Invicta\u2019s fateful journey to becoming male VTubing\u2019s \u201cgold standard\u201d Supplied: InvictaMale VTubers have turned out in force in 2023. One group leading the way is Invicta, an all-male quintet. While in retrospect it looks like their success was an inevitability, the path here was far from that. Visually, Invicta can be an intimidating presence. The all-male VTuber group features five very strong-looking men, muscles bulging in every direction. Getting them all into a room together can dial that feeling up tenfold. That\u2019s until they open their mouths and the banter starts. Behind the models are five humble guys who happened to stumble into each other\u2019s lives with a fate you wouldn\u2019t believe in the most ludicrous anime. To break the ice, the rest of the group eggs Taiga Chama \u2014 Invicta\u2019s \u201cmom-ager\u201d, as he likes to coin himself \u2014 to start his story. It can be distilled into four words: \u201cI was an accident,\u201d he laughs. Taiga has long had an original character to commission art of. He\u2019s spent thousands across the years. But he had his eyes set on one artist in particular, Jouvru. When the opportunity came to get a commission from her, he took his chances. After years of waiting it paid off. Except he didn\u2019t quite read the fineprint. \u201cShe DM\u2019d me and asked if I wanted a full-body Live2D. I didn\u2019t know what Live2D was, but I saw the words \u2018full body\u2019 and I was like \u2018Yeah I want a full body commission!\u2019 \u201cI got the file and I was just expecting a PNG like you normally would get, but then she gave me the PSD file. I opened up the file and I was like \u2018What the f**k? Why is everything separated? What is this?\u2019\u201d Within hours the Twitter account he had set up years ago to just reshare art had thousands of followers, all anticipating a VTuber debut. Taiga had no idea what a VTuber even was. He asked his friends and they said \u201cyou got a Kizuna Ai thing.\u201d He barely even understood the streaming landscape. But Taiga was determined to learn because when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a person where if I dip my toe in, I\u2019m going to throw my whole body in. The few months after I binged so much about VTubers and streamers. \u201cI ended up researching this new form of entertainment, and then in November I was like \u2018I am ready to figure out this sh*t.\u2019 And those friends? \u201cAt first it was out of a whim and a joke like \u2018I can\u2019t believe you became a VTuber, dude!\u2019 and they were making fun of me. Now they\u2019re all messaging me like \u2018I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re a VTuber, dude\u2019 with a different tone of voice!\u201d An unexpected bond Invicta\u2019s five members all come from different creative backgrounds. The free-flowing Kite Hasegawa has an entertainment background, but with a much different look. Kaine Knight operates in a very strict lore setting due to his character being built out of an otome game. Harmony Kyrus is a reserved artist, while Taiga is the outgoing voice. While both were pushed by their friends to chase the streaming spotlight, they had different challenges to overcome. Each had different goals for VTubing. They\u2019re even ostensibly very different people. You\u2019d think all this would clash, but instead they perfectly complement each other. And it all happened because they\u2019re all tied to one person: Jouvru. They just happened to be the five VTuber children of the popular artist. That led to them chatting to each other as they waited for each other\u2019s designs. And then that kindled the friendship. Instead of venturing into the murky mass of VTubing alone, they bonded together. Nikolas Nelo started a Discord server for his own activities, and the rest kind of squatted. Given they all hung out there, and their communities started doing so too, it made sense to make it official. With that, one could say Invicta started off as a relationship of convenience. But it\u2019s very much evolved into something deeper, and in doing so, they kickstarted a revolution in VTubing. \u201cIf I think about it, if it wasn\u2019t for the fact we all have the same model [parent], I don\u2019t think our paths would have crossed. I think about that all the time,\u201d Taiga muses. This is often a point of contention between Invicta. While Kaine quickly digresses \u201cI\u2019m sure our paths would have eventually crossed in some capacity,\u201d you have to admit it\u2019s a weird coincidence that it all panned out this well. Being together from the outset made things a lot easier though. They could do a proper debut schedule and drum up hype for each other. After all, five voices amplifying an event is better than one. While that worked for most, for Harmony who was the last one to debut, it gave him a bit of stage fright: \u201cI was a bit nervous and sweaty, my hands are clammy \u2014 but then I see someone type \u2018oh my god we broke 200 people\u2019 and I was like \u2018ah,\u2019\u201d he laughed. \u201cI told people that if I see more than 50, I may pass away because of my nerves.\u201d From there the momentum kept riding off. The name Invicta was on people\u2019s lips as male-presenting VTubers took off. That name value was really important for all the members to thrive off of each other. Instead of having to rely on being independently found, people could find one and then the other four weren\u2019t far away. It also gives them a selling point at conventions. People might not know who each of the members are, but they do know Invicta. That is a double-edged sword at times \u2014 individual recognition is always politely taken \u2014 but their name spread like wildfire as a result. \u201cA lot of the collabs we\u2019ve done, and even Offkai Expo, was basically \u2018here\u2019s the Invicta boys, take a look at the men who have been taking the VTubing world by storm,\u2019\u201d Kaine explained. \u201cIf you were to mention one of our names, maybe five out of 10 people would know who we are. But the other half would be like \u2018Invicta? I know them, but I don\u2019t know who is in it.\u2019 I\u2019ve seen that a lot. Mainly our name carries a lot of weight so it\u2019s really helped in building us up.\u201d However, being in a group wasn\u2019t all about metrics. It was mostly about being able to uplift each other, build their own skills, and hold each other accountable. \u201cIt really would have been on the backburner, and I would have turned to it when I wanted to,\u201d Harmony admitted. \u201cIf not for the group, it would have been a hobby thing. I would have looked at the account whenever.\u201d That was incredibly important when Invicta went through its lows. At its core, the group is just five guys doing something together. They\u2019re fending for themselves in the content creation world. There\u2019s no big corporation backing them. They\u2019ve also traveled treacherous paths to get here. Health issues, juggling careers, and general skepticism around men in VTubing were just some of those external tensions. Internally, no group gets along all the time. But the fact they\u2019ve made it this far is a testament to how strong their bond is. \u201cI think there were points in time where me looking from the outside, I did not know if Invicta would be able to continue,\u201d Taiga said. \u201cThe fact we\u2019ve lasted this long shows we trust each other to a point where we respect each other enough to talk to each other when something is wrong.\u201d Harmony continued: \u201cI\u2019ll do as much as I can for these guys. If they need any artwork done, graphics, I\u2019ll put my Bachelor to work and I whip it up for them. For other people? I just go \u2018That\u2019s too bad.\u2019 \u201cI consider them my second family, if not my first because I don\u2019t associate much with people, but I\u2019m very close with these guys.\u201d And one other thing about the group? If you don\u2019t like one of them, you can find something more to your taste with another member. Better yet, you might vibe with them all, and that\u2019s all Invicta can ask for. \u201cI want more people to meet these people I find near and dear to my heart,\u201d Kaine said. \u201cIf there is something on my stream that maybe you don\u2019t vibe with, I have four other brothers who may fill that void for you.\u201d Breaking the male VTuber stereotype Male VTubers, especially in the early days, fit a stereotype. There was a lot of techwear, for starters. People were dressed up in big hoodies cluttered with straps. The faces, for a lot of them, were very similar \u2014 \u2018ikemen\u2019 style at their most masculine, but often more feminine. Invicta bucked that trend. Here were five guys looking like musclemen. They were buff, they were tall, and it gave them a more aged and hard-cut look. That couldn\u2019t be further from their personalities, but it gave some eye candy other male models didn\u2019t have. \u201cAt the time we got our models, our model types, being more buff and masculine and bara, was not the norm,\u201d Taiga explained. \u201cThe norm was that super anime bishounen look. The princely type.\u201d This is just one example of how Invicta, in some terms, rewrote the VTubing meta for men. Invicta\u2019s debut was fortunately timed in line with Luxiem\u2019s explosion. NIJISANJI EN\u2019s most successful wave to date debuted mere weeks after Invicta did. That brought a new audience to VTubing, which was one the group could tap into. But they still found a way to make their own in the community thanks to their unique designs, and eventually, their standalone content. The camaraderie of the group was unlike any other. They could all individually stand on their own, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. And from there, they set the benchmark. \u201cI think what\u2019s crazier for me now is we\u2019ve opened up more opportunities for male-presenting indies,\u201d Taiga continued. \u201cWhen we all started, I don\u2019t think we were expecting to have the same type of community and recognition and reception as a corporate-backed group.\u201d \u201cAs indies, we were happy when people showed up. And once we started building our community, the communities started to form around our different personalities.\u201d VTubing does have its fair share of discourse though, and male VTubers are often in the firing line. In the same way lewd content creators fight for acceptance, masculine-looking VTubers often face contempt for their existence. There\u2019s a few working theories for that. Male VTubers cater to a women-dominant audience, which can spur some vitriol, something Kaine mentioned. \u201cIt\u2019s the double standard,\u201d he continued. \u201cGenerally we would appeal to a female audience, but because of who we are, we also appeal to a male audience and everyone in between.\u201d However, every time these topics arise, Invicta is somehow never included: \u201cBecause of the content we have, we have been safe as far as keeping the target off our back.\u201d The rest of the group agreed. \u201cI\u2019ve commented on a few VTuber discourse things just to see how people would react because we\u2019re such masculine characters, but they\u2019re like \u2018not you Taiga, not Invicta, you guys are different,\u2019\u201d Taiga explained. Kite continued: \u201cWe got very lucky with the people we chose to be in Invicta together with. We still have to watch our steps because the VTuber space is very volatile, but should we continue along that path, we will be fine.\u201d Being loud and proud Another working theory for that is just how open Invicta are. The group are incredibly relatable, and their varied backgrounds play a part in that. They are also incredibly open about some of their personal challenges. Taiga, as an example, has always put his foot down about chronic health issues and his voice. \u201cI\u2019ve always had extreme vocal dysphoria,\u201d Taiga explained. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I sounded bad per se. But no matter any of the online spaces I joined growing up, people could never figure out what I was. It caused me a lot of gender dysphoria as well. \u201cOne of the first things I had to do, as a male VTuber, was say \u2018If you comment on my voice, my gender, you will be banned.\u2019 \u201cBut the fact I\u2019m so used to my voice, I\u2019ve had so many people come up to me and say I\u2019ve helped them want to become a VTuber and overcome their own fears because they\u2019re not what people perceive male VTubers to sound like.\u201d The sentiment was echoed by Kite, who explained how VTubing let him be more open with his sexual identity. \u201cWhat really hit hard was just looking at how comfortable people in the LGBTQIA+ community were,\u201d he said. \u201cThroughout my whole life, I haven\u2019t been able to explore that myself. It was through VTubing I was able to become much more comfortable with embracing that side of me. \u201cIt\u2019s ironic because you\u2019re showing yourself as your character, but I\u2019m able to be much more of who I am as a person than I was in my own flesh.\u201d And even for those playing up the character like Kaine, you still get the essence of the human beneath. \u201cI can\u2019t break the facade of who Kaine is in comparison to everyone else. Breaking through that was the most difficult challenge at the beginning. I still have difficulty with that now. But at the same time that\u2019s what I love about VTubing. Being able to be myself through this character is a beautiful thing. It\u2019s challenging but I love the challenge and love being able to change people\u2019s lives with this persona.\u201d Two years on from when Invicta set male VTubing onto a new direction, they are now journeying down different paths. Kite Hasegawa has a 2.0 rebrand planned for 2024, with many others (excluding Kaine) going through similar refreshes. If Invicta is Latin for undefeated, that\u2019s a pretty good emblem for their journey so far. How they came together might have been an accident, but they seized the opportunity. And with that, the next step they\u2019re all taking together is filled with purpose and determination to keep going. \u201cIt\u2019s so weird because if you asked me that as a general question previously, I\u2019d think of financial stability, having a great career,\u201d Kite said. \u201cBut over the years comes wisdom and maturity, and the pandemic wearing you down.\u201d \u201cIf we can keep what we have right now, with bits and improvement and growth over the next three to five years, then I think just that would be great.\u201d \u201cWhen I went into this head on I wasn\u2019t expecting anything out of it,\u201d Taiga mused. \u201cBut there was an offhanded conversation I had with my younger brother while going to the grocery store. I was driving back home and he looked at me and was like \u2018I think this is the first time I\u2019ve seen you happy.\u2019 \u201cWith the things I experienced in my life, I never thought I\u2019d make it to the future. Being able to talk and think about something beyond my current present is something I\u2019m not used to.\u201d \u201cBut I hope we can keep doing this. I want this to be my every day. If we achieve our goals, that\u2019s even better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Invicta\u2019s fateful journey to becoming male VTubing\u2019s \u201cgold standard\u201d Supplied: InvictaMale VTubers have turned out in force in 2023. One group leading the way is Invicta, an all-male quintet. While in retrospect it looks like their success was an inevitability, the path here was far from that. Visually, Invicta can be an intimidating presence. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50566\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}