On October 8, 2026, TubeSaku, a data analysis service operated by GIPU Co., Ltd., released the results of a survey on VTuber activity suspensions. The survey covered approximately 9,000 VTuber channels and included 20,002 cases of suspension where there were no posts or streams for 7 days or more.
The theme was to test the common belief that “VTubers stop growing if they take a break.” As a result, we were unable to confirm a simple causal relationship where the break itself leads to slower growth. The deciding factor was whether or not they were able to return to their original activity pace after the break.
In the 415 cases where the number of activity days after returning to the same level as or higher than before the hiatus, the growth in views remained at 119.7% (median) of the pre-hiatus level. In contrast, the 1,538 cases where the number of activity days fell below the pre-hiatus level only accounted for 54.9%. It’s not necessary to be active every day. Channels that returned to a pace of 4-5 days a week maintained similar growth.
On the other hand, there is a tendency for higher frequency of activity to be less sustainable. Of the VTubers who were active 6-7 days a week before their hiatus, 80.4% were unable to return to their original pace.
There are also cases where viewership increased even with reduced activity levels. In three cases where we individually reviewed the content, the creators started new projects after their return, such as ASMR streaming and simultaneous viewing of popular works. In each case, they attracted viewers outside their previous fan base, and viewership reached approximately 3 to 8 times what it was before their hiatus. What supported this growth was not the decrease in activity levels, but the change in the content they were delivering.
Harada Goichi, CEO of TubeSaku, says the problem may not be taking a break, but rather running at such a high pace that it’s difficult to recover afterward. He then suggests that instead of waiting until you collapse to rest, you should use this experience as a basis for thinking about a pace that allows you to recover after a break, and ways to connect with new viewers.
Please note that this study is based on observational data and does not demonstrate causality.
This article is an English translation of an original Japanese article, translated by the Mogura VR editorial team.
