Tensions and Contestations in VTuber Circles: The “MetaBirthday” Project and/as Self-formation

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April 29, 2025

Tensions and Contestations in VTuber Circles: The “MetaBirthday” Project and/as Self-formation
Tensions and Contestations in VTuber Circles: The “MetaBirthday” Project and/as Self-formation

Volume 23

Abstract: Virtual YouTubers, also known as VTubers, are entertainers who use two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated characters to create entertaining virtual content online. This article explores a group project called the “MetaBirthday,” in which VTubers and their followers collaborated to write lyrics, compose music, design stage outfits, and shoot a music video. Through semistructured interviews with the group’s participants and close reading of their published textual material, this article interrogates how VTubers harness virtual and physical spaces to create a sense of mutual benefit, inspiration, and satisfaction in tension with the everyday realities of these spaces.

Keywords: VTuber, Self-formation, Metaverse, Creativity, Identity

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Volume 23

About the author:

Liudmila Bredikhina is researching virtual male kawaii practices among Japanese metaverse users and babiniku VTubers from a feminist standpoint. In 2022, she received the Prix Genre (Gender Prize) for her research on babiniku and Japanese traditional theatre. Her recent publications include “Babiniku: What Lies Behind the Virtual Performance. Contesting Gender Norms through Technology and Japanese Theatre” (Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, 2022) and “Becoming a Virtual Cutie: Digital Cross-Dressing in Japan” (Convergence, 2022). Since 2024, she is affiliated with South East Technological University (SETU), but she was not affiliated with the institution when conducting the research that is presented in this volume.

Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus is a peer-reviewed publication, providing critical analysis of the forces shaping the Asia-Pacific and the world.

    About the author:

    Liudmila Bredikhina is researching virtual male kawaii practices among Japanese metaverse users and babiniku VTubers from a feminist standpoint. In 2022, she received the Prix Genre (Gender Prize) for her research on babiniku and Japanese traditional theatre. Her recent publications include “Babiniku: What Lies Behind the Virtual Performance. Contesting Gender Norms through Technology and Japanese Theatre” (Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, 2022) and “Becoming a Virtual Cutie: Digital Cross-Dressing in Japan” (Convergence, 2022). Since 2024, she is affiliated with South East Technological University (SETU), but she was not affiliated with the institution when conducting the research that is presented in this volume.