Who Is Kizuna AI?

Last updated: October 2026

Name (Japanese)	キズナアイ (Kizuna AI)
Category	VTuber / virtual artist
Active since	2016 (on hiatus 2022-2025)
Birthday	June 30 — celebrated her 10th in 2026
Known for	World’s first virtual YouTuber; songs "Hello, Morning" and "AIAIAI"
Platform	YouTube (A.I.Channel), around 3 million subscribers as of 2026
Management	Kizuna AI Inc. (production) / ASOBISYSTEM (agent since 2025)

Kizuna AI (キズナアイ) is widely recognized as the world’s first virtual YouTuber — the digital personality who gave the whole “VTuber” genre its name. An anime-styled 3D character who presents herself as a cheerful “super AI” curious about the human world, she began posting videos on her YouTube channel A.I.Channel at the end of 2016. She introduced herself as a “virtual YouTuber,” the label stuck, and within a few years tens of thousands of creators worldwide were performing through animated avatars in the format she pioneered.

After reigning as the most-subscribed VTuber on YouTube until 2021, Kizuna AI went on an indefinite hiatus — framed in-story as a “sleep” to upgrade her system — in February 2022. Exactly three years later, on February 26, 2025, she woke up and relaunched as a music-focused virtual artist. As of October 2026 she is fully active again, fresh off her tenth-anniversary celebration, a landmark Fortnite collaboration, and a steady run of new singles.

Rise to Fame

Kizuna AI was created by Activ8, a Tokyo-based technology and entertainment company, with character design by illustrator En Morikura. Her first videos appeared in late 2016, and she celebrates June 30 — the day her YouTube channel was created — as her official birthday. Playing an artificial intelligence who wanted to bond with humans (her name puns on “kizuna,” the Japanese word for emotional bonds), she uploaded talk videos and comedy clips on her main channel and game streams on a second channel, A.I.Games, all delivered with the fast-paced energy of a Japanese variety show.

Growth was explosive. By 2018 she was a mainstream phenomenon: she was appointed an ambassador for the Japan National Tourism Organization’s “Come to Japan” campaign aimed at overseas visitors, hosted her own TV program (Kizuna AI no BEAT Scramble), and launched a music career with electronic-pop songs such as “Hello, Morning” and “AIAIAI.” At her peak she had more than four million subscribers across her channels, and her success helped ignite the industry-wide boom that produced hololive and Nijisanji, today’s VTuber-agency giants.

In 2020 her operations moved to a dedicated company, Kizuna AI Inc., which also officially credited voice performer Nozomi Kasuga. In December 2021 came a surprise announcement: Kizuna AI would go to “sleep” for an upgrade. Her farewell online concert, “hello, world 2022,” held on February 26, 2022, drew farewell messages from a who’s-who of fellow virtual performers — a measure of how far the culture she started had spread.

What Kizuna AI Is Known For

Several things define her place in Japanese internet history:

Pioneering the format. She popularized the term “virtual YouTuber,” later shortened to VTuber — a performer who appears as an animated character, usually through motion capture.
Her signature greeting, “Hai domo! Virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI desu!” (“Hi there! I’m virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI”), which opened nearly every video and became a meme in its own right.
Music. Upbeat dance-pop like “AIAIAI” defined her first era; since her comeback she has blended indie, band sound and J-pop influences.
Crossover reach rare for an internet character: tourism ambassador, TV host, the 2023 TV anime Kizuna no Allele inspired by her, and #kzn, a music project built on a synthesized version of her voice that stayed active during her hiatus.

Recent Years

Kizuna AI returned on February 26, 2025 with the single “kamone,” her name now styled as one word, “KizunaAI.” She signed an agent contract with ASOBISYSTEM, a major Japanese pop-culture agency, while her existing team kept creative control, and declared a goal of roughly ten new songs within the year — delivering a steady stream of 2025 singles including “mazaru,” “White Balance,” “Hand Sign” and “OMAJINAI.” On September 20-21, 2025 she held her two-day comeback concert “Homecoming” at Zepp Shinjuku, a Tokyo live house, closing it with word that a further “update” was planned for 2026.

2026 — her tenth-anniversary year — has been even busier. In January she became the first VTuber featured in Fortnite, with outfits and playable “jam tracks” of songs including “AIAIAI” arriving in the game on January 16, followed on March 27 by a free dance-party concert held inside the game. A new single, “KAMACHO,” arrived in late February. On June 30 she streamed her 10th Birthday Live “A.I.Party! 2026 ~My Love to u~” on YouTube, with the new single “My Love” released the next day. In July she appeared at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, in September at the AniEx event in Thailand, and on October 1 a new single, “Monster Factory,” was announced. A decade on, the original virtual YouTuber is as busy as she has ever been.

FAQ

Is Kizuna AI a real artificial intelligence?

No. She is a fictional character who plays an AI. She is brought to life by a production team using motion capture, with Nozomi Kasuga officially credited as her voice performer since 2020.

Why did Kizuna AI disappear, and when did she come back?

She went on an indefinite hiatus after her farewell concert on February 26, 2022, presented in-story as a "sleep" to upgrade herself. She returned exactly three years later, on February 26, 2025, relaunching as a music-focused virtual artist.

Is Kizuna AI still active in 2026?

Yes. In 2026 she celebrated her 10th birthday with a live-streamed event on June 30, collaborated with Fortnite as its first VTuber, appeared at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and continues to release new singles. Her main YouTube channel has around 3 million subscribers.