A staple on YouTube is the “walking vlog” video content. This genre is appealing because it offers new discoveries, such as finding unexpected shops by walking down quiet alleys or learning about lesser-known aspects of famous tourist spots.
These kinds of walking videos are basically posted using live footage, so at first glance they might seem incompatible with VTubers who operate in virtual space. However, some have released walking videos with various creative approaches. This time, we’ll pick out and introduce some VTubers who have posted some of the most interesting ones.
Mito Tsukino
Mito Tsukino is a popular VTuber representing Nijisanji, and a creator who has consistently posted highly innovative videos. While she gives the impression of being active in many fields, she has also posted many walking videos. Rather than simple vlogs, each video has a theme, and she surprises viewers every time with unexpected ideas and production.
For example, in the video “I got lost in a village full of scarecrows while traveling alone,” Mito Tsukino takes viewers through an area filled with scarecrows but with hardly any people around, filming and narrating from a first-person perspective. The atmosphere is as if you’ve wandered into another world, and it’s amazing how such an otherworldly atmosphere can be created on a walking path depending on the perspective.
In addition to posting videos featuring board games, she also posts videos of walks and overseas trips with elaborate scenarios, as well as more traditional walking videos. As a result of continuing these activities, these themes have been incorporated into her original song “Aruku Universe.” Furthermore, the original game based on this song involves “controlling Mito Tsukino as she takes a walk,” attempting to give players a simulated walking experience.
Furthermore, many avid fans visit the walking routes and tourist spots that Mito Tsukino has traveled, almost as a pilgrimage. The music video for the original song “Michikusa-ism,” created by multiple fans, also features footage of them retracing her walking paths. In this way, these “walking videos” have become so important that they connect her with her fans.
Furthermore, between scenes, movements recorded using the mobile motion capture device “mocopi” are reflected in the 3D model, creating an experience that makes you feel as if you are right there with Mito Tsukino.
Rokuya Fuya
Independent VTuber Rokuya Fuya gained attention with her “Self-Tsukino Proclaimed Walking Mito” video, which pays homage to Mito Tsukino’s walking videos. As the title suggests, the video shows her pretending to be Mito Tsukino and deciding on a walking route, but it also incorporates elements of Mito Tsukino’s style, such as using the AI ChatGPT to determine destinations and making witty comments on strange things she finds around town. The tone of her voice and the way the scenes are edited are also reminiscent of the original.
Even before the video that went viral, he frequently posted walking videos, showing his love for exploring cities. He sometimes intentionally takes on spontaneous challenges, such as “deliberately avoiding tourist spots” or “deliberately not looking at a map,” and his improvisational skills in picking up interesting topics he finds along the way are on full display. It is precisely because it is unplanned that the joy of discovering something new while walking is conveyed, and it is full of the charm of a vlog.
While the screen primarily displays a Live2D model, details such as separate selfie-style animations and illustrations for walks were prepared to enhance the sense of the person’s presence.
Tetra Shikishima
Virtual singer Tetra Shikishima actively posts walking vlogs, and her posting frequency is quite high. Her main routes are around Tokyo, and, combined with her love of alcohol, many of her videos feature food and drink. Her choice of destinations is appealing because they are calm and sophisticated walking routes. She also has a wealth of knowledge about the areas she visits and the food, so you can learn useful information from her videos.
While the overall atmosphere is somewhat melancholic, the humor interspersed with jokes makes it very pleasant to listen to, which is a major selling point. Although the tone and editing are pop-oriented, the style carefully depicts the retro feel and melancholy of the towns it portrays, and many of the thumbnails, in particular, evoke a decadent aesthetic. There are likely many fans who appreciate the contrast between this style of expression and her personality.
The videos primarily feature 3D models of VTubers, and the overall content is easy to understand and follow, making them perfect for those who want to start listening to walking vlogs.
Ponpoko, Peanut-kun
Koga-ryu Ninja Ponpoko and Peanut-kun were among the first VTubers to conduct outdoor filming with mocopi, and they have released numerous videos of city tours and travel. In particular, their videos in which they spontaneously decide on a project, spend a day separately, and report the results have become a staple. From challenging projects like “Spending 24 Hours in Tokyo for 0 Yen” to videos that fully showcase their individual hobbies, such as visiting 100-yen shops, local Chinese restaurants, and saunas, the charm of this VTuber duo lies in the fact that you can enjoy videos that fully showcase their individual hobbies.
They have filmed extensively throughout Japan and overseas, consistently creating entertaining videos with remarkable vitality. Furthermore, a strong commitment to realism is evident in every video; for example, in eating scenes, the 3D avatars appear to be genuinely eating. The camera is also close in these scenes, demonstrating a careful attention to creating a natural, vlog-like feel.
The videos feature a wide variety of presentation styles, including not only 3D models created with mocopi, but also puppets of the VTubers themselves, illustrations of Peanut-kun, and more, always full of playful elements that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, even those unfamiliar with VTubers.
Lim Azuma
Lim Azuma is a VTuber who has been active for many years, like Mito Tsukino and PokoPii, but in recent years has been attracting attention with her touring videos where she travels around various places on her motorcycle. She fell in love with the Cub Super at first sight and decided to get her license. Her journey from driving on public roads for the first time to touring to the sea reminded me of theドキドキ (excitement) of trying something new for the first time. In addition to motorcycles, she also makes videos of city tours, camping, and fishing.
The film realistically depicts Lim Azuma’s daily life, including scenes of her riding her motorcycle to pay car tax and university tuition, and ordering replacement parts for her broken bike, giving the viewer an ongoing perspective on her story. Furthermore, despite her gentle and warm demeanor, glimpses of her unique thoughts and perspectives can be seen within her speech.
Furthermore, Lim Azuma’s vlogs consistently feature 3D models, and she even drives her motorcycle in her own 3D form, creating the impression that the VTuber is actually there. This is a major highlight. The scenery captured by the in-car camera and other elements set her vlogs apart from others.
Kairi
While creator Kairi isn’t a VTuber herself, she’s been posting videos using innovative techniques that connect to VTuber culture, so I’m including it here. Her videos are of late-night walks, but she creates fictional walking vlogs by overlaying animations of a girl walking onto live-action scenery.
Although the character is fictional, the way the lighting is adjusted to match the brightness of the scene, and how the character picks up a chocolate wrapper that has fallen on the ground, blurs the lines between animation and live-action, resulting in a high level of realism that makes you think the character is really taking a walk. The choice of topics discussed during the walk is also exquisite, and the somewhat awkward and abrupt amateur perspective makes the content feel more like a vlog.
How do VTubers connect with the outside world?
While walking vlogs are often perceived as laid-back and accessible videos, VTubers also represent an experiment in how to integrate virtual beings into reality, and past examples have shown a great deal of sophisticated production.
The increase in these types of videos is due to the fact that the hurdles to merging reality and virtual reality, which were previously difficult to express technically, are decreasing year by year. In particular, since the release of mocopi, it has become easier for individual VTubers to film outdoors with 3D avatars. More recently, software like “Flow Studio,” which replaces real-life footage with 3D avatars, has appeared, indicating that the development of AR is having a significant impact on VTuber videos.
Interestingly, in recent years, a trend of VTuber fans going out has been frequently observed, mainly on social media. This is likely due to the popularity of “plushie photography,” where fans take photos with VTuber plushies, which has made these outings more visible on social media. With VTuber real-life events now being held nationwide, the increasing tendency for both VTubers and fans to venture out into the wider world is a noteworthy change.
The “walking vlog” genre shows that VTubers, who originated from the YouTube screen, are reaching out to the outside world. Let’s look forward to its further enrichment through technological advancements and new forms of expression.
This article is an English translation of an original Japanese article, translated by the Mogura VR editorial team.