KizunaAI

KizunaAI is often referred to as the first Vtuber, and is credited with coining the phrase “Virtual YouTuber”. She made her YouTube debut on November 29th 2016, reaching one million subscribers by December 2017. On July 15th 2018, she released her first original song, ‘Hello, Morning’, the same day she hit two million subscribers. Her first live show, hello, world, took place in December 2018.

After years of speculation, in 2020 it was confirmed that Kasuga Nozomi is KizunaAI’s voice. Then, in 2022, she held her final live show. “hello, world 2022” featured appearances from over 1000 “virtual friends”, and marked the debut of her vocal synth character #KZN. Following this, she announced an indefinite hiatus, going “to sleep” for three years.

In November 2024, a video titled Can you wake up? teased her return, counting down to February 26th 2025—the day she officially made her comeback with ‘Kamone’.