Minato Aqua

Minato Aqua (Japanese: 湊あくあ) is a retired Japanese VTuber who was affiliated with hololive (Hololive Production) from 8 August 2018 to 28 August 2024 as a member of its 2nd Generation. She is known for her gaming skill, particularly in Apex Legends, and for a graduation concert that became the most-watched VTuber stream on record.

Profile

Item	Detail
Debut	8 August 2018 (YouTube)
Graduation	28 August 2024
Agency	Hololive Production
Generation	hololive 2nd Generation
Character designer	Gaou

Career

On 14 July 2018, Hololive Production opened a casting call for a virtual maid named Minato Aqua, designed by the illustrator Gaou. Less than a month later she debuted on YouTube as the first member of the 2nd Generation, joined by Murasaki Shion, Nakiri Ayame, Yuzuki Choco and Oozora Subaru. She has said that becoming an idol was a childhood dream she had thought out of reach, and that she applied to the auditions partly because the work could be done from home. She named Momoko Tsugunaga as her idol role model.

On 21 August 2020 she held her first paid solo concert for her second anniversary, simulcast on Niconico and Bilibili. A concert planned at the Nissin Power Station was cancelled after the venue suffered a DDoS attack and a security breach, and it was later held there on 19 February 2022. She also held a solo concert with a live audience at Toyosu PIT on 28 January 2022. Her channel passed 1 million subscribers on 13 January 2021, making her the eighth VTuber and fifth hololive member to do so, and passed 2 million on 9 May 2024.

On 6 August 2024 she announced her graduation, effective 28 August, citing unspecified differences of opinion with the company. Her graduation concert drew 749,854 concurrent viewers, breaking the record of 483,873 set by Kiryu Coco's graduation stream in July 2021, and received US$237,571 in Super Chats, the second-highest total for a VTuber stream.

Activities

Streaming style

Her streams focused largely on video games, and she became known for her competitive skill in Apex Legends. Alongside streaming she took part in hololive's annual fes. concerts from 2020 to 2024, the 2021 hololive IDOL PROJECT live, and events such as Niconico Chokaigi and Bilibili World 2019.

Games and works

Azur Lane (2019)
Neptunia Virtual Stars (2020)
BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (2021)
Aquarium (2022), a visual novel she produced and starred in, developed by Entergram for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, released on Steam in English in 2023; it earned her the 2022 Famitsu Award for Best Actor, and a planned sequel was cancelled after her graduation
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection (2024)

Characteristics

Her official profile describes her as a marine-themed maid who is awkward and clumsy, while viewers came to know her as a shy introvert with strong gaming ability. She has described herself as someone who thinks about the end when starting something, and said she had long hoped to finish her career brilliantly, calling the graduation one of her dreams.