The VTuber world is full of streamers with unique personalities, each carving out their own style. Among them, solo VTuber Nanao Sakuya stands out for her remarkably disciplined approach to self-production.

With streams lasting 4 to 8 hours each, original song releases every six months, voice training sessions, and regular gym workouts in between, her dedication speaks for itself.

From the very first stream, Sakuya launched her career with a level of polish rarely seen from solo VTubers. She handles everything from music and merchandise planning to fan club management with high-level self-direction, all while continuously expanding her creative range. At “Niconico Chokaigi 2026” held in April 2026, she announced her participation in the VTuber idol group “PROJECT ALVIZIA,” signaling an even more intense pace of activity ahead.

We sat down with Nanao Sakuya — also a Generation 0 Ambassador for Alive Studio — to talk about how she became a VTuber, her relationship with her audience, the daily tactics she uses to keep viewers engaged, and what she values most about sustaining a long-term career.

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Profile

Nanao Sakuya
A solo VTuber who debuted in June 2024.
Her motto: “No pandering! No herding! No belonging!” Her favorite thing is “work.”
In less than two years since debut, she has released 4 CDs with 8 original songs, handling vocals and lyrics herself. She excels at merchandise production and self-promotion, having independently produced and sold plushies three times (600 units total). Her streaming style centers on talk segments and special projects, with occasional singing and game streams.

YouTube: Nanao Sakuya / 七狼さくや
X: @70398_

“I Didn’t Start Expecting to Succeed” — A Do-or-Die Starting Line

— First, could you introduce yourself?

Sakuya

I’m Nanao Sakuya. I’m a solo VTuber, and streaming is the core of my activities. Alongside that, I release original songs at a pace of about one every six months. My 4th single came out at “M3” (a music-focused doujin marketplace event) held last month, bringing me to 8 original songs total.

— Right off the bat — how much of your world-building and branding do you handle yourself?

Sakuya

Outside of areas I’m not good at, like music composition, I decide everything I can on my own. I’m the type who finds it faster not to consult anyone. That said, I’m not the type to lock down my world-building super rigidly either.

— I had assumed you were meticulously calculating every move.

Sakuya

Not at all, actually (laughs). I have accounting department experience and even a bookkeeping certification, but I barely do expense calculations. I’m terrible at math — during streams, there’s a viewer who acts as my designated calculator. So a lot of how I operate is based on gut feeling. I think intuition matters more.

— You’re an intuition person — that’s unexpected.

Sakuya

My approach to spending money is similar — I honestly don’t expect to make it back. It would be nice if I could, but if I can’t, that’s my own fault, and I’ll deal with it when the time comes.

The truth is, I spent a lot of money before my debut. People often say, “You must have started because you expected to succeed, right?” But it’s really the complete opposite. I went through a long period of grinding when I used to perform in front of audiences in a previous career, so I know firsthand that instant success isn’t realistic.

That’s exactly why I started with a do-or-die mentality: “If I do everything I possibly can and it still doesn’t work, then I simply don’t have the talent and I should give up.”

— I did notice that your debut seemed incredibly polished. So it was backed by serious resolve all along.

Sakuya

Exactly. If you do everything you can and still fail, it’s 100% your own fault. Then you don’t have to blame anyone else. You only have to blame yourself.

— Listening to this really makes me sit up straighter.

Sakuya

It’s nothing that grand, really (laughs). Maybe I’m a bit of a masochist. I’m the type who gets fired up by tough situations. But I don’t actually want to be pushed into a corner. I’m really more of a “sleep all day” person at heart (laughs).

Why She Keeps Releasing Music Without Calling Herself a “VSinger”

— What got you started with music?

Sakuya

I happened to have a friend in real life who’s a composer, and it started “almost as a joke” before my debut. He told me, “A two-track single for 1,000 yen is the standard,” and I was like, “Oh, is that how it works?” So we made two songs, and my first single was done before I even debuted.

— That’s a pretty unusual order of operations for a VTuber.

Sakuya

So I’ve heard. There are all kinds of approaches, but I’m told many VTubers work toward a 3D model reveal and a debut live performance, creating original songs for that, then making CDs and selling them at events. I went in the reverse order, so people tend to assume, “She must want to focus on singing.” But in my mind, it’s a bit different.

— Singing isn’t your main focus?

Sakuya

For me, the bar for calling myself a “VSinger” is still too high.
My image of a “VSinger” is someone who’s great at singing, does singing streams almost every day, regularly joins singing relays, gets invited to live events, and has a strong desire to move people through music. I’m far too much of a novice to claim that title. Not out of modesty, but genuinely…

Of course I take it seriously, but I haven’t reached “that level” yet. So I can’t acknowledge myself as a VSinger. My viewers and I have this ongoing half-playful argument — they say “You’re a VSinger!” and I say “I’m not!” (laughs).
I hope someday I can acknowledge it myself…!

— Still, maintaining a release pace of one song every six months is impressive.

Sakuya

My first single got more praise than I expected, and when people asked “What’s next?”, I’m the type who can’t say no. So it became “Okay, I’ll put out a second one,” “Then a third,” “Then a fourth,” and now I’m planning an album for this fall.

Since I’m taking people’s money, I need to at least meet a minimum standard, so I’ve been taking voice training lessons for about two years now.

— You’re too serious! (laughs)

Sakuya

I just don’t want my reputation to suffer because I didn’t put in the effort. I don’t want to use “Well, I’m not great at singing, so what can you do?” as an excuse.

Her Compass Always Points to “What Viewers Want”

— Listening to you, it sounds like you’re constantly making go/no-go decisions on a huge number of things. Do you decide everything on your own?

Sakuya

Business decisions, yes, I basically make them myself. From the very first business email, I can generally read the other party’s temperature. I’m not confident in my singing, but I am confident in my ability to read people (laughs). For deals where I can tell “this is fine,” I move forward without consulting anyone.

— What kind of deal would make you want to consult someone?

Sakuya

Only for big decisions that could affect a significant number of people — in those cases, I sometimes consult a fortune teller. I absolutely love fortune telling.

Before becoming a VTuber, I was once told, “Long-term work under a company isn’t suited to you,” and it clicked — “Oh, then being solo is fine.” It really settled something in me.

— So the fortune teller is like a partner you team up with.

Sakuya

Exactly, a reliable sidekick (laughs). It’s not that I “follow the fortune” — my answer is pretty much decided already, but I go to get that final push.

— Is choosing to be solo also about having full autonomy?

Sakuya

That’s part of it. Also, I tend to demand the same level of intensity from people around me, so I get told I’m “too serious” or “too intense.” I often stuck out in group settings, and eventually I thought, “Maybe it’s better on my own.”

— I’ve heard that recently you’ve been open to considering an agency, if the right one could handle you.

Sakuya

That’s true — as things get busier, I’ve started missing scheduled commitments. Discord (a chat tool widely used for communication among streamers) doesn’t let you mark messages as unread once you’ve read them, so if I don’t reply on the spot, I forget. It’s fine when I’m home, but when I’m out with someone and not checking my phone, things slip through.

So I think having a manager would help, but then again, if they made a mistake, I’d hate blaming someone else for it (laughs). When I think about that, I figure it’s probably solo life for me after all.

— Looking at how you self-produce, it seems like you prioritize “what viewers want” even more than what you yourself want to do.

Sakuya

That’s the foundation of everything I do. I believe “If you only do what you want, that’s just a hobby.” Since I’m earning money from my activities, even if only a little, I try to fulfill requests whenever I can. Of course, if something is genuinely impossible due to connections or technical limitations, I’ll honestly say “I can’t do that.” But whenever it’s doable, I want to make it happen for them.

— Have there been cases where you had to say “I can’t”?

Sakuya

When someone asked me to make sneakers, I had to say “That’s not possible” (laughs). To do it properly, I’d need to partner with a factory and go all-in, and that was beyond my network. Also, for music video requests, I sometimes set a condition: “Only if it comes with a merch lineup that can recoup the costs.”

— It’s refreshing that you’re so upfront about the financial side.

Sakuya

I don’t want to hide it. Finding out later that something isn’t what you expected is worse for everyone.

Saying Yes to Idol Life — When “Never” Became “Let’s Go”

— At “Niconico Chokaigi 2026” in late April, your participation in a half-year rotating idol unit was announced. You had previously said you wouldn’t do group activities — what changed?

Sakuya

That’s right. With my lone-wolf concept and all, I really agonized over it at first. For about two days after receiving the offer, I was just holding my head in my hands.

— Why did you decide to accept?

Sakuya

I personally became a fan of a certain idol group, and that experience made me understand for the first time what it feels like to want to cheer someone on. “So this is what it’s like to support someone,” I realized.

Once I felt that, I started imagining: “If I joined an idol unit, maybe my viewers could wave penlights and have fun cheering me on.” My compass always points to “what viewers want,” not “what I want,” so I decided to give it a try.

— So your own experience as a fan became the deciding factor.

Sakuya

Exactly. If I hadn’t come to understand that feeling of wanting to support someone, I probably would have turned it down.

— I heard you also consulted your fortune teller about it.

Sakuya

I told them, “I never thought I’d be suited for a unit,” and they said, “This year is a year of meeting many new people and taking on many new challenges — a year of choices.” So I decided, “Then I’ll pick up the card that’s been dealt to me.”

— Those words really resonated with you.

Sakuya

When I got that push, the answer that had been inside me all along just naturally came to the surface.

Creating “Hooks” — Keeping Long Streams Engaging

— Was your streaming style always like it is now?

Sakuya

At first, I tried to follow the “VTuber template” in my head — cute, fluffy, singing and gaming. But I couldn’t keep it up (laughs). By about the third stream, the real me was already showing through. From there, my viewers started playing off me, and that atmosphere naturally developed. My current style was truly built through collaboration with my viewers.

— “Collaboration” — that’s an interesting way to put it.

Sakuya

Streaming gets boring for both sides if it’s just me talking. With a comment section that only sends back text, I have to pull the trigger and get reactions going, or the energy just won’t flow.

— You put a lot of effort into keeping viewers engaged, too.

Sakuya

During long streams, there are inevitably moments where the energy dips, no matter how interesting the content is. At those moments, I make a point of creating hooks — things viewers can’t help but react to.

— What kind of hooks specifically?

Sakuya

Frequent outfit changes, switching up effects, suddenly swapping my Live2D model (a technology that animates 2D illustrations, widely used for VTuber models) to a black cat or wolf form during a stream.

When viewers see “Oh, she turned into a wolf” or “It’s the black cat now,” they can’t help but comment. Especially long-time viewers can’t keep commenting the whole time, so I think it’s my job to give them triggers.

— That makes sense. I’ve noticed you change expressions and outfits frequently.

Sakuya

I use two Stream Decks (devices for streamers that let you trigger actions with the push of a button) with all my expressions, hairstyles, and location changes registered. I’m constantly clicking away during streams. My family says they can’t match my speed (laughs).

— And you’re doing all that while talking (laughs). You’re also preparing a major update for your 2nd anniversary in June.

Sakuya

There’s a lot I can’t say yet, but I have model upgrades and many other things planned. I have so many reveals that even I think “I really don’t need to add this many,” and people around me say the same. But I just have this overwhelming drive to keep surprising my viewers.

— Can’t wait for June.

Sakuya

There are plenty of surprises I’m keeping secret until the day, so please keep following along!

The Self-Maintenance Routine Behind 4-to-8-Hour Streams

— Even with your packed schedule, you keep up your gym routine and voice training without fail.

Sakuya

I’ve collapsed and been taken to the hospital by ambulance twice in the past. My family seriously told me, “Next time, you’re on your own.” So now I’m actually holding back my activity level quite a bit. Streams run 4 to 8 hours, about 3 to 4 times a week. To keep going long-term, this is my limit. I’m intentionally putting a cap on my workload now.

— A cap… at 8-hour streams!

Sakuya

Sitting for long periods gives me terrible sciatica. I’ve been diagnosed with piriformis syndrome (a condition where the piriformis muscle in the buttocks tightens and compresses the nerve, causing pain and numbness), and at its worst I’m literally dragging my leg. So I maintain a cycle: gym twice a week, chiropractor twice a month, and a massage gun (a vibrating muscle-release device used by professional athletes) after every stream.

— Sitting in one position for hours on end… And then there’s voice training on top of that.

Sakuya

I’ve been going to the gym for 8 years and never get sore from that anymore, but voice training absolutely wrecks my core. There’s an exercise where you “fill your belly with air, maintain abdominal pressure, and slowly exhale through your teeth over 20 seconds,” and that alone gives me muscle soreness. That’s why I always tell myself, “I’ve only made it to the ‘V’ in ‘VSinger'” (laughs).

— That’s athlete-level conditioning. How do you decide when to take a rest?

Sakuya

In my case, I sometimes check the length of my toenails (laughs). I get my fingernails done professionally once a month so I can’t skip those, but my toenails I have to clip myself. When things get busy, I forget to even cut them. When I notice they’ve gotten long, I know, “Oh, this is bad.”

— That’s the first time I’ve heard of that metric (laughs).

Sakuya

It’s totally useless advice for anyone who clips their toenails regularly, but since I’m the type who doesn’t think about it, it works as a good gauge for me. Since becoming a VTuber, I’ve added a throat indicator too. If my throat feels off, I absolutely take at least one day off.

“Continuing Is a Talent in Itself”

— Do you have a strong desire to keep going as a VTuber for a long time?

Sakuya

Very much so. At a singing relay event, I happened to run into someone backstage who had supported me during my previous career. Even though I’d changed my name and appearance as a VTuber, they found out I was still performing and broke down crying. That was the moment I truly felt, “I’m so glad I kept going.”

— That’s enough to make us tear up too.

Sakuya

I feel the same way about people I support — I want them to keep performing on stage somewhere. So I want to keep doing the same.

— Finally, could you share a message for your viewers and for fellow VTubers?

Sakuya

To my viewers — I really only have two things to say: “Thank you always” and “I look forward to more.” I plan to keep going for a long time, so please don’t pass on before I do (laughs).

— A bit morbid, but so full of love (laughs). And a message for fellow VTubers?

Sakuya

This is something I always think about: the amount of work that happens off-stream is enormous. Scheduling, planning, commissioning thumbnails, buying games, setting live setlists, getting permissions, ordering, packing, and shipping merchandise. People tend to think VTubers are “resting” when they’re not streaming, but the work outside of streams is actually much greater.

— All invisible work.

Sakuya

It’s hard to fully convey how tough it is. But even so, I hope they keep going. I have a saying I love: “Whether it’s something you enjoy or something you don’t, continuing is a talent.” If you’re still doing it, that means you have talent. There will always be at least one person who’s happy you’re doing it.

— Even if it’s just for one person, is it worth it?

Sakuya

Through VTuber activities, making someone else happy is, when you really think about it, an extraordinary thing. Someone outside your family and close relationships is smiling or feeling uplifted because of what you do. I hope people never take that “extraordinary” for granted, and keep going.
And that ultimately leads to “peace of mind,” which eventually leads to world peace — I think Inaba from B’z said something like that (laughs).

— World peace! That escalated quickly (laughs). If Inaba said it, it must be true!

As a Generation 0 Ambassador for Alive Studio

— As a Generation 0 Ambassador for Alive Studio, you’ve been actively using the tool in your streams. What’s your favorite feature?

Sakuya

The effects feature. I’ve been using the “gold shutter” effect that triggers when I receive a Super Chat, and I absolutely love it. Sound-equipped effects are pretty rare, so it’s been invaluable.

— Speaking of sound, you use a lot of sound effects too.

Sakuya

I get anxious if I haven’t inserted some kind of sound effect at least every 5 seconds (laughs). In my mind, I’m basically doing live editing while streaming.

— Your streams really are lively with all those audio elements.

Sakuya

If I could make one request: I’d love more variety-show style sound effects. If they added TV-style reaction sounds, I think it would open up so many more creative possibilities. Dev team, I’m counting on you! (laughs)

— I’ll pass that along (laughs). The roulette segments were also really fun.

Sakuya

The “Morning Stream Lunch Menu Roulette!” Though my streams run so long it usually ends up being a dinner-menu roulette (laughs). The roulette has great visibility and my viewers love it.

— The excitement builds as it’s about to stop, and then again when the result comes in.

Sakuya

Exactly. The roulette is just one example, but depending on your ideas, there are so many ways to use it. I want to keep finding new ways to use it for different projects.

— Throughout our conversation, Nanao Sakuya’s determination and genuine love for her viewers shone through in every answer. Her philosophy of “choosing the option that’s more fun, the option viewers would want” is a way of life worth cheering for!

Interview: Hikaru Kase / Written by: Yusuke Sakamoto