While many vtubers aim to join such top vtuber agencies as Hololive and Nijisanji, some of the best opt for the independent route and the creative freedom that comes with. We’ve gathered together some of the very best independent vtubers who have made it big without support from a big-name agency.
Vtuber agencies have faced backlash over the years, with VShojo in particular facing a mass exodus by almost all talents that led to the organization shutting down. Nijisanji and Hololive have also faced their fair share of controversies over the years.
Independent vtubers are on their own for the most part, not having support from larger agencies. Some popular corporate vtubers such as Amelia Watson and Gawr Gura have chosen to graduate and return as indie talents. This shows the increasing strength of independent vtubers, and we’ve put together a list of some of the best among them to watch.
The top independent vtubers to watch
Dokibird
Dokibird is a popular English-speaking vtuber known primarily for her gaming content. The vtuber has shown great skill in her gameplay and is most partial to FPS games, particularly Apex Legends and Overwatch.
Her career arc is a unique one, as she started as an independent vtuber in 2020 before Doki joined an agency in 2021. She later made a comeback as an indie talent in 2024. The vtuber’s return to the ranks of the best independent vtubers was an impressive one, as she gained hundreds of thousands of new YouTube subscribers in a matter of just days, reaching 500,000 milestone within two short weeks.
Doki is also famous for the tournaments and charity events she hosts, through which she has collaborated with several other popular vtubers. These events have highlighted that Doki isn’t limited to streaming, and can easily handle community-focused initiatives.
The vtuber is still going strong today and has even gotten her own Apex Legends skin for Wattson. She made a public appearance at the Anime Expo in 2026, and Dokibird currently has a consistent schedule for streaming and other activities that keep her loyal viewers tuning in for each new broadcast.
Shylily
Shylily has been in the industry since 2022 and is easily one of the best and most recognizable independent vtubers in the streaming world. She’s known for her orca-themed model and has more recently debuted a new furry model.
But what has really made her become so big is her personality-heavy content and numerous collaborations with other top creators. The vtuber has collaborated with several others like her, including Filian, Bao the Whale, and Neuro-Sama. Shylily broadcasts just chatting and gaming streams, and her catchphrase “womp womp” has become a popular meme in the vtuber community.
The streamer also has a presence outside of livestreaming platforms, as she has turned herself into a brand, sells dedicated merchandise, appears at conventions, and has several sponsorships. Shylily is known to not share her real-life pictures or identity, but there have been a few leaks of her face. These have tended to be promptly taken down, as Shylily has asked her fans not to share her pictures across social media.
Shylily is one of the best and biggest independent vtubers with more than 1 million YouTube subscribers and Twitch followers. She is constantly creating new content for her fans, or her “shrimps” as she calls them, and hasn’t expressed any interest in slowing down.
Filian
Filian is one of the biggest independent vtubers going today, boasting over 3 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1 million followers on Twitch. She first debuted in 2021 and was different from other vtubers right off the bat, thanks to her 3D VRChat full-body tracking model.
The vtuber’s model followed her movement well, allowing her to perform gymnastic maneuvers on stream. This made her unique from other creators and helped some of her clips to go viral on social media, stoking her early popularity.
The vtuber’s content mainly focuses on just chatting streams, casual gaming, and collaborating with other popular content creators. Filian has worked with other independent vtubers on this very list, including Shylily and Bao the Whale, as well as more traditional streamers such as Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo and Emily “Emiru” Schunk.
Filian’s social and community collaborations don’t stop there, as she also created The VTuber Awards in 2023. The event has since become an annual celebration, featuring several categories ranging from rising stars to best gaming vtubers. The event doesn’t limit its nominations to independent creators, as both corporate and independent vtubers are nominated at the awards. Ironmouse won the coveted VTuber of the Year award in 2023.
Shylily hosted the event with Filian in 2024, and The VTuber Awards were streamed on both their Twitch channels.
Filian is one of the more influential vtubers in the industry, having helped vtubers get a mainstream presence with her collaborations with popular mainstream streamers.
Similar to many other vtubers, Filian has kept her IRL identity anonymous, choosing not to share most intimate details of her private life with her millions of fans. At the time of this writing, Filian has gone inactive and has made her channels private. There is speculation that she could return to streaming in the somewhat near future, but a potential comeback from Filian still remains unclear.
Bao the Whale
Bao the Whale stands out from the other vtubers in this list because she isn’t just a chatting or gaming streamer, as she also broadcasts ASMR and music content. She debuted in 2020, quickly building a loyal fan following. The vtuber currently has over 1 million YouTube subscribers and roughly 625,000 Twitch followers.
The vtuber had a relatively calm personality, but after streaming for some time she has became a little sillier and more unhinged in her humor.
The vtuber has really immersed herself in the indie vtuber community, collaborating with several other independent creators, and that’s another clear reason for her content getting such massive exposure over time. Bao’s streams typically focus on her engaging directly with her audience, and she often adds music or unexpected comedic bits that keep her fans coming back to watch her streams.
Bao the Whale is one of the best independent vtubers to watch in the streaming world today, and her popularity has made her more recognizable than some of the top creators at Hololive and Nijisanji.
