Kotone Tenjin

Kotone Tenjin (Japanese: 天神子兎音) is a Japanese VTuber and singer who has been active on YouTube since April 2018 and is affiliated with SPIRAL STAIRS STUDIO. She plays a god character who wants to become "the god of entertainment," and she is known for her singing, which includes a major-label debut with Universal Music under the artist name Kotone.

Profile

Item	Detail
Debut	April 2018 (YouTube)
Birthday	November 11 (character setting)
Agency	SPIRAL STAIRS STUDIO (since 2024)
Artist name	Kotone
Record label	Universal Music (major debut in 2020)
Character designer	Noizi Ito

Career

Kotone Tenjin's YouTube channel was created in April 2018, and she started streaming that month. She became known as an independent VTuber during the first wave of VTuber popularity in 2018. In her early work she made chat streams, gaming videos and interviews. Her character was designed by the illustrator Noizi Ito, who is known for the Haruhi Suzumiya series. From July to September 2018 she co-hosted the radio programme "Serizawa Yū no Vtuber to Asobo!" with voice actress Yū Serizawa on Bunka Hōsō's Chō! A&G+ service, which made her one of the few VTubers with her own programme at the time.

In 2019 she voiced the character Kanako Ōmori in the voice drama "Watanuki-san Chi no." She also appeared in the variety programme "Kamigami Summit" (God Summit), which brought together deity-themed and shrine-themed VTubers, including Sakura Miko and Sister Claire.

In 2020 Universal Music announced her major-label debut under the artist name Kotone, and her debut single "PUNISHMENT" was released on December 23, 2020. In April 2024 she announced that she had joined SPIRAL STAIRS STUDIO, and she has continued to release music as Kotone under that company. Her single "SILENCE" (サイレンス) came out on streaming services on April 28, 2026.

Activities

Streaming style

Kotone Tenjin's main content is singing. As an utaite-style VTuber, she mostly publishes song covers. She began writing original music about three months after her debut, and her early lyrics describe her wish to become a popular VTuber and how she found the medium. Her channel also has chat streams and gaming streams, including regular sessions of the battle royale game Apex Legends. She has appeared at many virtual and live events, including Virtual TIF 2020, the VTuber Fes Japan 2021 event at Kawaguchi General Cultural Center Lilia, the Dimension Labels Virtual Music Festival and VTuBandFest in 2021. In July 2020 she held a special programme to choose her birthday.

Music and works

"PUNISHMENT" (2020), major debut single under Universal Music
"Reborn" (2024), single
"CHARACTER" (2024), single
"BAN [G]" (2024), single
"SILENCE" (2026), single
"IMAGINATION vol.4 ~ Symphogear 10 YEARS TRIBUTE~", contributing artist on the compilation

Characteristics

Her character is a deity said to be about 500 years old who looks like a teenage girl. In the story, she decided to become a VTuber and the "god of entertainment" so that she could win followers through entertainment. Her character is described as having a cool, mature side when she sings, and her artist releases as Kotone are mostly rock. She uses a 3D model, and her artist profile lists her as a Japanese virtual artist based in Tokyo.