Who is Yuki Sakuna? The biggest debut in vtuber history

An independent vtuber, Yuki Sakuna has debuted to a massive number of viewers in her debut stream and fans want to know how she is linked to Minato Aqua.

Yuki Sakuna is an independent vtuber who debuted on November 27, 2024. The virtual YouTuber’s debut stream surprised everyone by breaking records and getting the most viewers for a vtuber’s debut stream. Furthermore, the vtuber has the third highest peak number of viewers for any vtuber’s stream. Hitting these numbers would be borderline impossible for an independent vtuber just debuting. However, Yuki Sakuna has an advantage other debuting vtubers don’t.

Here’s who Yuki Sakuna is and how she’s linked to the beloved ex-Hololive member Minato Aqua.

Is Yuki Sakuna actually Minato Aqua?

Minato Aqua, formerly of Hololive, rebranded and redebuted as Yuki Sakuna after graduating in August 2024.

Before Yuki Sakuna’s debut stream, she graduated as Minato Aqua and broke the record for the number of peak live viewers for a vtuber’s stream. There were rumors that Minato Aqua was returning to her past life as Yuki Sakuna after her graduation from Hololive, and that’s exactly what happened. The vtuber rebranded all her social media accounts and kept all her subs even after her redebut as Yuki Sakuna.

Yuki Sakuna’s model is shown in her debut stream and fans were pleasantly surprised that their favorite virtual maid is back. Yuki Sakuna’s model’s appearance is similar to Minato’s but there are some minor differences. For instance, the Hololive vtuber’s model’s uniform was blue but Yuki Sakuna’s is pink. However, while the appearances might differ it’s still the same person behind the screen and fans are excited to view more content and hear more songs from their favorite vtuber.

Why did the ex-Hololive vtuber transform into Yuki Sakuna?

Yuki Sakuna didn’t explain why she left Hololive to become an independent vtuber.

Yuki Sakuna didn’t confirm why she left Hololive. However, it’s possible she left because of the limitations vtubers face when they’re a part of agencies. Graduating and then returning as an independent vtuber shows that Minato Aqua wanted to stream, but also wanted to leave Hololive.

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It isn’t uncommon for vtubers to graduate from agencies but continue their activities as independent content creators. Not being part of a group offers the vtubers more freedom and they can do things they’d otherwise not be allowed to do.

There were reports that Minato Aqua graduated because of workload issues. As Yuki Sakuna, the vtuber can make her own decisions and work at her own pace. Regardless of the reason for the vtuber’s graduation from Hololive, fans are happy that she has returned as Yuki Sakuna.

While Yuki Sakuna shines in the spotlight, take a moment to uncover who was the first vtuber that paved the way.