VTuber Spotlight: Aruri (アルリ)
With the growing popularity of VTubing, there has been a lot of VTubers springing up lately. But among these numerous newcomers to the industry, some are just special and stand out from day one.
And we, as fans, always have that gut feeling from the get-go about those special VTubers. We just know that they are going to make it big, especially when they put 300%+ into their pre-debut interactions on Twitter, their VTuber model, and their debut overall.
One such special VTuber is today’s guest, our favorite wind-up doll, Auregalia Aruri, who recently debuted on October 29th, 2022 (Psssst!! Here’s a secret! It’s not her first time VTubing. More on that later, so read on!). We had the pleasure of interviewing her and asking some saucy questions!
So without any further ado, let’s get straight into what she has to share with her fans!
Table of contents
- Introduction
- Aruri’s Decision To Be A VTuber
- The Backstory
- Aruri’s Previous VTubing Experience
- Aruri’s Immense Talent
- Her Idols
- Aruri Is A Variety Streamer
- Aruri’s Hobbies
- This Wind-Up Doll Is A Foodie
- Aruri’s Thoughts On VTubing Community
- Aruri Is A Multilingual Doll
- The Mascot: Zehro
- Growth Of The VTubing Industry In Malaysia
- The Balance Between VTubing & Real-World Responsibilities
- Her Parents Know About Her?!
- Aruri’s Content Plan
- What’s In The Future For Aruri
- Wrapping It Up
Introduction
Auregalia Aruri, nickname Aruri (アルリ), is an English-speaking female indie VTuber who debuted on October 29th, 2022. She’s a windup doll VTuber living in Malaysia. (Her LinkTree here)
If you are confused about her surname Auregalia, it’s pronounced as ‘Ah-woo-reh-gah-lee-ya’ or ‘Aw-reh-gah-lee-ya.’ Additionally, her height is 158cm, or 5’2″ (without heels), and her birthday comes around on September 18th. Aruri also has a mascot named Zehro, which is her pet cat.
But that’s enough out of me; we’ll let Aruri introduce herself to her fans!
Q: Please give a quick self introduction!
Aruri: “Hello everyone! You can call me Auregalia Aruri, and I’m a Wind-Up Doll Vtuber! Nice to meet you!
Q: So Aruri, tell us a bit about what it means to be a wind-up doll VTuber! Are you like Yaya from Unbreakable Machine Doll?!
Aruri: “No, I’m just a regular doll with a wind-up key, and I get super cranky when the key isn’t spinning smoothly!”
Hmm… Suddenly I have this urge to stop that spinning key. I am just curious to know what she’d be like when she’s super cranky. Tell me I am not alone in this, guys! Guys??!!! Okay, this is awkward!
Aruri’s Decision To Be A VTuber
We all have some kind of inspiration when it comes to career choices. The same is the case with VTubers. Most of them have been inspired by something or someone to start VTubing. And Aruri’s decision to go into VTubing was no different.
She came across a clip of a famous Hololive VTuber that fascinated her enough to put the idea of VTubing in her mind. Let’s ask her who that VTuber was and how she decided to start VTubing!
Q: Why did you decide to get into VTubing, and where did you first hear about it?
Aruri: “I stumbled upon an animation clip of Inugami Korone talking about a ‘Turtle House.’ I became really fascinated and curious about who she was, and that was how I found out about Vtubers. I was an idol trainee in the music industry. I was already familiar with the music and entertainment industry, so I thought it would be interesting for me to give Vtubing a try.”
The Backstory
There are several reasons behind her choosing to be a wind-up doll. The first one is that she found it to be unique as no one else has done it before; a spinning 3D key on the head of her VTuber model. The second reason is profound and heart-wrenching; she used to be an IRL idol trainee in the music industry.
If you haven’t heard already, the industry is notorious for mistreating idols. She experienced this as a trainee and felt like a doll, always being told what to do and what to dress like and stuff like that. But she decided to take all those memories of being mistreated and use them instead to empower herself, inspiring her to create the wind-up doll character we see here.
Unfortunately, Aruri can’t share any detailed information about that for now because of privacy reasons, but she did promise to open up about it some day later in her streams. We’re looking forward to hearing the full story!
Here is her backstory in her own words:
Q: How did you think about building your VTuber persona and keeping true to your lore? How has this process changed since you started, and what have you learned?
Aruri: “Coming out of the music industry, I realized they treated idol trainees like Barbie dolls, and that was the biggest inspiration for my persona to become a doll Vtuber. I did some research and felt like being just a “doll” would not have been unique enough for me to stand out, so I proposed the wind-up key idea to my Live2D artist since it had never been done before, and he made it work perfectly.”
Make sure you tune in to her every stream so you won’t miss it. And remember to support her! She deserves it, Goddammit!! And if you don’t, this cat will haunt you in your dreams!
Aruri’s Previous VTubing Experience
So, you guys might know this, but it isn’t Aruri’s first time VTubing. Shocking, right? Well, we asked her a question to get more details on this. Here is how it went:
Q: Some might not know, but this isn’t your first experience VTubing! You were part of an agency in the past but decided to go indie this time around. Could you tell us about your decision there and what motivated the switch?
Aruri: “I am actually surprised to find out that people know about this! I suppose the biggest part of my decision to go indie was because of the schedule; agency Vtubers have to hit a certain threshold of streaming hours every week. It was hard for me to keep up as I was also working a full-time job during the day, which meant having a lot on my plate, including making tons of thumbnails and schedules for myself outside of streaming. And I felt like I really wanted to go in a different direction, especially when it comes to creative content such as hybrid streaming which isn’t usually permitted in agencies, so being indie was the best way for me to be able to keep up with this hobby while working a full-time job.“
Aruri is one hard-working windup doll. We, as fans, support your decisions, Aruri! And we can’t wait to see you go hybrid!
Aruri’s Immense Talent
As mentioned before in the article, she used to be an idol trainee in the music industry. That must’ve polished her natural singing talent because this wind-up doll can sing!! You can listen to her singing in a short Acapella cover below:
Her Idols
Aruri might be too humble to accept this, but she has quickly become an idol to many of us. But what about her own idols?
We had a conversation where she shared who she looks up to. Here’s how it went:
Q: Who are your idols? They can be VTubing related or not.
Aruri: “I am a huge fan of Lady Gaga; she is my queen and my inspiration. She is an all-rounder, and I look up to her so much. My other idol is Miyavi; I have been his fan ever since I was a kid. He is an absolutely phenomenal musician, and I hope I can work with him someday. It would be my biggest dream.”
Aruri Is A Variety Streamer
Many VTubers are one-trick ponies! Lucky for us, Aruri is a very talented doll. She doesn’t plan to be labeled or tied down to only one niche.
Even though she is an exceptionally talented singer, which we’ve witnessed from her clips blowing up on Twitter, she still wants to explore everything and anything she can! And we love that spirit!
Q: What have you seen working in this space to grow your following?
Aruri: “A few of my singing clips blew up on Twitter, and I realized people really enjoy them. Still, I try not to post too many of them because I don’t want to be seen or be labeled as a “VSinger” when I am a variety streamer. As much as I love to pamper everyone, I don’t want people to come to my stream expecting me to sing or only support me when I post singing content and song covers.”
Aruri’s Hobbies
We also asked her about her hobbies besides VTubing. Apparently, she’s a massive fan of movies and TV shows and is a mobile gamer. Here is how that conversation went:
Q: So I’m sure everybody would love to know, what other hobbies do you have besides VTubing?
Aruri: “I am actually a HUGE fan of movies and tv shows! I also love playing mobile games and supporting my friends whenever I can! I’m a huge multitasker – if I’m playing Mobile Legends, I’m definitely chatting in my friends’ streams at the same time! I also love meeting new people and just feeling the energy and vibes that people radiate, so I enjoy being around people whenever time allows for it.“
Hmm… So she likes to play Mobile Legends. I don’t know about you guys, but I wish I could be on her team once.
Ok, here’s a plan: If she ever streams while playing Mobile Legends, let’s queue-snipe her! Shhhhh!! Don’t tell her the plan, though. It’ll be our little secret! KEKW!
This Wind-Up Doll Is A Foodie
We all have that one dish in our lives that, even if we are not hungry, when it’s in front of us, we just can’t resist. We asked Aruri what her weakness is when it comes to food or drink. The following is what she shared:
Q: What is your favorite food & drink?
Aruri: “This is a very tough question to answer because I consider myself a huge foodie; I love food with all my heart. I also love weird food combinations, and I’m open to trying anything once. And yes, I also love mint chocolate. I honestly cannot wait to do Mukbangs in the future!”
We can’t wait either, Aruri! We hope that you do Mukbangs soon. And we’ll be waiting for those streams!
Aruri’s Thoughts On VTubing Community
So, we’ve all heard stories about the toxicity of some VTubers toward others. On the flip side, we’ve also come across some of the most heart-touching stories of VTubers helping out each other.
We asked her to shed some light on that and share her own experience with the community. Here’s what she had to say:
Q: Can you talk a bit about how you see aspects of the VTubing community helping/hurting new VTubers, and how it’s affected you?
Aruri: “I feel very blessed because everybody has been so welcoming to me ever since the very start, and I have made so many friends that have helped me and guided me throughout this journey. I do know of the darker side of the Vtubing community where Vtubers can be bashful and mean, but thankfully I’ve only had very few experiences of meeting those people!“
We hope you don’t have to experience any toxicity in the future, Aruri! And we wish you a seamless and enjoyable VTubing journey.
Aruri Is A Multilingual Doll
While interviewing her, we got the sense that Aruri is pretty well traveled, which is why this question was a must.
Q: How many languages do you speak?
Aruri: “I speak five languages fluently: English, Korean, Mandarin, Hokkien (the mother tongue of Taiwan), and Cantonese (the mother tongue of Hong Kong). I am currently learning Indonesian and Japanese and trying to brush up on my Malay while working on my Indonesian.”
Whoa! That’s a lot of languages, and she’s learning even more! I don’t know about you guys, but of all the languages she mentioned, I can’t wait for her to speak Japanese! No offense to any other languages, though. I’m kind of a weeb if it’s not obvious by now. 0w0
The Mascot: Zehro
Earlier in the post, we mentioned her mascot pet cat Zehro. And we thought you guys might be interested in knowing more about Zehro, right? See, we knew that!
Q: So, please tell us more about your pet mascot.
Aruri: “I have a pet cat (and yes, he is a real cat) called Zehro. He is seven years old, and he weighs a hefty ten kilograms. I adopted him when I was living in Korea, and I brought him back to Malaysia with me, so let’s just say he’s a Korean cat and only understands when I speak Korean to him. My parents are trying to teach him English, though, and it’s always super amusing to watch! I raised him on my own ever since he was two months old, so he thinks of me as his mother, and I call him my son. He is absolutely adorable, and he is definitely going to be a fan favorite instead of me; I just know it!”
Well, she ain’t wrong! Just hearing about it is getting us excited. Just imagine when he appears on stream!
Growth Of The VTubing Industry In Malaysia
We were curious about the VTubing scene in Malaysia; that’s where Aruri hails from. So, like any good interviewer, we just had to ask about it:
Q: How is VTubing viewed in your home country? Is it big, small, popular, or looked down on?
Aruri: “In Malaysia, I think Vtubing is still quite a niche over here. Some events don’t even consider adding a Vtuber section because many people don’t see it as a big industry or a market with heaps of potential, but we can slowly see that changing thanks to the amazing people at MyHoloTV who are working ever so hard to push the word out to the mass!”
Hmm… So Malaysia is catching up. Good for you, our Malaysian readers! We hope to see more developments in the future!
The Balance Between VTubing & Real-World Responsibilities
For those of you who think VTubing is all rainbows and unicorns, NAAHHH, DUDE! It isn’t! VTubing is no easy feat, especially if you are not making enough from VTubing to quit your 9-5 job. You are constantly torn between your busy work life and your streaming commitments.
That’s why we asked our favorite wind-up doll how she maintains balance between VTubing and real-life responsibilities. Here’s what she shared:
Q: How do you balance VTubing and your real-world responsibilities? Do you keep them separate or mix them to some degree?
Aruri: “As much as I try to balance it, it is very hard because, more often than not, Vtubing takes up a lot of time. It almost always would run into my work time or when I have to do some “adulting,” as the kids would say. But I am an efficient and fast worker. Thankfully, my day job boss is very open-minded and understanding, so as long as Vtubing doesn’t affect my performance and quality of work, I am allowed to do anything I want during my free time in the office. This gives me time to research or focus on the behind-the-scenes of Vtubing for a bit before my next assignment.”
Her Parents Know About Her?!
I always wondered how streamers manage to keep everyone around them quiet when they’re streaming. It’s even more challenging for VTubers, as they have to keep their identities secret.
Q: Does anybody that you know in real life know that you do VTubing? Why or why not?
Aruri: “Yes, my close friends and family know. I live with my parents, so I had to explain to them the reason behind my personal space and boundaries, why they cannot make disruptive noises when I’m streaming, why they have to refrain from calling out my real name when they enter my room, and whatnot. At first, they were very confused by it, but after watching my streams, they started to understand the nature of this industry, and streaming became gradually more comfortable in the house.”
She has a very understanding family. Well, lucky for her, because if I were to get into VTubing, my dumb brother wouldn’t stop coming to my room and shouting out my name! I’d be transitioning from VTubing to being a regular streamer on my debut. 😐
Aruri’s Content Plan
Aruri just made her debut. Fans would like to know where she plans to take it from here. That’s why we asked:
Q: I really want to learn more about your streaming plans. What does your schedule look like, and what kind of content do you plan on sharing?
Aruri: “I plan to be a variety streamer and maybe even a hybrid Vtuber someday. So I plan to stream games, karaoke, chatting, watch-along, cooking, mukbang, giveaway, charity, live tour, ASMR, etc.! I’m open to anything and everything at the moment.”
No matter what floats your boat of all the things she mentioned, this wind-up doll has got you covered! So, make sure to tune in to her streams! Who knows, your requests may even become reality.
What’s In The Future For Aruri
Aruri seems to be pretty measured about her career in VTubing. She isn’t focusing on hypergrowth with her future goals, as all she wants right now is to build a community that’s all about being a safe space for everyone, where they can share what’s in their hearts.
And honestly, that’s the right attitude that all budding VTubers should adopt. If you are too ambitious and are only into VTubing to obsess about numbers, it will only bring you stress and pain. But if you are in it because you love VTubing and have the required talent as Aruri does, you’ll enjoy the whole journey, and success will simply be one of its many perks.
Q: What are your future goals for the rest of 2022 – 2023?
Aruri: “I plan to take this one step at a time, and because I never had the chance to, I would love to take it easy this time around, not focusing and worrying so much about growth, retention, or numbers. So, I guess my biggest goal after my debut is to get to the “comfort zone” when it comes to streaming and then hang out with my community every week like one would with their best friends! My long-time goal is to build a strong and tight-knit community, something like a safe space for everyone in it.”
Wrapping It Up
With that, we have concluded the interview! We hope that you enjoyed this interview, and if you did, make sure to stay tuned, as we’ll be back with more interviews like this one in our series “VTuber Spotlight” series.
And if you are a VTuber and want us to interview you, just DM us at @DereProject.
That’s all, folks!
