"Let’s do our best together from here on out!”
For our first edition of Spotlight on IRIAM: Meet the Streamer, we’re joined by Nyaru - also known as nyaruchuuu! She’s an Eternal Shooting Star VTuber Idol who’s always running toward her bright dreams. Her fifth streaming anniversary is soon approaching after debuting in September of 2020. Nyaru originally started out as an idol performing J-Pop covers across the country until she decided to take a step back from that life. Now, Nyaru shines on a Virtual Stage!
She loves idol culture, FPS video games, cooking, crafting, and, most of all, being given a chance to be part of your everyday life!
What inspired you to become a VTuber?
I’ll be honest, I had no idea what VTubers really were until I took a trip to Japan in January 2020, right before COVID shutdowns. The most I knew of was Kizuna Ai, but it never got deeper than that. At the beginning of that year, I felt lost, almost as if I didn’t have a purpose in life. I considered myself a failure of an idol after trying for so many years with no real success compared to my peers. I was ready to give up. In a way, I escaped to Japan to find answers on what I should do next.
After attending a few idol concerts, my spirits were lifted and I left feeling inspired, but not enough to take serious action. I was ready to go back, finish up school, and continue living a normal life as a normal idol fan. That was until I kept seeing so many advertisements for Hololive, Dennou Shojo Shiro, Pinky Pop Hepburn, and Kaguya Luna. I did research about VTubers during the trip and decided to try it out! I even played around with character design ideas on the plane ride back. The original plan was to try streaming first to see if I like it. If I did, I would invest in a model and take it more seriously… starting next year. School, work, and other obligations were taking priority at the time. We all know what happened next: the shutdowns.
After being furloughed from work and finishing school, I had nothing to do. This resulted in the fast tracking of my original plan to keep me occupied. I didn’t imagine I would be good at it, let alone find success. I even thought I wouldn’t last a year doing this. Yet, here I am, four years later. It’s funny how a simple Japan trip and being locked in a house right after can alter your whole life in the blink of an eye!
Many VTubers combine their idol activities with fantasy traits like being animals or otherworldly beings. What motivated you to present yourself as a human idol?
When I started VTubing in 2020, the big meme was cat girl VTubers. Everyone was trying to be a cat girl character! As much as I wanted to follow the trend, I didn’t want to fall into the endless sea. I don’t really consider myself extraordinary or standout-ish enough to carry fantasy or animal elements as well. All I had in mind was one requirement: idol. To me, idols are the average girl-next-door types who are just trying to survive life and chase their ambitions with a smile on their face. I felt adding those fantasy and animal characteristics would take away from that relatability I love so much about idols. At the end of the day, idols are humans who feel the same things we all feel. Being a human VTuber just made sense, and I don’t regret the decision!
You’ve been a streamer for some years and have experienced it as both a corporate and indie VTuber. What exactly drew you to audition for IRIAM, and how have your previous circumstances shaped your decision?
When I first started VTubing, I was part of a VTuber Agency known as Shirayuri Productions (ShirayuriPro). I was selected as their 2nd adopted talent, and it’s how I gathered my corporate VTubing experience! Through ShirayuriPro, I was given many opportunities for various gigs, one of them being IRIAM! We began working with IRIAM back in 2022 via feedback interviews about our experiences being VTubers in the West. We even got offered to be one of the first few streamers on the app before the Founding Streamer program was established. At one point, my agency even had plans to have a whole IRIAM-exclusive generation!
Unfortunately, ShirayuriPro disbanded in November 2023 due to the declining health of our CEO. However, our CEO let us keep in contact with all previous partners and assisted in reconnecting us to IRIAM as independent talents. From there, I continued collaborating with IRIAM and became a Founding Streamer soon after! I really believed in IRIAM’s mission and wanted to do what I could to help. As platforms like Twitch and YouTube began mistreating VTubers, so did my drive to see IRIAM succeed. We already lost one VTuber friendly platform and we desperately needed somewhere to feel safe and understood. IRIAM has really become that place for me and so many others!
Many people think IRIAM is trying to become the next Twitch or YouTube and it’s simply not the case. IRIAM is an alternative platform made for VTubers and ran by industry professionals who have been working with VTubers since as early as 2018! It makes the world of a difference knowing the platform you are on is run by those who understand VTubing. If I can leave one request for everyone is to not let IRIAM down! Please support IRIAM to help the growth of the VTubing industry!
“A piece of advice I love to give newbie VTubers is to love what you do."
From charity streams to event coordination, you’ve taken part in an impressive range of projects throughout your streaming journey on top of being on IRIAM. How do you keep everything balanced while still giving so much energy to your community?
What really helps me keep going is my genuine love for the craft! I've had so many hobbies come and go throughout my life, but one has never stuck as hard as VTubing. I love the absolute high of seeing communities come together for a greater cause or cheering their heart out for their oshi at events like OffKai Expo! I keep chasing it again and again with all my projects. A piece of advice I love to give newbie VTubers is to love what you do.
Recently, I came across a status of a VTuber struggling with declining viewership and unable to keep talking during livestreaming. When I first started, I also struggled with the same issues. What changed for me was when I changed my perspective on my livestreaming hobby. If you can't love your hobby when no one is watching, do you really love doing said hobby? Once I changed that perspective, I found myself more success in various areas, and it's helped me maintain a healthy relationship with livestreaming! In fact, I loved it so much that I ended up streaming 3x a day at one point, on top of my real life job, business meetings, singing practice, OffKai Expo obligations, event organizing, convention attendances, and more!
Overall, if you genuinely love what you do as a streamer, you won't struggle to stay committed, figure out how to schedule everything, and continue doing your best. I try my best to approach all aspects of life with this mentality now. Even if I find out I don't like something, I would still rather find out I don't like it than force myself to like it and build resentment. It's ok to not like something, but forcing yourself to like it because it's what everyone is doing will only make you angry at yourself, your efforts, and the overall medium.
What kind of streams can viewers expect from you on IRIAM?
Just like my Twitch and YouTube, you can expect a variety of streams ranging from Just Chatting or Interactive Streams! IRIAM is a more chatter-focused type of platform, so it has really challenged me in coming up with streams that don’t rely on a video game or showing something on a screen other than your model. My favorite streams at the moment are challenge streams like Banned Words! During the OffKai Expo Venue Ads Event, I came up with a new challenge stream for myself called Double Speed Karaoke Requests. If someone sends in a certain amount of gifts or points, I can sing their song request at double speed! It made for hilarious moments where we couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous the song sounded! However, after big in-app events, I’ll always fall back to the simple just chatting to relax, singing regular karaoke, or doing focused topics / Q&A style to get to know newcomers or share my knowledge!
“Someone like me can work together with my community to achieve opportunities I would have only dreamed about!"
What are some memorable moments or streams you've had on IRIAM?
The most memorable moment for me was ranking in my first event! In February, IRIAM hosted a Collaboration Sake Event with the North American Sake Company. Seeing my community go all out because I said, “Hey, I want to hit a goal! Let’s do it together on IRIAM!” made for an unforgettable moment I never thought would happen! We’ve all seen Hololive members with their own sake, and now I’m gonna be the first EN indie with my own?! Winning the event made me realize how powerful IRIAM can be for the average independent VTuber. Someone like me can work together with my community to achieve opportunities I would have only dreamed about! However, I still have fun moments made during actual streams like, mentioned earlier, how hilarious my Double Speed Karaoke Requests were. I still remember laughing so hard with chat, trying to sing songs at double speed! It’s always a good feeling when a new idea is so successful that you do it again!
Do you have any upcoming events we can look forward to?
I’ll be virtually attending major conventions around the US this summer alongside MosoBox! We'll be conducting virtual Meet & Greets and Concert experiences for attendees!
Editor: meira
Help us choose the next streamer for "Spotlight on IRIAM"! If you'd like to recommend an IRIAM streamer (including yourself!), please use the form below to submit your suggestion.
Streamer Recommendation Form for "Spotlight on IRIAM: Meet the Streamer"