What’s the deal with Dokibird and Selen Tatsuki?

Nijisanji’s former talent, Selen Tatsuki, and Dokibird intertwine in ways that some casual fans don’t even realize.

In terms of raw success, Nijisanji arguably stands at the top of the mountain. The company reigns dominant in nearly every market except North America, where Hololive arguably outpaced the former. The English division of Nijisanji was once universally loved, but a single controversy changed everything in 2024. On February 2024, Anycolor, Nijisanji’s parent company, announced the termination of Nijisanji English talent Selen Tatsuki. After Selen’s unexpected month-long hiatus at the start of 2024, the announcement shocked many fans. Eventually, the whole story unraveled, concluding with the re-debut of independent vtuber Dokibird.

But who is Dokibird, and how is she related to Selen Tatsuki?

Is Dokibird the same person as Selen Tatsuki?

Dokibird and Selen Tatsuki are both played by the same person.

Although the account began streaming around 2017, Dokibird didn’t debut as a vtuber until May 2020. She had a moderate following and streamed for nearly a year before unexpectedly graduating shortly after her first anniversary.

Her fans soon found out she auditioned for the Nijisanji English branch. In July 2021, they found that Dokibird had become Selen Tatsuki, one of the first-ever Nijisanji English talents. She soon became a beloved figure in the Nijisanji community, owing to her infectious laughter and chaotic personality.

By 2023, Selen had garnered over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 100,000 followers on Twitch. At the tail-end of 2023, however, the problems began. Selen uploaded a cover of Lilypichu’s song Last Cup of Coffee accompanied by an animated music video. Anycolor took down the cover only a day later, and Selen announced her admission to a hospital.

After two months of silence, Anycolor suddenly terminated Selen Tatuski, citing her release of the music video without permission as the primary reason. The company also claimed Selen did not pay creators on time. In response, several artists with whom Selen worked supported her. The artists revealed Selen even paid out of pocket because Nijisanji had not paid them yet. Shortly after, Lilypichu also revealed she did permit a cover of her song, angering Selen’s fans even further.

Anycolor’s attempts at damage control arguably backfired, as they shared private legal documents from Dokibird’s lawyers with Nijisanji talents. The documents included private medical records of her hospital stay. From her Dokibird account, she told her fans about the real reason behind her December 2023 hospitalization.

Although the medical documents only reported the diagnosis and reason for her medical stay, Dokibird’s legal team had requested that the information only be shared with Anycolor’s legal team, not her former coworkers. Regardless of the legal implications, fans disapproved of Anycolor’s invasion of Selen’s privacy. Thousands of Selen’s followers unsubscribed from Nijisanji channels and subscribed to Dokibird in solidarity.

Nowadays, Dokibird has settled into a new groove and has thankfully avoided more drama from her former employer. She even went viral recently thanks to her memorable reaction to a couple’s argument.

Doki talks about her clip that went viral overnight

Despite everything, Dokibird’s talent, passion, and personality still entertain thousands. Vtubers may have their fair share of controversy, but it’s important to remember they’re still people behind the digital avatars.