---
title: 'What I''ve Learned After 4 Years as a VTuber'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=KA1uZR0FPd0'
video_id: 'KA1uZR0FPd0'
date: 2026-08-06
duration_sec: 1074
---

# What I've Learned After 4 Years as a VTuber

> Source: [What I've Learned After 4 Years as a VTuber](https://youtube.com/watch?v=KA1uZR0FPd0)

## Summary

A VTuber reflects on four years of content creation, sharing the highs and lows of their journey, including a breakout video, subsequent complacency, and a renewed motivation after witnessing a fellow VTuber's graduation. The video emphasizes resilience, learning from failures, and the importance of community support.

### Key Points

- **Introduction and Background** [00:03] — The creator nearly quit after 464 live streams, 1,800 hours of YouTube Studio, and over four years of content creation since their first live stream on April 3, 2021. They share their story to help others learn from their experiences.
- **Origin Story** [01:25] — In 2020, during the pandemic, the creator discovered VTubers through Kizuna AI and later Hololive, particularly Kiryu Coco. This sparked their interest in becoming a VTuber as a way to combat loneliness and express themselves.
- **Early Content and Education** [04:02] — After debuting in January 2022, they created educational videos for aspiring VTubers, starting with 'How to be a VTuber,' which eventually gained traction and became a top Google result.
- **Breakout Success and Complacency** [05:13] — In May 2023, they uploaded 'Vtuber models are too expensive. So, I learned life duty in 7 days,' which became their most viewed video. However, they became complacent and uploaded only one video in the following months, leading to a decline in growth.
- **Turning Point** [08:33] — Watching Amelia Watson's graduation in October 2024 triggered a nostalgic reflection on their own journey, reminding them of the value they had provided to viewers and reigniting their motivation to continue.
- **Strategic Changes** [12:47] — The creator announced major changes: reducing streaming to once a week, focusing on meaningful content, and studying video-making techniques. They embraced experimentation and a long-term mindset.
- **Current Status and Lessons** [15:01] — As of April 2025, streams are gradually recovering. The creator emphasizes consistency, learning from failures, and celebrating small wins, viewing content creation as a marathon, not a sprint.

### Conclusion

The creator's journey underscores the importance of resilience, self-reflection, and community support in overcoming setbacks. They encourage viewers to remember their origins, keep trying, and appreciate the human impact behind the numbers.

## Transcript

I nearly quit being a VTuber after 464 live streams, 1,800 hours of YouTube Studio, and over four years of making content ever since my first live stream on April 3rd, 2021. It's been a crazy roller coaster, but despite it all, I'm
glad I stayed. And I wouldn't trade these years for anything in the world, I don't know. She's just really cool. Well, I was just I've had many failures, but amongst the rubble came some success. I've had things that I've
regretted, but also things that I'm glad I did despite being absolutely terrified. And I was able to pick myself back up again, all because of one unlikely moment. And that's what I want to share with you in this more personal
video by reminiscing over the past in hopes that you can learn something from my experiences, even if it's just a little bit. So stick around and maybe you'll find something that resonates with you. Look, I'm going to preface
anything special. There are many YouTubers out there who have reached a type of success that I could only dream of. I wasn't a part of any agency. I didn't know squad about Vtubing, live streaming, or content creation when I
started. I was just a guy who found this new medium really, really cool and interesting. That being said, I have learned a lot over the years. But to fully understand the story that I'm about to tell, let's first dive into why
I became a VTuber in the first place. Tell me why. Let's rewind time a few years and return to 2020. The global pandemic just hit and everyone was sent home. The world was truly isolated and one of the only ways we could keep
connected with each other was through the internet. I found out about VTubers back in the days of Kizuna Eye, but back then she just seemed like a cool concept, you know, something reserved for companies with the resources to do
for companies with the resources to do so. yet to hit global recognition. It wasn't until Hol live during the pandemic that I really got into it. And it all started with a certain orange dragon. Good
morning, Kiryako was my introduction to VTubers. I stuck around most others predominantly spoke Japanese. Today's top news are the sheep
up again in her owning stream by disconnecting over 60 time in one ass. I watched a bunch of her clips which naturally led me to the rest of Holive via the community of Clippers who also very kindly subtitles the videos for us
non-Japanese speakers to understand. And a huge shout out to you guys by the way. And then came Holive English and with it I was hooked. February 2021, I finally got to move into my own place, but my supposed housemate at the time was stuck
in Belgium for a while due to CO restrictions. So, for an entire half a myself. And being alone in that kind of environment during one of the loneliest times this generation has had to face really made me think. And after some
really made me think. And after some time, I came to a realization. I craved social interaction to stop this ever growing feeling of loneliness. I crave to explore something new but at the same time relive that joyous feeling of being
a part of something again with others who share the same passions. I crave to express myself how I saw fit as it was something that I've always struggled with due to past events. Always having to act like someone I was not just so I
could stay out of trouble and keep everyone happy. But here, I didn't have to worry about any of that. In an ironic twist, being a VTuber actually helped me feel like I was allowed to be myself, way, way more than I would have ever
been in the past. And funnily enough, it actually helped me become more comfortable with who I am in real life, too. Fast forward a few months of prep and a tweet to send me off, and my VTuber journey officially began. January
2022, after I officially debuted, I had decided to create a few videos that were aimed at helping aspiring VTubers kickstart their own journey. Sort of a things I wish I knew when I started type of idea. Because back then, when VTubers
were still fairly new in the grand scheme of things, there was very little At this stage, it had been about a year since I became a VTuber. And during that time, I had been asked a lot of the same VTuber related questions by my community
and some friends. So, I decided to hop onto the VTuber content train specializing in VTuber education. My first video was simply titled How to be a VTuber. A quick and simple video that explained all the key elements of being
a VTuber from what a VTuber even is to the process of acquiring a model and to get traction, but it eventually became a successful video in the end, fact, if you look up how to be a YouTuber on Google, you will likely find
my video on the front page, which is still so wild to me. My goodness. After that, I decided to create more and more content of the same type, becoming a sort of teacher in the space, which I enjoyed. But then came something
enjoyed. But then came something unexpected. In May 2023, I uploaded a video that absolutely shook me and my entire channel. Some of you might know it from the title. Vtuber models are too expensive. So, I learned life duty in 7
days. See, the thing is, I never expected this video to blow up as much as it did. I was even genuinely terrified uploading it because I had worked on it for so long and put in so much effort that if it were to flop, it
would have all been for nothing and I would have been devastated. but instead would have been devastated. but instead it became my most viewed video ever and by a mile. It was scary, but the risk paid off. Yeah, baby. That's what I've
about. It was the turning point of the channel, the breakout hit that I had been waiting for all this time. Or at least it was supposed to be had I not rested on my laurels and become complacent. Instead of taking advantage
of the opportunity that was literally handed to me on a silver platter, I did handed to me on a silver platter, I did nothing but upload a single video for months after then just nothing after
that. Nothing. I became the hair in the race. I started off strong ahead of the competition but rested too long before even crossing the finish line. And because of that, I had always felt this regret. If I had applied myself more, if
I had just been more consistent, if I had just ridden that wave of popularity had just ridden that wave of popularity that I had, I would have made it. And the streaming side of things weren't looking great either. I still streamed
on Twitch, but it was far less than before. I struggled to be consistent due times where I stopped streaming altogether for weeks or months. As you activity stats, the lack of content
combined with the lack of activity really hurt my growth. And while I always preach to focus on the quality and stop looking at the numbers, I myself couldn't help but look at the numbers, which in turn made me feel a
bit depressed because I knew I could have done better. The proof is right there. I have literally proven that this was possible for me. I had no excuse. I knew that my own downfall was because of my own actions or in this case a lack
my own actions or in this case a lack thereof. And it was frustrating on both the Twitch and especially YouTube side of things. It felt like I fell from the top of getting over it. Having to now make that arduous, difficult journey all
over again, knowing full well that I could have avoided that outcome had it not been for that one misstep. It was incredibly frustrating. I thought that was it. It's too late now. I've fallen out of relevancy and there's no coming
back from it. How on earth could I possibly get to where I was, let alone possibly get to where I was, let alone surpass what I had? 800,000 views on a single video. Hundreds of thousands of views on average. How could I possibly
views on average. How could I possibly reach that again with what I have now? At this point, I hadn't even uploaded in almost a year. I felt hopeless. Why even was even thinking about quitting altogether and graduating. But something
altogether and graduating. But something happened that stopped me. Somebody else quit. [Music] October 2024, Amelia Watson's graduation. I've
watched her since the beginning of Hollow Myth. So, watching her graduate flooded me with a lot of emotions, as I'm sure it did many of you, but it also made me remember all sorts of memories. And after watching her say goodbye for
the last time, after reminiscing about her time in Hollow Life, I felt compelled to take my own trip down nostalgia lane to look back on my own nostalgia lane to look back on my own bygone
stream. How are you guys doing today? I saw my privated practice streams that I made because I was so nervous about even thinking about starting stream that days before going live I would record myself as if I was live streaming just to get
some practice in like cramm studying the night before an exam. I saw my pre-debut streams and it reminded me of where I started. how I didn't want to spend any money, so I used the PNG model that I drew myself, and how Fugi and PNG Tuber
Plus weren't a thing back then, so I had to use an awkward Discord tool to even make my model reactable. I remembered how I talked to myself for hours until my first loyal viewer showed up in chat. Chuma, who still watches my streams to
this day, how I moved from Twitch to YouTube because I thought I could get more views because I could make live stream thumbnails. I saw the stream friends, some of which I'm still in contact with, while others have drifted
away or even quit altogether. But despite that, I remembered all the fun times we had together, all the cool plans we had in mind, the collabs, the late night calls, the silly group chat moments. The OGs of the channel might
even remember the VTuber group we started called Live OnX. A few of us even got models made by the same art mama. It almost felt like watching a once thriving city succumb to nature as time marched on by or that one regular
show meme. Then I scrolled to my post-debut content, still wondering how could I even match this. But then I saw something in the comments that I had forgotten about. People found my videos
valuable. They thanked me. It made something very clear to me. Despite the lows that I have faced, despite the regrets that I might have had, and despite how far I have fallen and how washed I thought of myself as,
there are people out there that I have helped in one way or another, and I had lost sight of that. I had gotten too into my own head. People have expressed their gratitude in the comments with some even starting Vtubing because of my
videos. It made me happy and hopeful again because it made me remember why I started doing all of this in the first place. I made these videos because I wanted to get other people interested in something that I loved, VTubing and
VTubers by providing content that I wish I had when I started. Moreover, I wanted a place to share my passion for it because I genuinely think that VTubers are really, really cool and more people should know about them. And I started
streaming because it was a way for me to reset and start over from all the crap that was happening in both the world and my personal life at the time. To have a new beginning this time, unafraid of being who I am. Sure, I'll inevitably
have people who don't like me, but I'm not here for them. I'm here for those not here for them. I'm here for those who enjoy my silly antics. Seeing all my old videos and streams made me realize just how far I had come and how much I
had grown as a content creator, a YouTuber, and as a person. So, I couldn't give up now. I shouldn't. Not after all of this, just because I was scared of a few numbers. And so, armed with a reignited fire in
my heart, I set out to make a big announcement stream to let my community know that I'll be making some major channel changes. If I wanted to progress this journey further in a feasible manner, I needed to make some major
changes to fit my life circumstances because if I tried to force it, then that's just inviting burnout. And that's the last thing I want to do after all of this. So, the first major change was a shift in streaming schedule down from
the usual three to four times a week to just one day a week, Tuesday evenings at 8:00 p.m. Irish time, by the way, if you want to stop by. I stopped worrying as much about being a partnered streamer and instead viewed my streams more as
something that complements my videos and a place to interact with my community and have fun. I wanted to approach things smarter using the knowledge that knowledge that I've been telling you guys in my videos, practicing what I
preach, so to speak. So, my main focus was now less on streams and more on putting out meaningful content given the time that I have available to me. On top of that, I've also started studying more about making good videos. There was so
much that I still didn't know, but I was more than willing to learn as much as I could. And then I uploaded my first YouTube video in almost a year. Granted, it didn't do very well compared to the previous videos. But instead of seeing
things from the point of view of comparison to my previous successes, I try to see it as an opportunity for experimentation. Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say, because now I was basically starting over. Now I had an
unprecedented chance to experiment with things and just try out different styles of content without having to worry or stress out too much about growth and affecting my channel's trajectory. I started uploading different things like
videos on my alt channels, art on my Twitter, I'll never call it X, by the way. You Elon, and more YouTube shorts. I even restarted my Tik Tok account. And because of all this experimentation, I learned a lot of things that will
inevitably improve the quality of my content going forward with this video likely being the first long form or as Ren Penrose calls it, YouTube longs, that demonstrate what I've learned so far. A proof of concept, if you will.
April 2025. Fast forward a few months to present day. My streams have gradually regained some viewership despite less streaming time. And it's still below my peak and nowhere near my desired goal,
but it's getting there slowly but surely. I'd rather be the turtis in the race this time around and celebrate the small victories while still moving forward. Trying not to obsess too much over numbers for the sake of numbers,
but rather look at them as something to leverage in order to make better content in general. Even if frequency is low, I find that as long as you're consistent in uploads and quality, people will show up. At the end of the day, this whole
content creation or Vtubing gig is anything but a sprint. It's a whole ass marathon, and it should be treated as such. What matters aren't the one hit wonders or the quick short-term growth. It's the consistent output and quality
content where each video, each stream, each Tik Tok is just a little bit better than the last. Even if it's not immediately visible right now, it will be over the long run. Even if you fall like I had, don't give up. Get back up.
Learn from your mistakes and try again. If you've proven you could do it before, what's stopping you from doing it again. Even if you fell from the top of getting over it, at least this time around, you'll know what to expect. You've had
practice. I mean, this is how speedr runners get so good, right? Because they fail so much they end up succeeding. Each failure is a lesson in and of itself. If there's anything to take from this video, let it be this. Remember
where you came from and keep on trying, even in less than ideal situations. Celebrate even the small W's, but avoid staying complacent. And always remember that subs and views aren't just numbers on a screen. Well, most of the time,
real human beings are behind them, too. So, if you get a new like, a new sub, a new viewer, just know that that's an entire ass human being that you've just positively impacted enough for them to show their support to you. Numbers can
important to zoom out and look at the bigger picture every once in a while. As bigger picture every once in a while. As for me, well, it's simple. I don't have a reason to quit. Not anymore. And that's thanks to all of you who have
supported me all these years through watching my streams, subscribing to my channels, and of course, leaving the very comments that pulled me out of the dark. I couldn't be more grateful to have such a wonderful community. Also,
what's basically a summary of my epiphies, you wouldn't think I'd just up and leave, did you? Well, maybe old me would, but current me is here to stick around for a while to
is here to stick around for a while to come. So, I'll see you in the next one. come. So, I'll see you in the next one. Ciao.