The End of an Era: Hololive English No Longer Exists
It was supposed to be a celebration. With Hololive English approaching its sixth anniversary on September 12, 2026, fans were preparing to toast the branch that brought English-speaking VTuber fans together. Instead, Cover Corp dropped a bombshell that has sent shockwaves through the entire VTuber community: Hololive English is officially being dissolved, merged into a single global entity alongside all other branches.
On September 7, 2026, Hololive announced that all international branches — English, Indonesia, and former Holostars — would be consolidated into one unified Hololive brand. The company framed the move as an effort to “transcend regional and group boundaries,” but for many fans and talents, the timing felt like a slap in the face.
Goodbye Hololive English — Talents React With Raw Emotion
The reactions from Hololive talents have been nothing short of devastating. Takanashi Kiara, one of the founding members of Hololive English and the branch’s most vocal advocate, posted on X: “In the week of Hololive English’s 6-year anniversary… Goodbye Hololive English… so we never reached 6 years as EN.”
Her words hit hard because they encapsulate what many feel: Hololive English was never given a real chance to grow into its full potential before being absorbed. The branch that debuted Mori Calliope, Takanashi Kiara, and Ouro Kronii — who together amassed millions of subscribers and pioneered English-language VTubing — now exists only as a chapter in Hololive’s history books.
Former Hololive Indonesia talent Kureiji Ollie was even more direct: “You know what? F*ck it. I’m upset.” The raw frustration in her response reflects a growing sentiment among international talents who feel their contributions are being erased in favor of a Japan-centric vision.
Moona Hoshinova, one of Hololive Indonesia’s longest-serving members, couldn’t hide her disappointment when the company announced a new anime TV series featuring only Japanese talents: “Anime…. It must be nice….”
The Hololive Anime: A Japan-Only Party
Adding fuel to the fire, Hololive announced the production of an official anime TV series alongside the restructuring news. Produced by Studio Kai (known for Sentenced to Be a Hero and Snowball Earth), the series has been in development for at least five years and goes by the working title “Odeholo.”
The catch? The anime features exclusively Japanese talents, with no international cast members mentioned in the teaser trailer. For a company that just announced it’s “merging” all branches into one, the Japan-only anime feels like a contradiction that hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans.
The stunning animation shown in the teaser has impressed viewers, but the excitement is overshadowed by the growing realization that Hololive’s international expansion may have been more of a temporary experiment than a permanent commitment.
2026: The Year Hololive’s World Crumbled
The dissolution of Hololive English is just the latest in a string of controversial moves by Cover Corp in 2026. Earlier this year, the company shut down Hololive Earth, its ambitious metaverse-style project that had been in development for years. The shutdown left many fans questioning the company’s long-term vision and ability to manage multiple large-scale projects.
The elimination of Holostars, Hololive’s male talent branch, was another blow that alienated a significant portion of the fanbase. The decision to focus exclusively on female talents was seen by many as a step backward for the company’s diversity and inclusivity efforts.
Now, with Hololive English also being dissolved, the pattern is clear: Cover Corp is stripping back its international ambitions and refocusing on its Japanese core. The company’s first-ever mobile game, Hololive Dreams, launched on July 23, 2026, and has received a “Mixed” reception on Steam — further evidence that 2026 hasn’t been Hololive’s year.
What This Means for VTuber Culture
Hololive English wasn’t just another branch — it was the catalyst that turned VTubing from a niche Japanese phenomenon into a global entertainment industry. When Mori Calliope released her debut single, when Gawr Gura broke YouTube subscriber records, when Kiara built one of the most dedicated fanbases in VTubing history, those moments proved that VTubers could transcend language and cultural barriers.
Now, with many of those pioneering talents either graduated or expressed uncertainty about their futures, fans are left wondering what Hololive’s “global” future actually looks like. The talents who remain calm about the change, as several fans have pointed out, are mostly those who have relocated to Japan — suggesting that the company’s real priorities are becoming increasingly clear.
The wave of departures in recent years — Murasaki Shion, Ceres Fauna, Sakamata Chloe, and most famously Gawr Gura — now seems less like individual decisions and more like the early tremors of a structural earthquake that has been building for years.
The Fanbase Is Fractured
On social media, the reaction has been explosive. Fans of Hololive English are expressing grief, anger, and betrayal. Some are planning protests. Others are quietly migrating to indie VTubers who offer the unfiltered, personality-driven content that Hololive’s early days were known for.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone: the anime adaptation of Hololive, which should have been a celebration of the entire Hololive universe, has instead become a symbol of exactly what fans feared most — that the company was always going to prioritize Japan over everything else.
A Brand Without Borders Or Without Identity?
Cover Corp insists that the merger will create a stronger, more unified Hololive. The company says it’s developing new projects and that the “consolidation” will benefit all talents. But when the first major project under this new structure is a Japan-only anime, when the English branch is dissolved days before its anniversary, and when the male branch has already been eliminated, the optics are devastating.
Hololive was built on the idea that personality transcends language. That a Japanese company could create something truly global by embracing diversity and giving talents the freedom to be themselves. Whether that vision survives the 2026 restructuring remains to be seen.
For now, Hololive English is gone. And with it, a piece of VTuber history that many fans will never forget.
What do you think about Hololive’s decision to dissolve the English branch? Is this the beginning of the end for international VTubers, or will the merger actually make things better? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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