VTuber agencies and auditions: indie, branches and generations
Understand agencies, branches and generations through hololive, NIJISANJI EN and Phase Connect examples. Compare official auditions, prepare work samples and check who can open the video you submit.
Updated
How to understand a VTuber’s affiliation
The same person may appear under a company, a branch and a unit, while also making songs with other creators. These are different relationships. Knowing which one you are reading helps you find related work and follow a career without mixing periods.
Independent and agency: what each label tells you
In this guide, independent or indie describes someone who does not operate under a particular VTuber agency or project. It does not mean they personally make every illustration, model, edit and song. To find out who did a particular job, read that production’s credits rather than the affiliation label.
Agency-affiliated describes a public relationship with a company or project. For example, hololive’s official introduction describes streams, concerts, animation and other productions. An agency name helps you discover that creative setting; it does not by itself identify a songwriter or reveal a private contract, income or character ownership.
A merchandise partnership is not agency membership
Kawa Entertainment shows why the relationship matters: its homepage presents merchandise services for creators. In the store FAQ, Muu Inanaku describes both its time as a VTuber agency and producing merchandise for a creator who was not signed as a talent. The same brand can appear in different contexts.
When you find a VTuber in a store, check what service that page describes. A product or commercial collaboration alone does not establish current agency membership, character ownership or activity status. For current affiliation, look for an explicit statement from the creator or organization and keep the historical relationship separate.
Company, project and language branch are not the same thing
Read the names from broad to specific. A company may present a project, with branches and units within it. The hololive website links separate official channels for hololive, hololive English, hololive Indonesia, ReGLOSS and FLOW GLOW. These are content entry points, not interchangeable names for one person.
OBSYDIA’s announcement places it within the English-speaking NIJISANJI EN project. EN identifies that language context. It does not establish each member’s nationality, residence or exclusive language; a creator may collaborate or release work in another language.
Generation, wave and unit: ask what event created the group
A generation or wave usually helps you follow a group introduced during the same period. Do not assume every project numbers groups in the same way, or that every unit consists of newcomers. Find the formation or debut announcement and keep the terminology it uses.
Promise illustrates the difference: the October 2023 announcement brought together five hololive English talents who already had their own activities. It also explained Project:HOPE’s closure and IRyS’s move to Promise. That makes 2023 the unit’s formation year, not a replacement individual debut date. The timeline on this page provides the earlier context.
A division is not automatically a generation either
Phase Connect presents Phase Invaders as a division. Its navigation distinguishes it from Phase 01 – OriginS, Phase 02 – ALiAS and Phase 03 – Euphoria. That structure helps you find related creators, but is not a reason to relabel Invaders as a fourth numbered generation.
The official page also contains fictional character stories. Keep them separate from professional events: arriving from another world is a character premise, not a hiring date. For a route through actual work, Dizzy Dokuro’s profile connects songs and collaborations; the Phase Connect directory opens up further reading.
Dates and counts: separate people, channels and broadcasts
Advent’s announcement introduces five talents, but Fuwawa and Mococo share the FUWAMOCO channel. The schedule spread the debuts over two days. Five people, four channels and the broadcast slots answer different questions; the numbers do not need to match.
Record the time zone too. The announced start on July 29, 2023 PDT falls on July 30 JST. Keep the announcement’s publication date separate from the event date. This lets you compare sources without mistaking a calendar difference for an error or treating a first group collaboration as everyone’s individual debut.
A historical roster does not replace current status
A debut announcement records who was introduced at that time. It is not enough to determine who still belongs to the agency, who has paused broadcasts or who now takes part in a work. Read the dates of later announcements and distinguish the end of an activity from an affiliation change.
The OBSYDIA case later on this page keeps its original introduction separate from subsequent departures. Use that history to understand the group, not as an active-member list. An individual profile and the relevant announcement are the next reading step for a specific situation.
Affiliation helps you find work; credits tell you who took part
Sharing an agency or generation does not automatically credit everyone on a song, concert or collaboration. Find the performers and credits for that particular release. Character illustration, songwriting, performance and video production are different jobs.
OBSYDIA is a useful example because its original music announcement distinguishes the vocals from production work. The longer case compares releases from different periods. To explore without losing those differences, follow a work and its named participants first, then their profiles, and only then broaden out to the unit or agency.
Where to find official VTuber auditions
Start on the organisation’s official website and follow its application link. Save the page and recruitment notice you read: an old news item, a translation and the current form can describe different processes. The two examples below help you compare; check their status when applying, because this guide does not maintain a list of open calls.
| Organisation | What to read | What to distinguish |
|---|---|---|
| hololive production | Audition page and its Entry link. | The page’s language alone does not identify a branch or recruitment call. |
| Phase Connect | Audition page and FAQ. | Read the explanation about retaining a character and Phase Invaders. |
How to check a VTuber audition or scouting message
An agency name and logo do not by themselves identify the person contacting you. In a November 11, 2024 notice, Brave group confirmed that someone had impersonated its staff on IRIAM and invited people to audition. It said its staff did not make that kind of public comment on streaming platforms. This is a documented case, not a rule about how every agency makes contact.
An externally hosted form does not establish a scam either: hololive production’s official English audition page links its Entry button to Google Forms. The useful check is the route from the official website, rather than the form’s host or a forwarded screenshot alone.
| What you receive | Useful check | Limit of that evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Scouting message or public comment | Find a contact published by the organisation and ask through that route. | A display name, logo or claimed relationship with a talent does not establish identity. |
| Google Forms or another external form | Reach the form through the official recruitment page’s button. | A familiar form-hosting domain does not identify the form’s author. |
| Payment request | Compare that call’s costs: hololive states that its audition is free, with expenses such as transport paid by applicants. | That condition does not describe every agency’s fees. |
| Password request or message-linked sign-in | Do not reply with your password; open the service you intend to use directly. | Google recommends this route for message links asking for credentials. |
- Open the official website independently and find the recruitment page; compare its form link with the one you received.
- If the identity or an instruction does not match, use the contact published on the official website. A reply from the same sender is not independent confirmation.
- Keep the recruitment URL and date for your own records. Once you have confirmed the recipient, prepare and test the video according to the form’s instructions.
Requirements, welcome skills and an existing character
The general hololive page requires applicants to be at least 18 and separates requirements from welcome skills; it says nationality and gender are unrestricted. Check the call’s other conditions. It also states that passing an audition does not guarantee a debut.
Phase Connect explains that an existing character is usually not retained, though a Phase Invader fit may be possible. Treat that as a possibility to clarify, rather than a promise to every applicant, before building a proposal around your current character.
The table is an editorial comparison tool. It does not list universal requirements or replace what each application form asks for.
| Record | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Call and date checked | Which organisation, project and process does the form belong to? |
| Age, residence and language | Which conditions are mandatory and which are preferences? |
| Availability and current commitments | Can you meet the published schedule and conditions? |
| Character and materials | Are you presenting your existing character or a different proposal? |
| Samples and access | What format and limits does the form specify? Do the links work? |
How to organise work samples for a VTuber audition
In their official 2025 interview, FUWAMOCO recommend identifying your strengths and showing them clearly. That is the performers’ experience, rather than a selection rubric or a guarantee. This editorial workflow helps turn your skills into examples another person can evaluate.
- Read the form first. Record its requested materials, limits and access settings, then prepare the submission for that particular application.
- Choose what to demonstrate: conversation, acting, singing, comedy, gaming, languages or production. Connect each skill you claim to a sample.
- Explain your role and make the relevant moment easy to find. For collaborative work, distinguish your contribution from other people’s work; claim only what the sample demonstrates.
- Check the audio, file and links from a session that is not signed into your account. Avoid relying on access permissions the reviewer does not have.
- Keep a copy of what you submitted, the date and the contact you provided. Follow that call’s instructions for questions, changes or future applications.
Audition video: public, unlisted or private?
Follow the call’s requested visibility. On YouTube, unlisted and private differ: unlisted allows viewing through the link; it does not restrict access to the selection team.
| Visibility | Access | What it means for your submission |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone. | Can appear on your channel and in search. |
| Unlisted | Anyone holding the link. | Can be reshared and appear in a public playlist. |
| Private | Only selected viewers. | Sending the URL alone does not grant access. |
Before submitting the link: check upload and playback
This is an editorial delivery check, not an audition format required by every agency. Use it when the call accepts YouTube links, following its limits and requested access period.
YouTube processes lower resolutions first. If HD is missing, open Settings → Quality in the player and wait for the intended resolution to appear; distinguish processing from a problem in your original file.
- Check the form for the requested link type, length and visibility.
- In YouTube Studio, upload the file, choose Visibility and save. Closing the window before completing that choice can leave the video private.
- Open the exact watch link, rather than the Studio editing page. If it must be unlisted or public, also test it while signed out.
- Play the beginning and each relevant sample: check voice, image and any moments you cite. Compare with your local file if something differs.
- Keep the submitted file, URL and date. Maintain access for the requested period and follow the call’s instructions for later changes.
A short route for comparing profiles and discovering content
You do not need to rank every agency by size before choosing something to watch. Start with music, conversation, games or a work that interests you, then use affiliation to discover connections. The following is an editorial reading route, not a rule imposed by the companies cited here.
- Identify the official account and individual name as well as the group name.
- Separate the company or project, language branch and unit or generation.
- Check whether a source describes a historical formation, a work or current status.
- Keep the announcement date, event date and time zone separate.
- Choose a specific work and read its credits without extending them to the whole agency.
- Continue through its participants’ profiles and directories in your reading language.
Follow the people, their work and their connections
Selen Tatsuki and OBSYDIA: original members, works and history
A generation records a shared beginning, but does not guarantee that its members still belong to the same agency. OBSYDIA offers three connected reading paths: the original debut, the credits of each work and later affiliation changes. Start with Black Out, then explore Selen Tatsuki’s, Rosemi Lovelock’s and Petra Gurin’s individual work.
2021: who debuted in OBSYDIA, and when?
ANYCOLOR’s announcement introduced Rosemi Lovelock, Selen Tatsuki and Petra Gurin as NIJISANJI EN’s second group. Their accounts began operating on July 14, 2021. The debut programme began on July 17 at 7 p.m. PDT, equivalent to July 18 at 11 a.m. JST. Account launch and first broadcast are different events; one date should not silently replace the other.
Selen was introduced with the Japanese name セレン 龍月 and a lunar dragon character. That is a character premise, not evidence of nationality or a private biography.
What to listen to: the original trio and later credits
Black Out is the musical entry point to the original trio. Its official video lists Selen, Rosemi and Petra; it separates OBSYDIA’s vocals from TeddyLoid’s writing and production, with Ryushen credited for the lyrics story. Performing a song does not make all three singers responsible for every production role.
By contrast, It’s Showtime!! lists Petra and Rosemi in its OBSYDIA credits. Use each video’s own credits to identify that work’s participants: original generation membership is not a reason to attribute a later song to Selen when she is not listed.
2023: voice recordings as another creative format
The Pampering Voice and Scolding Voice announcement includes Selen in both collections. She also appears with Enna Alouette in Scolding Voice’s English key visual. These recordings offer a route into prepared voice performance, distinct from a gaming broadcast or a group song.
The announcement describes a limited sale in January 2023. It documents that period of her work; it does not establish present availability or participation in the Japanese-language edition.
2024–2025: termination, graduation and the group’s history
On February 5, 2024, NIJISANJI EN announced the immediate termination of Selen Tatsuki’s contract. The documented event is a contract termination; it should not be relabelled as graduation, or replaced by an assumed current activity status based on old posts.
A separate official announcement set Rosemi’s graduation for August 29, 2025 JST. Both events belong to OBSYDIA’s history, but they describe different kinds of departure. Older credits remain useful for exploring the work of each period even after affiliations change.