The fan theories running wild after Rica’s vtuber debut

The independent vtuber Hanamiya Rica held her debut on October 31, 2024, and fans wonder whether she is the ex-Hololive vtuber Yozora Mel.

Rica started her career as a utaite by uploading vocaloid song covers on NicoNico Douga in 2010. The streamer started her YouTube channel in 2016 but didn’t venture into the vtuber industry. Instead, the streamer focused more on content such as ASMR, gaming and just chatting streams. The utaite has also collaborated with other popular artists like Namirin, Shima, and Matsushita. In January 2024, Rica took a break from all activities after she was allegedly betrayed by someone close to her. However, she returned to live streaming on YouTube with a comeback stream on March 3, 2024. The streamer even used a PNG avatar in some of her streams. In July 2024, she reached a milestone of 500,000 subs on YouTube. On October 27, 2024, Rica announced that she would debut as a vtuber soon.

The independent vtuber Hanamiya Rica debuted on October 31, 2024, and fans wonder whether she really is the ex-Hololive vtuber Yozora Mel.

Is Hanamiya Rica Yozora Mel?

There is no confirmation, but many fans speculate that Hanamiya Rica is the ex-Hololive vtuber Yozora Mel.

While fans were happy about the debut of Rica, they still wanted to know whether the vtuber is Yozora Mel or not. The speculation that Yozora Mel is Rica’s vtuber persona is an open secret in the virtual YouTuber industry. There is no proof regarding this and the streamer hasn’t officially stated anything regarding the aforementioned claim. However, fans have found hints that they used to believe the theory.

For instance, when Rica took a break. she explained the reason was she was careless and trusted someone. This is similar to the reason why Yozora Mel was terminated from Hololive. The vtuber’s career in Hololive ended because she broke her contract’s NDA. The break coincides with the vtuber’s termination and fans believe both are the same.

While Rica doesn’t mention Yozora Mel or talk about her past as a vtuber in Hololive, she talks about how she is on good terms with her former agency and they helped her even after the contract ended. This has fueled the fire more since Rica had never been a vtuber before, so fans’ suspicions that she is the ex-Hololive vtuber have become even stronger.

While fans speculate about Rica’s debut, take a trip back in time to learn who the first vtuber was and how it all started.