Kizuna Ai, the latter of whom is widely recognized as being one of the leading pioneers of VTubing.

For the longest time, Kizuna Ai’s early start saw her dominate as Japan’s most subscribed VTuber but several years after her debut someone else has now taken top spot.

Hololive’s Houshou Marine passes 3 million subs on YouTube

Houshou Marine has surpassed Kizuna Ai to become the most subscribed VTuber in Japan on January 10, 2024.

Marine passed 3 million subscribers hitting a total of 3.01m, taking over Kizuna Ai’s sub count of 3m. This marks the first time Kizuna Ai has been overtaken by another JP VTuber on YouTube since the legend debuted in November 2016.

While certainly an impressive landmark it’s important to note that this isn’t quite an all-time record. Kizuna Ai’s sub count peaked at 3.09m in April 2022. At her current rate of growth, Marine will likely reach that number sooner rather than later.

The former number one’s growth was stunted when Kizuna Ai went on “indefinite hiatus,” following her The Last Live concert. She has returned in some capacity since but these appearances have been infrequent with the virtual idol’s focus shifted elsewhere.

The most subscribed VTuber worldwide is another story with Hololive EN’s Gawr Gura amassing an incredible 4.42 million subscribers on YouTube. Equally, Gura’s channel is still growing despite the EN member not streaming as often these days.