"holoKatsu" refers to the act of supporting hololive production and experiencing the many different activities the production has to offer. In this COVERedge feature, we look to uncover the trends and realities of holoKatsu drawing upon fan surveys, interviews, and other reporting. Let's discover what we found.
Have you heard the term “holoKatsu?”
Among the various forms of oshi-katsu (fan activity in support of a favorite performer) that have drawn attention in recent years, holoKatsu refers specifically to supporting the talents of hololive production. It often starts with watching streams or buying merch, but from there it can grow into joining a fan-funded support ad project, sewing outfits for plushies, or making a pilgrimage to a real-world location a talent has visited.
This time on COVERedge, we are exploring the trends and realities behind all things holoKatsu, from a snapshot of where holoKatsu stands today, based on surveys conducted with fans, to the positive impact it is having on society.
This article presents the results of a user survey conducted on the official app holoplus. Released in 2023, the app is built around the idea of helping users love their oshi even more, and it lets users gather information about hololive production and connect with other fans.
hololive production is home to a large roster of talents in Japan and overseas, all active day in and day out with streaming at the heart of their activities. Many users support multiple talents, which means keeping up with a considerable amount of information. When you find yourself wondering “Who is streaming today?” or “What’s going on in the world of hololive?”, holoplus is there to help.
We ran a survey on holoplus targeting users aged 18 and over (survey period: August 14–31, 2026), asking when and how they first got into hololive, which talents they support, what kinds of holoKatsu they take part in, and more. We received over an astonishing more than 2,000 responses: we thank everyone for sending in such passionate answers!
Unpacking the results revealed something that goes well beyond ordinary fan activity: proactive, hands-on experiences driven by the fans themselves. Let us take a look at how hololive adds color to users’ lives based on the comments we received.
*All photos shown here were provided by survey respondents. We have credited the names of respondents whose names are clearly visible in the photos.
A fan community that now spans a wide range of ages
This time, we heard from a wide range of age groups, from respondents in their late teens to those in their 60s.
One intriguing finding: among minors (ages 18–19) and respondents in their 50s, roughly half became fans in 2024 or later, in sharp contrast to those in their 20s through 40s. This data shows how the fan base has broadened as the production has grown.
Among fans who joined in recent years, many comments cited short-form videos and clip compilations as their entry point into hololive.
“I saw a clip in Shorts, then watched Shirakami Fubuki’s matching dice streams and got curious, and suddenly I was hooked after the countdown live. Every holomem has their own appeal, and the gap between the streams and the lives, where the singing and dancing are on another level, is addictive.” (Nunumi (ぬぬみさん) / fan since 2025)
“At first I was watching because a friend invited me to, and then I found Danchou’s (Shirogane Noel) peaking-mic ASMR in a hololive short and thought ‘she’s cute,’ and that was it. From there I started watching hololive Minecraft streams, and now I’m without a doubt one of Danchou’s Knights.” (Momiji-no-suke(もみじの助さん) / fan since 2025)
“I was scrolling TikTok in the waiting room while visiting my grandfather in the hospital; it came up in my feed, and from there, I was hooked.
The first stream I ever watched was Fubu playing Escape From Duckov.” (Amagi Minato (天城みなと) / fan since 2025)
At home and out and about — holoKatsu in everyday life
In this survey, we asked respondents which of the following holoKatsu activities they had experienced:
- Watching streams
- Buying merchandise
- Visiting official or pop-up shops
- Attending live shows and events with an in-person audience
- Pilgrimages (visiting places connected to a talent or that a talent has visited)
- Taking photos while out and about with plushies or acrylic stands
- Setting up a space at home to display merchandise
- Going out with personal items decorated using merchandise
- Taking part in a fan-funded support ad project
- Creating and publishing derivative works (illustrations, cosplay, clip compilations, etc.)
- Introducing friends to hololive
The most selected activity was, unsurprisingly, “watching streams.” However, more than 60% of respondents in every age group also chose “setting up a space at home to display merchandise,” and more than 40% chose “taking photos while out and about with plushies or acrylic stands.” Whether fans are at home or elsewhere, it’s clear that everyone enjoys a life spent alongside their hololive oshi in one form or another.
“There’s so much merch that’s easy to use on a daily basis, or that doubles as interior decor, so even when something unpleasant happens, or I’m in the middle of work, I look around, and I’m surrounded by holomem. There are moments where wanting to watch the streams is exactly what spurs me on to push through.” (Aizu Yuki (会津裕貴さん) / 30s)
“I started doing oshi-katsu, which I’d never done before, and now, the old guy that I am, I can’t get enough of crane games and taking photos with plushies. To put it dramatically, my life got fun!” (Dekamimisukii (デカミミスキーさん) / 50s)
It’s clear that many users don’t stop at watching streams and live events; they integrate hololive into their everyday lives and find immense enjoyment doing so.
The joy of connecting with other fans through word of mouth and support ads
Among respondents aged 18–19, an overwhelming roughly 70%, by far the highest of any age group, selected “introducing friends to hololive,” suggesting that hololive comes up naturally in conversation within real-world communities like at school.
As you move up through the age groups, the percentage of respondents who have taken part in fan-funded support ad projects steadily increases.
Support ads are a form of oshi-katsu that came from K-pop idol fan culture, where fans pool their own funds to run ads for their oshi in train stations, on electronic billboards, and other such spaces. COVER has put rules and support in place so that users can run these support ad projects with peace of mind (see here for more details).
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Often planned around special occasions such as a talent’s birthday or a live show, support ads are displayed in highly visible spaces like train stations and have become beloved pilgrimage and photo spots in their own right.
Taking part in a project can give fans a sense of connection with one another, and photos of the finished ads posted on social media can spark wider conversation—suggesting these ads serve a role well beyond simple advertising.
“My fan art led to me being put in charge of the illustration for a support ad, and it made me happy to get reactions from my oshi and other fans, as well as to grow my community of fellow holo-listeners at in-person events.” (Paachiku P (ぱーちくPさん))
And of course, they also serve to convey support to the talents themselves.
“I do holoKatsu because I want my support to blow away any negative things my oshi has run into during her activities, so when the flower stands and support ads I organized reached Danchou (Shirogane Noel) and made her happy, it felt like all that effort was worth it.” (Chun-san (ちゅんさん))
In connection with “spreading the word,” we also asked an open-ended question: “When you want to tell someone what makes hololive appealing, what do you tell them?”
Tallying the words that appeared in the responses, the most common term relating to emotion or evaluation was “funny / fun”. It appeared more than twice as often as “cute”. This suggests that when users convey the appeal of hololive and its talents to others, they see more than just cuteness as a key selling point: they also point to the appeal you only discover by watching, such as the talents’ personalities and how entertaining their talk is.
“They’re not just cute. It’s growth content! The gap between the streams and their real lives, the way they’re out there shining now after working through all kinds of struggles, that’s what makes you want to cheer them on. They’re also taking on all sorts of technical challenges on the virtual side too, so you’re left thinking how amazing it is that they can pull this off!” (Kokekokko (こけこけっこさん))
“There’s the humor, the quality of the songs and music, the cuteness, how close the hololive members are with each other — but above all, each of them worries and cries and laughs and gets angry while moving toward their dream, or searching for the path they want to take. Being able to cheer them on, watch over them, and share those emotions alongside them is fun and makes me happy. That’s the appeal I want to get across.” (Kujikomocha (くじこもちゃさん))
Beyond that, responses on how fans introduce others to hololive centered on three main approaches:
- Using the sheer number of distinctive talents as a hook, and explaining that there’s an oshi out there to suit anyone
- Highlighting the talents’ musicality and live performances, grounded in their extensive catalog of original songs
- Conveying the entertainment experience that VTubers uniquely offer, such as “a real-time quality you don’t get with anime” and “staging that is only possible in the virtual world”
Other frequently appearing words relating to emotion or evaluation included “like / love,” “fun / enjoyment,” “gap,” and “energy.”
Younger fans tend to expand the fan base through word of mouth among the people around them, and as fans gain more spending power, they move into activities like support ads. Whatever the generation or circumstances, what came through was how much fans enjoy connecting with one another.
An ever-expanding fandom growing beyond the pandemic
Responses from fans about when they first got into hololive production revealed two things: a community that is still growing rapidly, and the deep engagement of long-time fans.
The first thing worth noting is just how many users joined recently. More than half of this survey’s respondents became fans in 2023 or later, suggesting that the hololive community is still expanding.
What’s more, over 50% of those who became fans in 2023 and over 40% of those who joined in 2024 said they had already attended a live show or event with an in-person audience. They have already stepped into the more committed side of holoKatsu.
Meanwhile, respondents who became fans in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) recorded the highest activity rates of any group: more than 70% had attended a live show or event with an in-person audience, and more than 30% had taken part in a support ad project. A story emerges of fans who encountered hololive during the stay-at-home period, still love it today, and have become a driving force in the community.
The written responses from the class of 2020 show fans finding value beyond consumption: a sense of belonging and deep connections within the community. Here are a few voices from that generation.
Question: What are the moments when you feel glad you do holoKatsu?
“When I’m so moved at a live show that I burst into tears; when I’m in the same space as people who share my interests, talking and getting excited about the same things; and when I get to talk about the same things as my oshi.” (Asurei-san (アスレイさん))
“Being able to meet people with the same values and interests as me, and to feel that it’s okay for me to be here.” (mb-san (mbさん))
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Encountering hololive as the spark for something new
Open-ended responses included many examples of “behavioral change,” with holoKatsu positively transforming users’ lifestyles and outlooks.
For the question “What are the moments when you feel glad you do holoKatsu?“, for example, many answers went beyond the passive enjoyment of watching streams to describe active changes such as:
- Starting to travel to regions one has never visited before, prompted by pilgrimages and attending events
- Starting to go to art museums and other museums due to the influence of a talent
- Taking up a new hobby or creative pursuit
- Beginning to interact with other fans
“Seeing hololive members experience a region or visit a place made me think ‘I’m going there!’ and I’ve been all over the place…I think I’ve become much more willing to just go and do things now.” (T.S.N (T.S.Nさん))
“On-site events, sure, but also museums and art galleries. The range of ways I spend my days off has grown.” (Miyabi (雅さん))
There were also cases where the presence of overseas talents from hololive Indonesia and hololive English nudged respondents toward language learning. Overseas talents appear alongside their Japanese counterparts not only at large-scale events such as hololive SUPER EXPO and hololive fes., but also casually in everyday collaboration streams.
“The fact that there are hololive members overseas too, in ID and EN, not just Japan, so you can do oshi-katsu globally (is what made me want to work on my English)!” (Zoe (ゾエさん))
“I wanted to get used to English as part of studying for the TOEIC for job hunting (for the first two years I watched a lot of EN clips).” (Inudama Takoyaki (犬玉たこ焼きさん))
“I started watching because I wanted to brush up my listening in a language I’d been studying — and then I fell in love with Nanashi Mumei!” (Crystal)
These day-to-day changes in behavior appear to be having a positive knock-on effect that reaches as far as how respondents approach their work and how satisfied they feel with their lives.
“(Inspired by something Sakura Miko said) I tried facing up to my relationships at work, and the way I felt changed dramatically. I’d been agonizing over whether to quit that job, and now I’m able to keep at it with pride.” (Mikokyun 35P-san (みこきゅん35Pさん))
“Having more places I want to go on days off that used to be empty. I’d gone through life without anything I particularly wanted to do, but now I’ve found things I can do and things I want to do.” (Moricho-san (もりちょさん))
This survey revealed how the presence of hololive talents prompts fans to extend their actions into all kinds of areas of their lives. holoKatsu goes beyond a mere hobby; it draws out fans’ initiative and, at times, becomes a vital source of support at a crucial time in one’s life.
So why can the presence of hololive talents move people so deeply? In our next article, we will sit down with the fans themselves and take a closer look at how it has changed them.
The holoKatsu Photo Gallery
We introduce some of the photos submitted through our survey.
