For years, Hololive has been the undisputed crown jewel of the VTuber industry. But 2025 has brought a wave of departures and extended breaks that are shaking the community to its core — and nothing has hit harder than the announcement that Hiodoshi Ao is the first member of ReGLOSS to graduate.
If you haven’t been following Hololive closely, here’s what you need to know: this isn’t just another VTuber leaving. This is the first graduation ever from ReGLOSS, Hololive’s 6th Japanese generation, and it comes on the heels of multiple high-profile hiatuses across the agency. Fans are asking the same question: what is really going on inside Cover Corporation?
The Hiodoshi Ao Graduation: A First That Nobody Expected
ReGLOSS was supposed to be Hololive’s newest powerhouse generation. Launched with massive fanfare, its five members — Hiodoshi Ao, Ichijou Ririka, Otonose Kanade, Todoroki Hajime, and Juu Ruri — promised to carry the Hololive brand into a new era. The debut stream numbers were staggering, merchandise sold out within minutes, and the fanbase grew at a rate that rivaled even Hololive’s most successful generations.
Then came the announcement that changed everything: Hiodoshi Ao would be graduating, becoming the first ReGLOSS member to leave the agency. For a generation that had barely settled into its groove, losing a founding member feels like a crack in the foundation.
What makes this particularly painful is that Ao was widely considered one of the most charismatic and driven members of the gen. Her streams — whether it was her incredibly competitive gaming sessions, her surprisingly deep karaoke covers, or her chaotic collabs with gen-mates — had a quality that drew in even casual viewers. Losing that energy so early in the generation’s lifecycle is a genuine blow to ReGLOSS’s identity.
But It Doesn’t Stop There — The Hiatus Wave
Hiodoshi Ao’s graduation is the most visible crisis, but it’s far from the only one. Hololive has been dealing with an unusual number of extended breaks across multiple branches, and the pattern is hard to ignore:
- Akai Haato (Haachama) — One of Hololive’s most iconic and unpredictable talents, Haato has been placed on hiatus. For a VTuber known for her wild, boundary-pushing content, her absence leaves a massive void in the roster’s entertainment value.
- Fuwawa Abyssgard — Half of the incredibly popular FuwaMoco duo (alongside her twin sister Mococo), Fuwawa’s hiatus is arguably the most impactful. FuwaMoco has been one of Hololive’s most consistent content machines, and without Fuwawa, the dynamic is fundamentally broken.
- Multiple other breaks — Beyond the headline names, several other talents across Hololive’s branches have taken extended breaks, leading to speculation about systemic issues within the agency.
VTubers taking breaks is normal — burnout, health issues, and personal matters are real in any entertainment industry. But the concentration of these events happening simultaneously has fans deeply concerned about the agency’s management practices and workload distribution.
What’s Driving the Exodus?
The VTuber community is no stranger to speculation, and the theories range from reasonable to wildly conspiratorial. Here are the leading explanations:
1. Burnout Is Real (And It’s Getting Worse)
VTubing is an exhausting profession. These talents aren’t just playing games on stream — they’re maintaining complex personas, interacting with massive fanbases, producing songs, appearing in concerts, and creating content across multiple platforms. The demand for constant output is unsustainable for many, and 2025 may simply be the year the industry’s pressure cooker reached its limit.
2. Industry Competition Is Intensifying
Hololive isn’t the only game in town anymore. Nijisanji has its own powerhouse talents, independent VTubers like Gawr Gura’s peers are thriving outside agency structures, and new agencies are launching constantly. The competitive pressure on Hololive talents to perform, grow, and innovate has never been higher.
3. Management and Contract Issues
Let’s be honest — VTuber agency management is a relatively untested business model. The contracts are complex, the revenue splits are opaque, and the expectations placed on talents can blur the line between employment and exploitation. While Cover Corporation has generally maintained a good reputation, recent events are prompting fans to ask harder questions about how talents are treated and supported.
4. The Post-Pandemic Reality
The VTuber industry exploded during the pandemic. Now that the world has moved on, the entertainment landscape has shifted. Talents who joined during the boom may be reevaluating whether this career still makes sense for them in a changed world.
The Broader Impact on the VTuber Industry
Hololive’s struggles aren’t happening in a vacuum. The entire VTuber industry is watching closely, and the implications extend far beyond one agency:
- Fan confidence
- Recruitment — Aspiring VTubers are paying attention. The image of VTubing as a dream job takes a hit when the most successful agency is bleeding talent.
- Competitor agencies — Nijisanji, Phase Connect, VShojo, and independent creators are all positioned to absorb fans and talent who might otherwise have committed to Hololive.
What Hololive Needs to Do Now
Cover Corporation is at a crossroads. The agency has built an incredible brand over the years, but 2025 is testing its foundations in ways it hasn’t faced before. Here’s what needs to happen:
Transparency. Fans deserve honest communication about why talents are leaving and what the agency is doing to support those who remain. Silence breeds speculation, and speculation breeds panic.
Better workload management. The VTuber burnout crisis is real. Agencies need to implement sustainable schedules, mental health support, and clear boundaries between work and rest. The “always-on” streaming culture is unsustainable.
Investment in talent wellbeing. These aren’t just content creators — they’re performers carrying enormous emotional and creative loads. The agencies that survive the next decade will be the ones that treat their talents like the valuable assets they are, not disposable brands.
The Bottom Line
Hololive isn’t done — far from it. The agency still boasts some of the most talented, popular, and dedicated VTubers in the world. But this moment — the first ReLOSS graduation combined with the cascade of hiatuses — is a wake-up call. Whether Cover Corporation responds with meaningful change or business-as-usual will determine not just the agency’s future, but potentially the trajectory of the entire VTuber industry.
For now, fans are left mourning Hiodoshi Ao’s departure, waiting anxiously for the return of talents on hiatus, and hoping that the agency that gave them so much joy can figure out how to protect the people who make that magic happen.
What do you think? Is this a temporary rough patch for Hololive, or the beginning of a deeper crisis in the VTuber industry? Drop your thoughts below — we want to hear from you.
