Why Are VTubers Growing So Fast in the U.S. and Beyond?
Hololive Production is one of the biggest names in the virtual influencer world. The agency manages more than 80 VTubers who collectively draw over 90 million YouTube subscribers.
Gawr Gura, once one of its most recognizable talents with 4.65 million subscribers, recently left the agency. Before her departure, she even performed “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at a Los Angeles Dodgers game—a moment that showed how quickly VTubers were gaining attention in the U.S.
Even with a few major creators stepping away, Hololive still held six of the top ten VTuber streamers. Its parent company, Cover, brought in $314.2 million in revenue over the past year.
What’s Next
Hololive sits at the center of the growing VTuber trend.
YouTube viewers watched 462 million hours of VTuber content in Q3 2025. An AI‑driven VTuber recently hit 160,000 active subscribers, becoming the most‑subscribed streamer on Twitch.
The U.S. audience is expanding fast. While Japan still leads with 43% of the top 4,000 VTubers, creators from the U.S. now make up more than 20%.
Other players are rising too. Phase Connect, a Vancouver‑based agency, has talents reaching over 400,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, AKA Virtual is designing avatars for creators and brands, including a Sonic‑themed series for SEGA that pulled in 7 million TikTok views in under a month.