In 2021, Anime Corner gave a grand total of 16,000 VTubers, an eye-watering number of digital idols for the masses to enjoy. That was in 2021, and as we near 2023, the number of VTubers has likely only ballooned further. A new digital goddess has appeared, and her name is Hiroko. Dressed in a traditional schoolgirl uniform, with pink hair, she seems like just another anime girl. However, despite her youthful avatar and spirit, this new VTuber is actually an 85-year-old great-grandmother from Hiroshima, Japan.
Hiroko explained that she became a VTuber because her “idiot grandchild” recommended it. This grandchild told Hiroko that, as a VTuber, she could do things that she couldn’t in her youth. She took up the challenge and became the first elderly VTuber, and made an adorable debut video.
Her introduction video gives more insight, where she clarifies that she really is a spry 85-year-old grandmother, and that she isn’t using a voice changer. She embraces her golden age and takes delight in trying new things.
She adds one key line in her introduction, bidding her grandson not to regret the advice he gave her to become a VTuber. Given her popularity, he may or may not be boasting that his grandmother is a VTuber.
The comments are filled with praise and adoration for the ‘meta grandmother’ in both Japanese and English. Not all of her videos have English subtitles, so the language barrier might be a problem here and there.
Her debut trailer features stuff like karaoke and a ring game, but her videos thus far have been her talking about her life and offering advice to fans, such as when someone asked for advice about work, all of which is just incredibly wholesome.
Like many other VTubers, her conversational style is the appeal. She’s the wholesome grandmother. When asked what she values most, her reply was simple: money. Hiroko explained that money was key in life. She knows how things work, and we should also listen.
Her trip around the world via a virtual market, as invited by her “idiot grandson”, was pure and wholesome.
Her first trip was to Paris, a place she had never been to, and a ride on something she did not understand.
Watching this wonderful elder VTuber experience these things is a sight to behold. Hiroko currently has 36.7K subscribers, and she deserves far more. She uploads new videos daily, a feat many VTubers a quarter of her age can’t accomplish.
Hiroko is being hailed as the first member of the Meta Grandmas, a senior citizen VTuber idol unit that is currently being formed by Japanese media company Otagroup. A group of elderly digital idols passing on timeless wisdom sounds amazing, and I for one would pay to see a collab with Hololive or Nijisanji. Hiroko is member ‘zero’ of the group, and her future colleagues will all be female, 75 years old or older, a Japanese resident, in sound mental health, while also outgoing, a good singer, and “powerful”.
What do you think of the oldest VTuber in the world taking to YouTube? Are you looking forward to a wave of elderly VTubers dispensing wisdom and experiencing the height of the digital age? Let us know in the comments below.
