VTuber Sameko Saba hits 1 million subs 3 days after debut stream
The virtual entertainment world is currently discussing the rapid rise of independent VTuber Sameko Saba, who has quickly surpassed one million subscribers on YouTube.
This significant achievement comes amidst widespread speculation linking her to the prominent VTuber Gawr Gura, who recently departed from hololive.
Gawr Gura, a superstar VTuber with over 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, announced her “graduation” from the hololive agency on April 16th, 2025.
This term signifies a talent’s retirement or decision to no longer work with an agency, and Gura’s departure was set for May 1st, 2025.
She cited “disagreements with management and company direction” as her reason, noting that the immense expectations had at times made it difficult for her to eat.
This candid admission resonated with many fans, providing a clear explanation for her choice to leave the agency, a move that was part of a trend seeing several other high-profile talents from both hololive’s English and Japanese branches also graduating around the same time, some citing creative disagreements and the company’s increasing focus on idol-style performances over traditional streaming.
The departure of a talent as significant as Gawr Gura left a void in the VTuber landscape, but it was not long before a new entity began to appear. Hints and clues emerged, leading fans to a new independent VTuber account: Sameko Saba.
On June 22nd, 2025, Sameko Saba announced her official debut stream would take place on June 28th, 2025.
Her YouTube channel and X (formerly Twitter) account rapidly gained followers even before her first stream, with a community quickly forming around this new persona, driven by a strong belief that she was indeed Gawr Gura.
While Sameko Saba herself has not made a direct admission, a range of compelling evidence links the two VTubers.
The most significant piece for many fans is the vocal similarity, with those who followed Gawr Gura for years immediately recognizing her familiar voice in the theme song uploaded to Sameko Saba’s YouTube channel.
The tone and vocal patterns are strikingly similar, if not identical.
Further clues include an update to the bio of “Senzawa,” a VTuber account widely believed to be a previous persona of the talent behind Gawr Gura, which now shows support for both Gura and Sameko Saba, a strong signal given Senzawa’s hiatus since 2020, coinciding with Gura’s debut.
The name “Sameko Saba” itself is a clever play on words; “Same” (pronounced “sah-meh”) is Japanese for shark, directly referencing Gura’s character, and “Ko” (子) means child, suggesting “child of a shark” or a new “birth.”
“Saba” is Japanese for mackerel, aligning with the new persona’s fish-themed aesthetic. This thematic consistency seems unlikely to be mere coincidence.
The launch of Sameko Saba has also been notably professional, with trademark applications for her name and logo filed in early May 2025 under Incoming Next LLC, a company based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The attorney involved has a history of working with other notable VTubers, suggesting a structured business strategy unusual for a new independent creator and implying access to resources beyond that of an average indie VTuber.
The connection has been further solidified by public support from other well-known VTubers and figures, lending credibility to the speculation.
The widely accepted connection between Gawr Gura and Sameko Saba represents a new era for the talent behind the character.
The massive and immediate following Saba gained, with over 554,000 subscribers before her first stream even began, is a testament to her dedicated fanbase, the “Chumbuds,” who have followed her to this new persona.
Her debut stream itself surged past 200,000 live viewers within the first ten minutes, making it one of the most watched VTuber debuts of the year.
As an independent creator, she can now stream on her own terms, without the constraints of an agency, allowing for a more relaxed and self-directed approach to content that fans are eager to see.
While direct confirmation of the connection may never come due to potential legal complexities, the overwhelming evidence strongly suggests the talent behind Gawr Gura is back and ready to stream once again as Sameko Saba.
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