Will Nanashi Mumei return to her past life?

With the imminent graduation of Nanashi Mumei, fans are already wondering whether she might return to her past life, and she has offered comments that do indicate her plans.

In March 2025, Nanashi Mumei of Hololive English’s 2nd Generation (HoloCouncil) announced her graduation. Her final stream would occur at in April 2025, which shocked some fans. Longtime viewers of Nanashi Mumei feared the worst prior to the announcement.

Important Announcement – Nanashi Mumei

Mumei had undergone several long breaks due to chronic health issues. Throughout 2024, she reportedly visited multiple doctors without remedy. Paired with the busy schedule of a Hololive talent, Mumei’s condition worsened over time. As a result, Mumei and Cover Corp mutually agreed on graduation.

During this time, many fans turned to Mumei’s past life with questions about whether it might return to the fore.

What is Nanashi Mumei’s past life?

The digital artist Shachimu is the past life of Nanashi Mumei. Before her debut as Nanashi Mumei, Shachimu was a popular digital artist and vtuber. Her first identity, under the same name, was that of an orca vtuber like fellow Hololive talent Sakamata Chloe. Her content was similar to her streams as Mumei, a mix of art streams and gaming, though primarily streamed on Twitch instead of YouTube.

Shachimu and Lone Alpha – By The Seaside

Shachimu was also active on her YouTube account, posting speed paints, meme videos, and song covers. It’s important to note that Shachimu never streamed on YouTube, and formally graduated the Twitch vtuber persona in 2021. Her digital artist account remains active on other social media platforms.

With the imminent graduation, fans have been asking if Shamichu’s vtuber persona will re-debut.

Will Nanashi Mumei return as Shachimu?

Nanashi Mumei will remain active as Shachimu, but not as a vtuber. Some fans of Shachimu still consider her a vtuber despite the character’s formal retirement. Shachimu clarified in February 2025 that she graduated with the orca character “years ago.” In addition, she emphasized that she will “never be that character again.” A few days after Mumei’s official graduation announcement,  Shachimu took to social media with another post.

“Please don’t follow me expecting anything or approach me or my tweets as if I’m someone else,” said Shachimu in a protected tweet.

The thread was likely protected to prevent certain fans from connecting Shachimu directly to the Nanashi Mumei character. Given the quick returns of former Hololive talent such as Amelia Watson and Ceres Fauna to their independent personas, some fans may have expected the same from Mumei.

【VTUBER DEBUT】 Nurse Nimi is here to devour your nightmares! 💭

Shachimu quashed those claims further with an emphasized focus on covers and digital art. She thanked followers who will support that sort of content from her moving forward. From Mumei’s graduation stream, it was clear that the vtuber schedule had made her chronic health issues worse and that she had no plans to return to it in the foreseeable future.

As a digital artist with the occasional cover, she would have more time to focus on her recovery. Regardless, the graduation of Nanashi Mumei is yet another loss for the Hololive faithful. After Murasaki Shion’s graduation, Cover Corp CEO Motoaki “Yagoo” Tanigo acknowledged the concerns over the number of graduating talent. He claimed that more support for talents will be implemented soon in the hopes of keeping them active longer.

That said, Mumei made it clear she has no plans on returning as a vtuber anytime soon, and hopes fans respect that decision.