To commemorate her 53rd birthday, Neon Genesis Evangelion voice actress Yūko Miyamura (the longtime Japanese voice of Asuka Langley Soryu) announced that she will be making her official VTuber debut at an upcoming year-end livestream. Miyamura previously announced her intentions to become a VTuber during an Evangelion 30th anniversary live event, when she hinted that her new avatar was in the works.
Thank you for celebrating with me. No matter how old I get, being celebrated is always a joy, and I’m truly grateful that I’m 53. My nightly livestreams must be a sight for sore eyes, with my tired, puffy eyes and wrinkled skin. My apologies for the poor appearance.
Finally, that V-avatar I announced at the 30th-anniversary live event is complete! The design by Yun Kōga is utterly adorable! The V-avatar for Yūko Miyamura will be implemented in a year-end livestream. Stay tuned!
Though her character has yet to debut, Miyamura has previously unofficially streamed as the VTuber Blaster Renko from 2020 to 2022. Lore-wise, Blaster Renko is an alien from Planet Buster who came to Earth to learn about human society. While on the planet, she attends a Japanese school and streams video games. To make the connection between Blaster Renko and Miyamura more apparent, the former reports that she is currently living in the house of the latter (Blaster Renko also refers to Miyamura as “mommy” on occasion).
Miyamura only recently recovered from her battle with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, both serious illnesses that left her unable to speak or articulate properly. Though she considered retiring in 2022, she was encouraged by her peers to focus on her recovery. Following successful treatments that she partook in without stepping down, Miyamura has since returned with her iconic voice.
Her new V-avatar was created by manga artist Risa Kimura, who goes by her pen name Yun Kōga. Kimura is the creator of popular 2000s manga like Loveless, Tenshichō, and Kill Me, as well as the ongoing series Kurumada Suikoden – Hero of Heroes.
With her recovering voice and Kimura’s design for her V-avatar on her side, many are hoping that Yūko Miyamura’s VTuber career will help raise the voice actress’s spirits and help her reconnect with her fans. Details about her official VTuber livestream will be revealed at a later date.
