Gawr Gura was the biggest vtuber in the world by many different metrics, but what actually happened to her? Thankfully, fans can still watch her, more or less.
By all appearances, one of the biggest streamers in the world has disappeared. The shark-themed Vtuber had millions of subscribers and enjoyed incredible success, only to disappear in 2025. That’s not the whole story, though.
Gawr Gura is still swimming on YouTube, just not as fans would expect. Here’s where to find her and what led to her vanishing act.
Why did Gawr Gura leave Hololive?
Gawr Gura stated that she split from Hololive due to disagreements with management over the direction of the company. She did not make it explicit what disagreements she had with the company. She still expressed gratitude for her time with Hololive and praised her fandom while announcing her departure.
“I will be graduating from Holive on May 1st, 2025 3:36 JST, my reasons being disagreements with management and company direction…I had barely any streaming or singing and dancing experience before joining this company. It was incredibly exciting, but also very intense and unexpected to be suddenly surrounded by so many eyes and expectations…But the continuous support and patience of my wonderful community helped to lessen that feeling and pushed me to go on to do things that I didn’t even know I was capable of,” Gawr Gura stated on YouTube.
Gawr Gura first debuted for Hololive in 2020 and enjoyed quick success, sprinting to 1 million subscribers in less than two months. From there, Gawr Gura continued to enjoy incredible success and eventually grew her following past the 4.5 million subscriber mark on YouTube, as well as seven-figure counts on other social media platforms. While comparing her success to Twitch stars like Ironmouse and Kai Cenat is apples-to-oranges, she still comfortably ranked among the biggest influencers in the world.
This tally arguably made her the world’s most popular Vtuber, and the ringer for Hololive. Despite her higher visibility, her exit from Hololive was largely similar to what had been seen with other Hololive alumni.
Gawr Gura’s departure came during a rash of splits from the label, with Murasaki Shion and Nanashi Mumei leaving also leaving Hololive around the same time.
What is Gawr Gura’s new name?
Gawr Gura is now creating content under the handle of Sameko Saba.
While the famed Vtuber has left her shark persona in the past, it didn’t take long for her to return to streaming. Sameko Saba debuted on June 28, 2025, less than two months after Gawr Gura left Hololive.
Despite having to start a new career from scratch, Saba has enjoyed huge success. Within six months of her debut, she had over 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
Why did Gawr Gura change her name to Sameko Saba?
Gawr Gura changed her alias to Sameko Saba due to the nature of her deal with Hololive.
Hololive follows a different approach from other agencies within the content creation industry. The company effectively owns the name and avatars Vtubers use while working under their umbrella. While a Vtuber like Nyanners was able leave Vshojo and retain her following and character, Hololive talent has to start from scratch once they leave.
Sameko Saba has enjoyed fast success, but these contracts are largely designed to disadvantage streamers and force them to start over. Her success is largely an exception to the rule.
