As Hololive Grows, One Star's Shocking Exit Is Rocking the Entire Industry: "The LeBron of Anime Idols"
It's official: One of Hololive's biggest talents is taking a step back after years of leading the company to greater heights within the VTubing community. In an announcement posted on April 15th, it was confirmed that Gawr Gura would be graduating on May 1st, leaving many anime fans saddened but not surprised.
VTubing, or Virtual YouTuber, is a type of content creation that blew up to new proportions shortly after the pandemic. Individuals at home would design a suitable avatar and create an entire persona built around this design. Instead of showing their faces, they would use this character to conduct streams, whether it be for art, talking with chat, or playing games with friends. Hololive is one of the many companies that hire outside talent to don a design of their choosing and debut with a similar cast of characters with whom they will often perform together.
Gawr Gura Is Officially Graduating From Hololive After Five Years
Leaving on Claims of Disputes With Management
While Hololive may have approximately 90 talents to manage, Gura's absence will absolutely be felt as she brought in a substantial amount of success after topping the charts as one of the most subscribed VTubers with 4,550,000 followers. This is no small feat, especially for a talent that works outside of Hololive's Japanese branch, where they often hit their largest numbers. The company got by for a while without losing any significant members of its talent, but now, in the last few months alone, it's announced the graduation of Nanashi Numei, Celes Fauna, Amelia Watson, and even more from their Japanese branch.
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Gawr Gura is a loud, energetic, and spirited person whose chaotic antics both surprised and entertained thousands of people. She was at the forefront of her agency and the Myth group she debuted with: Mori Calliope, Takanashi Kiara, Ninomae Ina'nis, and formerly Amelia Watson. Although her streams had grown fewer, she was still receiving a lot of attention for her past vods and ongoing projects, such as the concerts and events she would attend. This wouldn't be the first time she had a falling out with Hololive, having experienced burnout in the past, and while the specifics were not revealed, it was confirmed by Gura that ongoing disputes with management were the final straw.
It's not uncommon for VTubers to retire from an agency due to constantly having their projects and ideas passed over by upper management or continuously having to work under poor conditions. But it seems to be an ongoing trend for Hololive after many of its talents have stepped down just within the year of 2025 alone.
VTubing Has Become Just as Popular as Streamers and Vocaloids in the Anime Community
New Type of Entertainment That Gained Traction Post-Pandemic
VTubing has come a long way in the last few years, expanding to the west and bringing in new viewers for both the English and Japanese branches of major VTubing companies like Hololive and Nijisanji. People like Gawr Gura will even perform in concerts similar to Hatsune Miku, showcasing her talent for more than just streaming video games and talking with her chat.
- Created By
- Sasaki Wataru
- Cast
- Saki Fujita
With Gura stepping down, this is a major red flag of Hololive's decisions happening behind the scenes. Not only are their agency's business practices called into question, but there's a debate over what will happen to Gura's YouTube channel, as some companies have been known to lock them down. Among the sad farewells, fans have also encouraged Gawr Gura and thanked her for all the entertainment she's brought to all viewers who experienced her journey.
