VTuber Doki Speaks Out Following the Ending of Nijisanji’s Selen Tatsuki, an Industry Backlash

On February 5, Japanese VTuber talent agency Nijisanji said announced that it would end one of his talents: Selen Tatsuki. However, unlike a standard “graduation,” the industry-embraced term for the mutually agreed upon end of a contract between a VTuber agency and a VTuber, Nijisanji made the executive decision to cut ties with Selen outright over claims of breach of contract include. and allegations of misleading statements on social media platforms. Without warning, Selen was removed from Nijisanji, her X account was immediately locked, and all that YouTube videos disappeared from her channel. Nijisanji’s move follows Selen’s announcement on December 31, 2023 that she had been hospitalized, bringing her social presence to a standstill. Only now has Selen, who currently streams under her original indie VTuber avatar Dokibird and prefers to use Doki, spoken out about the situation.

“For more than a month I couldn’t say or do anything,” Doki tells Polygon. “I was at a very dark point in my life. I didn’t know what would happen in the end. I want to leave on mutual grounds. I knew it would be bad for everyone involved if it went this last possible route.”

Although VTubing is often seen as a niche form of entertainment, it has exploded on an international scale. Agencies like Hololive and Nijisanji have dominated the market, creating unique, colorful characters to appease an audience drawn to these designs and the personalities behind them. Nijisanji has been so successful in its endeavors that Riku Tazumi, founder of parent company ANYCOLOR, is one of the youngest billionaires in Japan. VTubing profits are largely generated by fans making donations, subscribing to their favorite VTubers and purchasing merchandise. Unlike Japanese idol culture, VTuber fans have a direct link to their favorite virtual stars through social media and live chats during streams.

But while staffing agencies have been a safer way for VTubers to find a stable income, Nijisanji has come under fire several times for abrupt graduations, layoffs and suggestions that the company has stymied its talent’s efforts to capitalize on potential growth opportunities . And with Selen’s termination, there has now been a public outcry among fans and other VTubers within the English-speaking sphere, with Nijisanji being criticized for his talents on a scale not seen before.

Selen isn’t the first VTuber to be abruptly removed from Nijisanji’s roster due to shady allegations. In May 2023, the talent agency Zaion removed LanZa, as stated on an official Nijisanji account, copyright infringement, “offensive comments” and “liking comments that fall under NIJISANJI Livers defamation (VTuber nomenclature for the real person behind the virtual streamer).” In the months that followed, VTuber Sayu Sincro released a document refuting several claims against Zaion LanZa. Additionally, it provided more information about what was expected of Zaion during her time as a talent under Nijisanji and ANYCOLOR.

While the cited violations that led to Zaion and Selen’s terminations are not one-to-one, the two incidents do speak to how Nijisanji handles its talent and how the company’s choices are reshaping the VTuber landscape. This included streamers paying out of pocket for assets and materials used for streaming purposes. As highlighted on her now private X account and documented in a Youtube video, Selen organized an outfit design competition in May 2023 in which she promised to pay the winner and the top five participants from her own pocket. Initially, Nijisanji protested the idea of ​​organizing the competition at all, but when the idea was approved, the company’s condition was that the prize money would come from its personal funds. (The stream detailing the terms of the contest and Nijisanj’s ongoing adjustments is no longer available as her content has been removed from YouTube.) One of the reasons Nijisanji says it has chosen to terminate its contract with Selen is was due to “delays in payment” of Selen’s commission payments to creators. But there are claims that Selen fell short refuted by several artists she has worked with, verifying that the VTuber would pay all streaming-related costs out of pocket.

The announcement of Selen’s resignation came abruptly, but after speaking to a talent from Nijisanji in 2023, these types of cases are not entirely unexpected – at least in terms of “graduation.” In January 2024, just before graduating from Nijisanji, VTuber Pomu Rainpuff stated on a now-deleted stream that she had given up life-changing opportunities during her time at the agency, but found herself in the precarious position of being unable to explain why.

“For the talents themselves, it could be extremely sudden,” an anonymous talent told Polygon while reporting on our previous look at the state of the VTuber industry. “And sometimes you can’t even share information that could correct misunderstandings or prevent harassment. It turns into a benefit of the doubt situation, where the only thing that can speak for you is your pre-existing content. Even then, since there is no real explanation, it creates a disconnect between the consumer and the agency.”

The uproar surrounding Selen’s departure appears to have had an impact on Nijisanji. ANYCOLOR stock from February 8 continues to declinewith commentary on the Yahoo Finance page largely about the company’s inability to retain its talents, such as Pomu Rainpuff and Mysta Rias, and the mishandling of Tatsuki’s termination. Following Selen’s statement, several members of Nijisanji, such as Enna Alouette, Fulgar Ovid, Finana Ryugu, Kyo Kaneko, Uki Violeta, and Meloco Kyoran, announced that they taking temporary breaks and distancing from social media.

Nijisanji followed up with a second statement on Selen’s termination, sharing that he believes the decision will have a negligible impact on finances. This is the first time the agency has gone to such lengths to defend the termination of one of its talents. (Polygon reached out to ANYCOLOR for comment on the situation, but our request for an interview was declined.) On Tuesday, custom PC case and accessory maker HYTE announced that it has ended its ongoing projects with Nijisanji, stating that it has chosen to “stand with many VTuber fans who have dropped support for the organization.”

After her termination, Selen resumed her activities as Doki, or Dokibird, on X and details announced about what happened between herself and her former agency. Doki revealed that she was hospitalized due to poor management and a toxic work environment and planned to part ways with Nijisanji amicably on January 26. That didn’t happen.

Doki tells Polygon that she wrote her statement in case things got worse, which unfortunately they did.

“I didn’t even know it was going to be announced,” says Doki. “I did not know the content of the announcements before they were deleted. I didn’t know the date or time, and I was lucky I was awake when it happened. I didn’t know this was the route we would take. I never wanted to drop the statement if the announcement didn’t come out that way and I was willing to keep that information hidden because I didn’t want the public to know why I was in the hospital.

Doki says she has chosen to share only a select amount of information about working conditions at Nijisanji for her own safety. “I know a lot of people want more details, but I can’t say more. I wrote that statement with my attorney in a way that would keep me safe and moving forward so I could start my life over.

Although VTubers have left their respective agencies, not all of these transitions have been particularly smooth. Doki has returned to her previous alias and immediately gets to work getting back to what she loves to do. She said she was touched by the outpouring of support she received from friends she made within the industry, from several developers she enjoys working with, and of course from her fans.

“Honestly,” she says, “the reception to it has been incredibly overwhelming and I really appreciate everyone who has supported me through all of this. It means a lot to see so many friends supporting me and sharing their testimonies.”