“It’s been an honor and a dream come true to be your shark.”
That’s how Gawr Gura informed her fans that her character will be retired in a “graduation” ceremony that will take place on May 1. The VTuber, who is partnered with the Japanese agency hololive, is one of the biggest stars of her ilk to graduate.
On her official YouTube channel, which reaches more than 4.5 million subscribers, Gawr Gura posted a video explaining her decision. She cited “disagreements with management and company direction” as the main reasons why she chose to break from her parent agency. “This has been a very long time coming,” she said, “but today I’m here to announce that I will be graduating from hololive.”
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Gawr Gura was a big part of a global push hololive made with help from its stable of English-language VTubers. Though other members of cohort have graduated due to disputes with management, none of those departures are as notable as the sunsetting of hololive’s shark-toothed favorite. Gawr Gura serenaded fans as part of the hololive concert series, and she even performed a Jumbotron rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
Along the way, Gawr Gura has taken occasional breaks for health reasons. This time, however, the VTuber will discontinue her signature avatar for good.
Given her stardom, one might think that Gawr Gura would try to “go solo” after her break from hololive, but the Cover Corp-owned agency will still have control over the character it crafted. A Gawr Gura solo act would likely necessitate a new name and a new look. In that case, would fans follow their favorite shark or stick with the familiar faces incubated by hololive?
The situation is somewhat similar to what happened at BuzzFeed in the 2010s, when personalities who became famous due to the company’s formats chose to strike out on their own. The growth of VTuber industry — which is starting to bleed into mainstream pop culture — suggests that a big name like Gawr Gura might have a devoted enough fanbase to make hay as an independent.
Alternatively, maybe the creator behind Gawr Gura just wants to take their career in a new direction. That would be perfectly understandable, even if her fans would be left to reminisce about bygone days of selachian fun.
