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* IKnewIt: Fans who already knew the identity of Ai-chan's original voice actress kept silent about it for a long time so as not to ruin the immersion. Unfortunately, because of the "clones"/[=upd8/activ8=] debacle on mid-2019, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/VirtualYoutubers/comments/co22i0/full_timeline_of_multiple_ai_project/ discussions about Ai-chan's identity or VA]] spread like uncontrollable wildfire. And then on April 24 2020, it was [[WordOfGod confirmed]] that [[https://twitter.com/kasuga_nozomi/status/1253662616674725888 Nozomi Kasuga is the original voice actress]].
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** This cultural divide also transferred into ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele''. In Japan it was popular enough to get a second season greenlit immediately after it aired. By contrast, the West pretty much only know it for the aforementioned NFT discussion and consider it SoOkayItsAverage at best or a chore to watch at worst, not helped by ''Anime/OshinoKo'' airing the same season.

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** This cultural divide also transferred into ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele''. In Japan it was popular enough to get a second season greenlit immediately after it aired. By contrast, the West pretty much only know it for the aforementioned NFT discussion and consider it SoOkayItsAverage at best or a chore to watch at worst, not helped by ''Anime/OshinoKo'' ''Anime/OshiNoKo'' airing the same season.
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* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=] (ranging from quirky independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters) has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating preexisting fans just made matters worse.

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* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: OnceOriginalNowCommon: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=] (ranging from quirky independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters) has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating preexisting fans just made matters worse.
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** This cultural divide also transferred into ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele''. In Japan it was popular enough to get a second season greenlit immediately after it aired. By contrast, the West pretty much only know it for the aforementioned NFT discussion and consider it SoOkayItsAverage at best or a chore to watch at worst, not helped by ''Anime/OshinoKo'' airing the same season.
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* AmericansHateTingle: Ai herself became subject to this trope when [[https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-the-most-popular-vtubers-is-now-trying-to-sell-you-nfts/ one of her 2021 videos became infamous]] for merely briefly discussing the concepts of [[UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} NFTs]] and TheMetaverse as ways she can further interact with her fans. A post-episode discussion about how [=NFTs=] work also showed up in episode 3 of ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele'', to the chagrin of quite a few Western fans. The disconnect likely arises from how [=NFTs=] are perceived in Japan versus the rest of the world; the Japanese government [[https://forkast.news/headlines/fumio-kishida-nft-dao-cool-japan/ sees NFTs and tech adjacent to them]] as [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xwgaop/japan_to_invest_in_metaverse_nfts_to_drive/ a legitimate vehicle for fundraising]], with Japanese companies following suit (e.g. Creator/{{Konami}} and Creator/SquareEnix implementing them in their games). Meanwhile, the West is more familiar with [=NFTs=] as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g a tool used only to enable get-rich-quick pyramid schemes]] (e.g. "Bored Apes" and NFT games like ''Axie Online'') and the cult-like following the technology's developed, often derisively called "[[{{Fratbro}} cryptobros]]".

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* AmericansHateTingle: Ai herself became subject to this trope when [[https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-the-most-popular-vtubers-is-now-trying-to-sell-you-nfts/ one of her 2021 videos became infamous]] for merely briefly discussing the concepts of [[UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} NFTs]] and TheMetaverse as ways she can further interact with her fans. A post-episode discussion about how [=NFTs=] work also showed up in episode 3 of ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele'', to the chagrin of quite a few Western fans. The disconnect likely arises from how [=NFTs=] are perceived in Japan versus the rest of the world; the Japanese government [[https://forkast.news/headlines/fumio-kishida-nft-dao-cool-japan/ sees NFTs and tech adjacent to them]] as [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xwgaop/japan_to_invest_in_metaverse_nfts_to_drive/ a legitimate vehicle for fundraising]], with Japanese companies following suit (e.g. Creator/{{Konami}} and Creator/SquareEnix implementing them in their games). Meanwhile, the West is more familiar with [=NFTs=] as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g a tool used only to enable get-rich-quick pyramid schemes]] (e.g. "Bored Apes" and NFT games like ''Axie Online'') and the cult-like following the technology's developed, often derisively called "[[{{Fratbro}} "[[{{Techbro}} cryptobros]]".
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* AmericansHateTingle: Ai herself became subject to this trope when [[https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-the-most-popular-vtubers-is-now-trying-to-sell-you-nfts/ one of her 2021 videos became infamous]] for merely briefly discussing the concepts of [[UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} NFTs]] and TheMetaverse as ways she can further interact with her fans. A post-episode discussion about how [=NFTs=] work also showed up in episode 3 of ''Anime/KizunaNoAllele'', to the chagrin of quite a few Western fans. The disconnect likely arises from how [=NFTs=] are perceived in Japan versus the rest of the world; the Japanese government [[https://forkast.news/headlines/fumio-kishida-nft-dao-cool-japan/ sees NFTs and tech adjacent to them]] as [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xwgaop/japan_to_invest_in_metaverse_nfts_to_drive/ a legitimate vehicle for fundraising]], with Japanese companies following suit (e.g. Creator/{{Konami}} and Creator/SquareEnix implementing them in their games). Meanwhile, the West is more familiar with [=NFTs=] as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g a tool used only to enable get-rich-quick pyramid schemes]] (e.g. "Bored Apes" and NFT games like ''Axie Online'') and the cult-like following the technology's developed, often derisively called "[[{{Fratbro}} cryptobros]]".
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* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle of 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the rest of that year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. After the announcement on April 24th 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's venture into a new company, plus Nozomi Kasuga outing herself as Ai-chan's voice and annoucing she would be directly involved in Ai-chan's affairs, the graphs have been steadily rising again, as fans were pleased about the news.

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* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle of 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the rest of that year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. After the announcement on April 24th 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's venture into a new company, plus Nozomi Kasuga outing herself as Ai-chan's voice and annoucing announcing she would be directly involved in Ai-chan's affairs, the graphs have been steadily rising again, as fans were pleased about the news.
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Adjusting, as I don't think thats for sure a claim that is right but the point needed adjustments due to the "...." reliance.


** The "Godmother of [=VTubers=]" because...well...[[Main/TropeNamer she was the very first [=VTuber=] in history.]] And one cannot deny the legacy she quite literally birthed after debuting all the way back in 2016.

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** The "Godmother of [=VTubers=]" because...well...[[Main/TropeNamer is a title some give her, since she was the very first [=VTuber=] big [=VTubers=], and played a big role in history.]] And one cannot deny the legacy she quite literally birthed after debuting all popularity of the way back in 2016.idea years later.
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Surprise no one has put down this nickname yet.

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** The "Godmother of [=VTubers=]" because...well...[[Main/TropeNamer she was the very first [=VTuber=] in history.]] And one cannot deny the legacy she quite literally birthed after debuting all the way back in 2016.
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* HilariousInHindsight: Ai's ''entire schtick'' as a supposed ArtificialIntelligence became this in 2022 when WebVideo/NeuroSama, an actual machine learning AI, made her debut as a [=VTuber=].
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** Fans in China have stipulated that, should activ8/upd8 debuted the two additional voices using separate identities from day one, they would not have such a big negative reaction. This is from the observation that Ai-ge, the Chinese affiliation that debuted earlier with a slightly different character design, is virtually shielded from all the VA change fallout, to the point she is still using the original Kizuna Ai derived character design, while Love-chan and Aipii has to get entirely different designs.
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* FanNickname:
** The [=VTuber=] community calls Kizuna Ai "Oyabun"/親分 ("Big Boss"), which is coined by Kaguya Luna after Kizuna Ai had the most subscribers among [=VTubers=] at the end of 2017, which is also a huge gap with the other fellow "Four Heavenly Kings" Kaguya Luna, Mirai Akari and Nojaloli.
** The two lookalikes were initially called "clones" or "Kizuna Clones" until the channel had a [[OfficialFanSubmittedContent fan vote to decide their names]]. The girl wearing the yellow asterisk hairclip was named "Ai-pii", while the girl wearing the blue number sign hairclip was named "Love-chan".
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** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqFiE2fugQ This video]] got a lot of flak because it [[ContemptibleCover shows Kizuna Ai with an "ahegao face"]], making it accumulate more than 11,000 dislikes.

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** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqFiE2fugQ This video]] got a lot of flak because it [[ContemptibleCover shows Kizuna Ai with an "ahegao face"]], face", making it accumulate more than 11,000 dislikes.
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Per What Goes Where On The Wiki, moving non-YMMV items to main


* {{Kayfabe}}: Ai-chan is a Super-Sharp Artificial Intelligence (read: barely competent hunk-o-junk) who only exists within the confines of the internet. Of course everyone knows it's really Nozomi Kasuga (or Kasuga plus a body-actor) and other voice actresses using some mid-range motion-capture software, but fans have from the start willingly suspended their disbelief to accept that Kizuna AI is what she says she is. Ai-chan herself '''''never''''' breaks character.
** This has also allowed the various voice actresses to remain anonymous… except Kasuga, who was forced by circumstance (see most of the rest of this page) to admit she originated Ai-chan's voice …although by the time she did so in April 2020 it was an open secret. However, the voice actresses for Love-chan, Aipii, and Ai-ge are still unknown.
** In-Universe Example: During her ''VideoGame/{{Inside}}'' playthrough, she describes herself as a useless AI, but shortly after she clarifies that the "useless" part is just a character trait she's acting out.



* OrwellianRetcon: Since it's possible to change the titles of Youtube videos, A.I. Channel has edited the title of every video featuring the "clones" between June 2019 and April 2020. Videos with Love-chan are now preceded with [#] and videos with Aipii have [*]. Videos with both of them [[CaptainObvious have both notations]]. This includes all uploads from before they got their symbols and names. Ai-ge doesn't get this treatment because she had a different character design from the beginning.

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** In-Universe Example: During her ''VideoGame/{{Inside}}'' playthrough, she describes herself as a useless AI, but shortly after she clarifies that the "useless" part is just a character trait she's acting out.



* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier codified the trend]] that was [[FollowTheLeader followed by others]], but Ami Yamato is noted to be one of the earliest pioneers of using an animated virtual avatar for vlogging.

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* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier codified the trend]] that was [[FollowTheLeader followed by others]], but Ami Yamato is noted to be one of the earliest pioneers of using an animated virtual avatar for vlogging. In addition, the technology for an animated character on a screen to interact with people in real-time has existed since the 1990's.

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general cleanup


* EpilepticTrees: The sudden appearance of the Ai "clones" on mid-2019 spawned theories and questions. Is Kizuna Ai [[FollowTheLeader following the "Vtuber group" trend]] of Creator/{{nijisanji}}, Game Club Project and WebAnimation/{{hololive}}? Or is there something going on between [=activ8=]/[=upd8=] (the channel's management company) and Ai-chan's original voice actress? (It didn't help that the company was radio silent about it for a significant time). The latter got compared a lot to what happened to fellow Vtuber channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ZVDmnoZAOdLt7kI7Uaqog/ Game Club Project]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Their management, Unlimited Inc. having a lack of communication to fans before unceremoniously [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] 75% of its cast after they complained about harsh work conditions on Twitter.[[/labelnote]], and thus made Kizuna Ai fans worried. Worse, it spawned rumors about the original VA being replaced, but a series of [[WordOfGod official statements]] dispelled such rumors.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The channel has several notable fanbases outside of its origin country of Japan. Only time will tell if this repairs the damage done by the managing company.
** Kizuna Ai is loved by Koreans and has garnered a large fanbase in Korea. Up to half the comments on any video of hers will be in Korean.

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* EpilepticTrees: The sudden appearance of the Ai "clones" on in mid-2019 spawned theories and questions. questions, some of which would be answered, others not, still others mooted. Is Kizuna Ai [[FollowTheLeader following the "Vtuber group" trend]] of Creator/{{nijisanji}}, Game Club Project Project, and WebAnimation/{{hololive}}? Or is there Did something going on happen between [=activ8=]/[=upd8=] (the channel's management company) and Ai-chan's original voice actress? (It didn't help that the The company was itself stayed radio silent about it for a significant time). The latter got compared a lot to what happened to fellow Vtuber long time while the channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ZVDmnoZAOdLt7kI7Uaqog/ Game Club Project]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Their management, Unlimited Inc. having a lack continued to put out videos on an almost-daily basis, many of communication to fans before unceremoniously [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] 75% of its cast after they complained about harsh work conditions on Twitter.[[/labelnote]], and thus made Kizuna Ai fans worried. Worse, it spawned rumors about the which did not have Ai-chan's original VA at all. If a character is a "Virtual AI", does that mean the voice behind is expendable?
** A few people who learned Ai-chan's true identity (up-&-coming voice actress Nozomi Kasuga) discovered she had been cast in a couple of anime set to air later in 2019, and she had openly expressed a preference for singing – she was ''always'' the one singing Ai-chan's covers and original songs. It is logical to believe that, rather than
being replaced, but fired, [=Upd8=] knew Kasuga would be busy and tried to find a series way to keep the daily uploads (from two channels) going in the meantime. Regardless of [[WordOfGod official statements]] dispelled such rumors.
the truth, they handled it ''extremely'' poorly.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The channel has several notable fanbases outside of its origin country of Japan. Only time will tell if this repairs the damage done by the managing company.
Japan.
** Kizuna Ai is loved by Koreans and has garnered a large fanbase in Korea. Up Early in the channel's existence, up to half the comments on any video of hers will would be in Korean.



** Eventually, English speakers started noticing her, thanks to a few prominent anime-focused [=YouTubers=] (such as WebVideo/TheAnimeMan) discovering her and hyping her to their fans. While it's still small compared to her ginormous Korean fanbase, English is one of the few languages into which ''all'' of Ai-chan's videos have been subtitled (livestreams excluded since they have no subtitle option).
** There's a major fanbase for her in China, which is especially notable since [=YouTube=] is BannedInChina, so there's an entire translation team to re-upload her videos to [[http://space.bilibili.com/1473830?from=search&seid=1838157355130399421#!/index Chinese sites]] and sub them. All of the videos, ''including some livestreams'', have been subbed, and there is a good amount of viewership and fan-content for her. When said translation team got notice that they need to be shut down by official orders over copyright claims (it was believed that the AI Channel team is planning on an official introduction in China), they released a heartwarming final video with many fans voicing their gratitude for the team. Though people were kinda confused when the shutdown was retracted. Her Chinese fanbase is large enough that Ai Channel created [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXq7JMfpPuU a Chinese-themed Ai (complete with Chinese dub)]] just for [[Main/OtherSites bilibili]].

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** Eventually, English speakers started noticing her, thanks to a few prominent anime-focused [=YouTubers=] (such as WebVideo/TheAnimeMan) discovering her and hyping her to their fans. While it's still small compared to her ginormous Korean fanbase, English is one of the few languages into which ''all'' of Ai-chan's videos have been subtitled (livestreams excluded since they have no subtitle option).
** There's a major fanbase for her in China, which is especially notable since [=YouTube=] is BannedInChina, so there's there was an entire translation team to re-upload her videos to [[http://space.bilibili.com/1473830?from=search&seid=1838157355130399421#!/index Chinese sites]] and sub them. All of the videos, ''including some livestreams'', have been subbed, and there is a good amount of viewership and fan-content for her. When said translation team got notice that they need to would be shut down by official orders over copyright claims (it was believed that the AI Channel team is planning on an official introduction in China), claims, they released a heartwarming final video with many fans voicing their gratitude for the team. Though people were kinda confused when the shutdown was retracted. Late in 2017, [=Activ8=] started uploading Ai-chan's videos to bilibili with Chinese subtitles.
***
Her Chinese fanbase is large enough that Ai A.I. Channel created [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXq7JMfpPuU a Chinese-themed Ai (complete with Chinese dub)]] Ai-chan who speaks Mandarin]] (popularly known as "Ai-ge") just for [[Main/OtherSites bilibili]].bilibili]], though she also posts on Youtube.
* {{Kayfabe}}: Ai-chan is a Super-Sharp Artificial Intelligence (read: barely competent hunk-o-junk) who only exists within the confines of the internet. Of course everyone knows it's really Nozomi Kasuga (or Kasuga plus a body-actor) and other voice actresses using some mid-range motion-capture software, but fans have from the start willingly suspended their disbelief to accept that Kizuna AI is what she says she is. Ai-chan herself '''''never''''' breaks character.
** This has also allowed the various voice actresses to remain anonymous… except Kasuga, who was forced by circumstance (see most of the rest of this page) to admit she originated Ai-chan's voice …although by the time she did so in April 2020 it was an open secret. However, the voice actresses for Love-chan, Aipii, and Ai-ge are still unknown.



** FAKKYU [[labelnote:Explanation]](Kizuna's brief ClusterFBomb [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyFYH-7Ody0&t=14m56s in her playthrough of]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7 Biohazard 7]]'' has become very recognizable among fans.)[[/labelnote]]
** TURTLES [[labelnote:Explanation]](When Ai-chan was attempting to write "The cheese is yours", she ended up writing out "The cheese it yours ''turtles''" by accident.)[[/labelnote]]

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** FAKKYU [[labelnote:Explanation]](Kizuna's [[labelnote:Explanation]](Ai-chan's brief ClusterFBomb [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyFYH-7Ody0&t=14m56s in her playthrough of]] ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7 Biohazard 7]]'' has become very recognizable among fans.)[[/labelnote]]
fans)[[/labelnote]]
** TURTLES [[labelnote:Explanation]](When Ai-chan was attempting to write "The cheese is yours", she ended up writing out "The cheese it yours ''turtles''" by accident.)[[/labelnote]] accident)[[/labelnote]]



* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=] (ranging from quirky independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters) has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans just made matters worse.

to:

* OrwellianRetcon: Since it's possible to change the titles of Youtube videos, A.I. Channel has edited the title of every video featuring the "clones" between June 2019 and April 2020. Videos with Love-chan are now preceded with [#] and videos with Aipii have [*]. Videos with both of them [[CaptainObvious have both notations]]. This includes all uploads from before they got their symbols and names. Ai-ge doesn't get this treatment because she had a different character design from the beginning.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=] (ranging from quirky independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters) has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing preexisting fans just made matters worse.



* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: On mid-2019, the sudden appearance of the Kizuna Ai "clones" garnered this reaction from the fanbase, especially when Kizuna Ai's original voice can't be heard in some videos and when the company was still radio silent about it. Further incidents followed:
** The clones' reactions were easily deduced to be different than the original's, spawning comments from fans asking where the original is. It got to the point where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQygFF3qTA some]] videos have divisive like-dislike ratios.

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* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: On mid-2019, This has happened more than once, unsurprisingly for a channel that has been around for several years now.
** Most notable is
the sudden appearance "Clone Saga". At the end of May 2019, Ai-chan started a series of videos called "Kizuna AI's Everyday" that began with cloning herself and [[ContemplateOurNavels ruminating about her existence]], and ended with [[TheOtherDarrin multiple voice actresses]]. What was thought to be a multi-day joke at first turned out not to be as two of the Kizuna Ai "clones" garnered stuck around. The [[https://youtu.be/V_bxAXiI3iY first regular video]] featuring one of the clones (in this reaction case Love-chan) was retroactively downvoted to hell. The [[https://youtu.be/SXq7JMfpPuU re-introduction of the final clone,]] who turned Chinese after a language patch install, was similarly disliked right from the fanbase, especially when Kizuna Ai's original voice can't be heard in some videos and when the company was still radio silent about it. Further incidents followed:
** The clones' reactions were easily deduced to be different than the original's, spawning comments from fans asking where the original is. It got to the point where
start. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQygFF3qTA some]] videos Other videos]] also have divisive like-dislike ratios.large downvote ratios. Through the summer of 2019, these clones – except Ai-ge, who immediately got her own channel – became more and more prominent, with the original voice sometimes not heard at all. This led to fear that "Original" Ai-chan had been fired or quit, sparking backlash from fans beginning on Chinese site bilibili before snowballing to Reddit and eventually onto A.I. Channel itself. [=Upd8/Activ8=], Kizuna AI's parent company, maintained radio silence, which only made the situation worse.\\\
Ai-chan's original voice continued to appear in music videos, but the clones handled the gaming channel and often the main channel. Worried & angry fans immediately compared the situation to what had happened at Vtuber channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ZVDmnoZAOdLt7kI7Uaqog/ Game Club Project.]][[labelnote:Explanation]] Their management, Unlimited Inc., had a lack of communication with fans before unceremoniously [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] 75% of its cast after they complained about harsh work conditions on Twitter.[[/labelnote]] In the face of silence, fans became angrier. The situation ''was'' fixed, but, well, see "Win Back The Crowd" below.



* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since mid-2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the rest of the year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again when fans were pleased of the news.

to:

* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since mid-2019 of 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the rest of the that year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after After the announcement on April 24, 24th 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's original voice actress and her venture into a new company, plus Nozomi Kasuga outing herself as Ai-chan's voice and annoucing she would be directly involved in Ai-chan's affairs, the graphs have been steadily rising again when again, as fans were pleased about the news.
** Poor Ai-ge is still working at this, at least on Youtube. She was created as a direct response to Ai-chan's popularity in Chinese-speaking countries. But because it was those same fans who started the fuss about Nozomi Kasuga possibly being fired by [=Upd8/Activ8=], Ai-ge did not receive a warm welcome, to put it mildly. Her introductory video on Youtube was heavily disliked. She's more popular on bilibili though, with over half a million subscribers there compared to as of this edit less than 30,000 on Youtube (about 1%
of the news.main channel's). The majority of her videos are only on bilibili, although she has been uploading more of her content for the rest of the world.
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* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=], ranging from independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters, has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans just made matters worse.

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* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. However, the subsequent rise of multiple other [=Vtubers=], ranging [=Vtubers=] (ranging from quirky independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters, characters) has made it more difficult for Kizuna Ai to stand out in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans just made matters worse.
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Grammar.


* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. Come the creation of multiple other standalone [=Vtubers=] and companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters makes Kizuna suffer from standing out among other fans. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans making matters worse.

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* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. Come However, the creation subsequent rise of multiple other standalone [=Vtubers=] and [=Vtubers=], ranging from independent operators to large companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters makes characters, has made it more difficult for Kizuna suffer from standing Ai to stand out among other fans. in the eyes of the general [=VTuber=] fanbase. The Ai clones [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans making just made matters worse.
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* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier codified the trend]] that was [[FollowTheLeader followed by others]], but Ami Yamato is noted to be one of the earliest pioneers of using an animated avatar for vlogging.

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* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier codified the trend]] that was [[FollowTheLeader followed by others]], but Ami Yamato is noted to be one of the earliest pioneers of using an animated virtual avatar for vlogging.
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* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier popularized the trend]], but the distinction of being the first known [=VTuber=] goes to Ami Yamato.

to:

* OlderThanTheyThink: Kizuna Ai may be the most popular Virtual Website/{{YouTube}}r and the one who [[TropeCodifier popularized codified the trend]], trend]] that was [[FollowTheLeader followed by others]], but Ami Yamato is noted to be one of the distinction earliest pioneers of being the first known [=VTuber=] goes to Ami Yamato.using an animated avatar for vlogging.
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Rewriting a sentence in Seinfeld Is Unfunny. "The loss of the original VA for Kizuna Ai" is either fake news and/or outdated. Her original VA even returned.


* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. Come the creation of multiple other standalone [=Vtubers=] and companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters makes Kizuna suffer from standing out among other fans. The Ai clones debacle (including the loss of the original VA for Kizuna Ai) alienating pre-existing fans making matters worse.

to:

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Kizuna Ai [[TropeCodifier Codified]] the [=VTuber=] trend and gained rapid popularity as a result. Come the creation of multiple other standalone [=Vtubers=] and companies such as {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} and Creator/{{Nijisanji}} with their diverse cast of characters makes Kizuna suffer from standing out among other fans. The Ai clones debacle (including the loss of the original VA for Kizuna Ai) [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks debacle]] alienating pre-existing fans making matters worse.
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For consistent format in the Memetic Mutation examples


** [[https://youtu.be/Tl_S5XzjZiw?t=61 This video]] and other such instances where Ai-chan turns her neck up while saying "[[FunetikAksent INSTORU!]]" [[note]]([[GratuitousEnglish Install!]])[[/note]] spawned some funny montages representating dramatic flashbacks [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment that makes no sense with the story]].

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** "INSTORU! "[[labelnote:Explanation]] [[https://youtu.be/Tl_S5XzjZiw?t=61 This video]] and other such instances where Ai-chan turns her neck up while saying "[[FunetikAksent INSTORU!]]" [[note]]([[GratuitousEnglish Install!]])[[/note]] (a GratuitousEnglish of "Install!") spawned some funny montages representating representing dramatic flashbacks [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment that makes make no sense with the story]].[[/labelnote]]
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More appropriate term and removing redundant sentence


** The clones' reactions were easily deduced to be different than the original's, spawning comments from fans asking where the original is. It got to the point where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQygFF3qTA some]] videos have divisive upvote-downvote ratios because of the company's prolonged radio silence.

to:

** The clones' reactions were easily deduced to be different than the original's, spawning comments from fans asking where the original is. It got to the point where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQygFF3qTA some]] videos have divisive upvote-downvote ratios because of the company's prolonged radio silence.like-dislike ratios.
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* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since July 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the entire year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again when fans were pleased of the news.

to:

* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since July 2019 mid-2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the entire rest of the year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing Kizuna Ai's original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again when fans were pleased of the news.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since July 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the entire year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the official announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing her original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again.

to:

* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since July 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the entire year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the official announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing her Kizuna Ai's original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again.again when fans were pleased of the news.
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None

Added DiffLines:

* WinBackTheCrowd: The [=upd8/actv8=]/"Kizuna clones" debacle since July 2019 was so controversial in the fandom that it caused [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA her channels' subscriber counts]] and [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA/monthly monthly]] [[https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCbFwe3COkDrbNsbMyGNCsDg/monthly views]] to plateau for the entire year. After some WordOfGod statements and identifiers for the clones, her graphs slowly started to climb back up. And after the official announcement on April 24, 2020 revealing her original voice actress and her venture into a new company, the graphs have been steadily rising again.
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** Some videos, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFazRY3SUE this one]], broke away from the usual formula by not having Kizuna Ai's greeting/intro nor the outro song.

to:

** Some videos, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFazRY3SUE like this one]], broke away from the usual formula by not having Kizuna Ai's greeting/intro nor the outro song.
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* EpilepticTrees: The sudden appearance of the Ai "clones" on mid-2019 spawned theories and questions. Is Kizuna Ai [[FollowTheLeader following the "Vtuber group" trend]] of Creator/{{nijisanji}}, Game Club Project and WebAnimation/{{hololive}}? Or Is there something going on between [=activ8=]/[=upd8=] (the channel's management company) and Ai-chan's original voice actress? (It didn't help that the company was radio silent about it for a significant time). The latter got compared a lot to what happened to fellow Vtuber channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ZVDmnoZAOdLt7kI7Uaqog/ Game Club Project]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Their management, Unlimited Inc. having a lack of communication to fans before unceremoniously [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] 75% of its cast after they complained about harsh work conditions on Twitter.[[/labelnote]], and thus made Kizuna Ai fans worried. Worse, it spawned rumors about the original VA being replaced, but a series of [[WordOfGod official statements]] dispelled such rumors.

to:

* EpilepticTrees: The sudden appearance of the Ai "clones" on mid-2019 spawned theories and questions. Is Kizuna Ai [[FollowTheLeader following the "Vtuber group" trend]] of Creator/{{nijisanji}}, Game Club Project and WebAnimation/{{hololive}}? Or Is is there something going on between [=activ8=]/[=upd8=] (the channel's management company) and Ai-chan's original voice actress? (It didn't help that the company was radio silent about it for a significant time). The latter got compared a lot to what happened to fellow Vtuber channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ZVDmnoZAOdLt7kI7Uaqog/ Game Club Project]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Their management, Unlimited Inc. having a lack of communication to fans before unceremoniously [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] 75% of its cast after they complained about harsh work conditions on Twitter.[[/labelnote]], and thus made Kizuna Ai fans worried. Worse, it spawned rumors about the original VA being replaced, but a series of [[WordOfGod official statements]] dispelled such rumors.

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