Mori Calliope is a Japanese VTuber (Virtual YouTuber) who is part of one of the biggest VTuber productions in Japan, hololive. VTuber is a YouTuber who uses an animated avatar instead of their real appearance. The main activities are basically the same as YouTubers. Each Vtuber has a well-designed character, and they do singing, live streaming, gaming, etc. 

According to the official profile, Mori Calliope is characterized as The Grim Reaper's first apprentice. Due to modern medical care causing a decline in the reaping business, Calliope decided to become a VTuber to harvest souls instead. On this background, individuality as a VTuber is built.

Despite being based in Japan, Calliope belongs to hololive English which is a female VTuber group for English-speaking regions -- there are about 20 members. Each member has their own features but they sometimes collaborate with each other to create synergy. She debuted on September 9, 2020 and her current subscriber count on YouTube is more than 2.4 million. The main contents in her YouTube Channel are video game live streaming and music. She is a bilingual singer and also a rapper. In terms of streaming, most of them are English contents but there are Japanese songs and English songs as well. Her various characteristics, namely being virtual, make collaboration projects easier to organize. 

For example, she collaborated with one of the most popular J-Rock bands ZUTOMAYO as a rapper and performed at their concert.

Her latest song, “Go-Getters,” is the ending song for the acclaimed TV anime series Suicide Squad ISEKAI. This animation is created by Warner Brothers Japan as a completely new original work that started broadcasting in the beginning of July 2024. Calliope joined the Anime Expo 2024 in LA on July 4 to perform this song for anime fans stateside. 

She announced the release of her second major label album PHANTOMINE soon to be made available worldwide on August 16, 2024. The title is a portmanteau of the words PHANTOM and PANTOMIME and holds meaning related to her distinct behavior as a virtual artist combined with her performance as a VTuber. Instead of living for someone else, she has found hope through a struggle to live for herself. The album includes a collaboration song with popular Japanese hip hop singer AI called “Tide” and a world famous video game series Metal Gear official collaboration song “SNEAKING.” As a video game streamer, she has previously played the Metal Gear Solid series. Contrary to collaborating with real human beings, video game collaborations can be expressed more naturally with these virtual artists.

For more details, visit her website and social media sites for updates. VTuber culture is still being cultivated. Their existence is virtual but they have gradually expanded their presence to this real world as if it is one success story of the metaverse. Mori Calliope will make plenty of challenges to expand their horizons for the future as one of the front runners in this category. 

Are you interested in Mori Calliope’s history and future? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X (Twitter).

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Edited by Martina Yee