Over the past few years, hololive Super Expo & hololive fes (a combination convention and live music event) have cemented themselves as the premiere event of not just hololive, but all of VTubing. This year, “hololive 5th fes. Capture the Moment” bookended an incredible 365 days that saw the debut of two new generations, a swathe of 3D debuts, and other milestones all culminate in a whopping four-concert series.

The big visual change this year was a new triple-stage setup for the live audience. By having three stages (one in front and two on the sides), it gave the chance for different sections of the crowd to have a better view of the action at different times. This didn’t matter much to anyone like myself who was watching via the live stream, but I appreciated the effort on behalf of those attending in person. 

In anticipation for 5th fes, I watched the Blu-rays of the previous years’, as well as videos of other concerts. While this year’s event was indeed bigger than ever before, it also really felt like the latest point in each VTuber’s journey. Seeing the progress of your favorites is a part of the idol experience, but what I find notable in this situation is how hololive encourages the fans to meet the talents “where they are.” Improvement is relative to oneself rather than absolute, and can consist of circuitous and unpredictable paths.

Because there were dozens and dozens of hololive talents involved, I will only be writing about a handful. That said, even if I did not include your favorite, you might be able to find them fitting into one of the categories below.

Debuting on the Big Stage

For the 3rd generation of hololive Indonesia, this was their very first hololive fes, marking a major milestone in their VTubing careers. 

Kobo Kanaeru showcased her versatile singing voice and her boundless energy. Vestia Zeta displayed her sleek dancing but decided to go a cuter route compared to the hip-swaying routines of her 3D debut. Kaela Kovalskia went a simpler and more subdued route that fit her “gamer grind” persona. The range in their personalities was on full display, especially when performing the ID gen 3 group song “Save Our Hearts.”

Making Strides

Some talents, often by their own admission, are not the best singers or dancers. However, it was clear from their performances at 5th fes that they’ve taken steps to get better.

Himemori Luna has been known for her nonexistent stamina, once even needing to literally sit down in the middle of a performance while everyone else continued. At 5th fes, though, Luna was like a new person, showing no signs of severe fatigue. On top of that, her song choice—“Kamippoi na”—was a far cry from the cute and bubbly tunes she typically prefers. The contrast between her famous baby voice and the eerie feel of the number was a pleasant surprise.

Amelia Watson was originally so down on her own singing that one of her YouTube stickers is a bleeding ear. But many karaoke sessions and one original song later, things have changed. At 5th fes, she covered “Sugar Song and Bitter Step” (the ending theme to Blood Blockade Battlefront), and went full-on idol for it, not only showing better vocals but also including dancing a more complex routine compared to previous concerts. Amelia’s karaoke streams are among her most popular because they feel like going out to sing with a friend, and she maintains that feel on the big stage even as she develops.

Pushing the Limits

Progress didn’t just come from those who were lacking ability, but also those who were already highly skilled and took things to the next level. For example, Inugami Korone has gone from a front walkover flip two years ago, to back-to-back cartwheels last year, and now a fully unsupported side flip.

I’ve devoted many words to the mesmerizing performances of La+ Darknesss, and I think 5th fes is her best ever. Her song of choice was her first original, “Aien Jihen,” and its inclusion has a special importance. La+’s first performed it during her 3D debut, and it was when fans realized what a phenomenal dancer she is. However, she used a pre-recorded track due to the difficulty of the choreography (which she came up with herself!). At Waku Waku Dark Nightmare (her Nissin- sponsored solo live), she managed to both sing and dance at the same time, but the audience was all online. This time, La+ was there in front of a crowd of 11,000+—and she killed it.

Additional adjustments to the choreography made her look even more crisp, her voice remained mostly strong throughout, and her overall movement felt more intricate and daring than at 4th fes. In her own words, La+ thought the 5th fes “Aien Jihen” was stronger compared to at Waku Waku Dark Nightmare, and I’m inclined to agree. I’m happy to have seen my favorite hololive song performed so beautifully.

Takanashi Kiara is a similar case. When Myth, the first generation of hololive English, first appeared in official 3D at 3rd fes in 2022, Kiara made a big impression. There was no doubt that she was one of the best dancers in hololive, as she displayed a level of grace and confidence few could match. Then, at 4th fes the following year, an amazing debut performance by Hakos Baelz actually prompted Kiara to declare Bae the best dancer in EN. Over time, other strong dancers have also joined hololive, and it felt like Kiara was getting “powercrept,” so to speak.

Then Kiara went on stage in 5th fes and blew away all prior notions. While singing a brand new song, “Chimera,” she moved in a way I’d never seen from her before. Most (all?) of her prior choreographies have been arranged by an expert dancer named kianna, and Kiara’s “Chimera” looked closer than ever to matching that professional level. It really felt like Kiara was out there to show the world that you can never write her off, and that she was willing to put in the time and effort to prove this point. Watching in the moment, I wondered if Kiara might shine brighter than everyone else this year.

Changing the Conversation

Then Hakos Baelz came in and showed how pointless comparisons could be. By that, I don’t mean that she was inherently or objectively better than Kiara or anyone else, but that she decided to flip the script in a way that rendered such discussions moot.

Ever since her first 3D appearance at 4th fes, Bae has brought a very high level of quality and energy to every performance. Because she has been so consistently great, however, it became a question of how she’d be able to outdance herself this time around. Add in the fact that Bae herself commented on how her plans could potentially result in a flop, and fan speculation was all but inevitable. What feats of dance would she show this time?

To my (and it seems everyone else’s) surprise, Bae went in another direction entirely. Eschewing the high-octane routines she was known for, Bae went for a slow and passionate interpretive dance set to “Uta yo” (aka “Gales of Song”) from the Hosoda Mamoru film Belle. Watching her, I could feel my emotions welling up in response to her sublime choreography, the shock of seeing something so unexpected, and the boldness of Bae’s decision. Moreover, her voice was haunting in a way we rarely hear from her. 

The next day, when she performed again for the hololive x Honeyworks stage, Bae did something more typical for her, and the contrast between those performances makes her sheer ability all the more impressive. Later, Bae also said that 1) she’d never done interpretive dance before this and 2) it takes her only about 2 hours to fully learn a choreography. It all goes to show how ridiculous she really is.

Returning in Style 

In a few cases, certain performances were like reunions. Some of the hololive members have spent time not using YouTube and social media, and their circumstances meant that their presence at 5th fes ended up being reunions of sorts with their fans.

Murasaki Shion has been on hiatus for the past few months, and this was her first public appearance since she went on break. The roar of the crowd felt like a big “welcome back,” and seemed to communicate the idea that her supporters are there for her through thick and thin.  

But while it was already known that Shion would be there, there was actually one talent whose performance came completely out of left field. Last year, Haachama ended up in the hospital not long after 4th fes, and she had to take eight months away from streaming. Because so much time had passed and because there wasn’t much time for her to practice after she did return, Haachama was not scheduled to be at 5th fes. 

Then, without any anticipatory fanfare, Haachama blinked onto the stage. Watching the stream, I could hear the slight delay as general confusion in the crowd transitioned into pure excitement. Haachama  sang “Idol,” the opening to Oshi no Ko—a song whose content fits an unpredictable girl who declares herself to be the “Worldwide Strongest Idol.” At the very end, she transformed one of the lyrics into a shout of “I love you!” as if to show her gratitude to everyone watching.

There was one other reunion of sorts, though it was more like a story going full circle. One of the last songs of the event was “Last Frontier,” performed by Hoshimachi Suisei and AZKi. The two are among the very best singers in the entire company and naturally sounded amazing, but the song also has a special significance: It was originally written by AZKi for Suisei when Suisei was transitioning from hololive’s INNK music label to the main branch, and AZKi was considering retirement. However, both have stayed with hololive, and Suisei even secretly rewrote some of the lyrics to go from being about sending someone off to achieving new goals together. When Suisei then read out a letter to AZKi about their time together, AZKi couldn’t hold back her tears.

Final Thoughts

It’s funny seeing just how massive hololive has gotten. In those earliest blu-rays, it’s clear that this whole project was a much more humble affair. The concerts were just decently large (but not gigantic) crowds of people in front of screens displaying their favorite VTubers, and actively buying into the illusion presented. Now, everything is so slick that it feels like another world. A bit of the intimacy has been lost in the process, but despite that one drawback, I think this change has been good for hololive and VTubing as a whole.

All the different journeys detailed above, combined with the variety of performances, made for an emotional rollercoaster. There were even plenty of fantastic showings that I didn’t touch on, where the stories weren’t as dramatic but were still wonderful to see play out—even ones as simple as “They put on a great show that the audience adored.”

My only worry is that 6th fes in 2025 looks like it’ll have at least 10 new talents to account for, and I can see my free time (and my sleep schedule) slipping away.

Official VODs are currently available until April 17.