VTuber Watch Hours is a weekly news column discussing the most watched VTubers on Twitch. Every week includes data on the top 15 VTubers in terms of time viewed, utilizing data from Streams Charts’ 7-day Twitch VTuber report. New columns are shared every week on Tuesdays.

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Welcome back to the second VTuber Watch Hours column. Today marks a pretty significant report: We just finished Zentreya’s final days as part of VShojo, Shylily is back from Anime Expo, and we have some new contenders for top watch hours. As I predicted last week, Clio Aite is no longer in the top 15, but that’s not surprising. Catch last week’s column for more information on her and the larger Phase Connect sphere. We’ll be keeping a close eye on MariMari; expect an independent news story the moment she crosses the 100,000 follower threshold on Twitch or YouTube.

Now then, we’re approaching the halfway point through July. Let’s see who’s trending in the VTuber landscape over on Twitch.

July 8th to 14th: The Top 15 Most Watched VTubers

The following list includes data on the top 15 VTubers for hours watched, sorted by top to lowest performer. If a VTuber is represented by a specific agency or talent group, the organization will be named in parentheses. VTubers are ranked across languages.

1. Kanae (Nijisanji): 328,586 hours watched
2. Ironmouse (VShojo): 267,942 hours watched
3. AdmiralBahroo (United Talent): 236,262 hours watched
4. Zentreya (VShojo, then independent): 196,618 hours watched
5. Yumeno Akari (VSPO!): 184,281 hours watched
6. Kamito: 170,500 hours watched
7. Shylily (Mythic Talent): 158,801 hours watched
8. Hiiragi Tsurugi (Neo-Porte): 148,321 hours watched
9. KSP (Meridian Project): 146,832 hours watched
10. Crelly: 132,171 hours watched
11. Olivia Monroe (3AM Talent): 122,822 hours watched
12. Filian (Mythic Talent): 121,047 hours watched
13. Ork Podcaster: 109,273 hours watched
14. Kiruma: 106,820 hours watched
15. hennie2001: 104,444 hours watched

A couple of interesting takeaways for this week’s stats. First, hours across the Top 15 were up for the past week compared to the last. Remember, last week’s statistics calculated viewership during Anime Expo and July 4th weekend. Many American viewers were likely away from their computers for the holiday, eating hot dogs and getting some time in the sun. Others might have gone to AX instead. Now that July 4th has come and gone, more viewers were likely bored at home during the past week, and thus likely to tune back in and watch VTubers across the industry.

Also of note? Shylily is back as the top Mythic Talent VTuber, surpassing Filian by over 37,000 hours. Still, Filian is the second most watched Twitch VTuber in Mythic Talent among the group’s 7-day data — as well as the second most watched as of today’s 30-day stats. That’s pretty impressive, and a sign Filian will continue to dominate the Top 15 both within Mythic Talent and across the larger VTubing landscape.

VTubing without a VTubing industry: Ork & Kamito

Of particular note from today’s statistics are Ork Podcaster and Kamito, two gaming-focused streamers. Both tend to be described as VTubers even though they do not identify as VTubers themselves. Japanese streamer Kamito directly rejects the term, despite the fact reports and studies generally describe him as one. Ork Podcaster, meanwhile, is a Russian content creator who has used a virtual avatar for far longer than the existence of the VTubing industry. While he doesn’t outright reject the term “VTuber,” it’s not one he embraces. Today, he exists in an odd state as the most recognized Russian VTuber de facto while being somewhat disconnected from the RuVTubing sphere.

In other words, Ork and Kamito represent the capacity for growth and success without necessarily participating in a so-called “VTuber industry.” One could describe them as VTubers, and they might impact or influence VTubing. But content creation via a virtual avatar is not tied to a specific network of agencies and creators. It’s a medium and form that anyone can do. Even you, dear reader. And as long as you put the effort in, you can be successful. Even if you don’t audition for an agency.

Even if ENVTubing agencies crash, there’s still a silver lining

In previous articles for Waypoint, I mentioned potential issues that could negatively impact the standing of the ENVTubing industry. More specifically, I believe that negative press coverage and perceived toxicity may combine with economic downturn to dry up income opportunities for smaller ENVTubing agencies. This seems particularly likely given the general top-heavy nature of the VTubing landscape. Per a study on YouTube VTubers, the top agencies are more likely to collect the lion’s share of Super Chats from viewers compared to the top indie talent and smaller agencies. Combine this with the fact that Gen Z is generally cutting back on leisure spending, and it seems inevitable that smaller agencies will see significant revenue setbacks — all while Hololive and Nijisanji continue to secure the most revenue proportionally.

The good news is, even if the ENVTubing industry does see a crash, Kamito and Ork prove that content creation via a virtual avatar is here to stay. One’s personality, content focus, or relationship with their audience, all these are more important than collabing with big names connected to big agencies. If your content fulfills a niche, and if people in that niche like you, success of some shade will come. Yes, as last week’s report on YouTube proves, you might not make as much as Pekora at Hololive or Kanae at Nijisanji, but not everyone shoots for the stars. Some are happy reaching the moon.

That, to me, suggests good things for VTubers. Regardless of what happens to the ENVTubing industry over the next 12 months, the medium itself is here to stay. Just keep a close eye on your favorite agency-affiliated VTubers outside of Holo and Niji. Their fate might be a bit more ambiguous, forcing them back into the realm of indie VTubing.