I remember that in the latter half of 2023, I was invited by a company to attend a gaming event, and at the venue, I mentioned to S from COVER, who was showing me around at the time, that I’d love to try hosting a fun event like this myself someday.

At that time, COVER was in a period of rapid growth, and even when I had ideas for new projects, it was often difficult to get them off the ground. I’ve always loved coming up with new concepts and pitching fresh ideas, but for various reasons, none of them ever came to fruition, which was really frustrating. 

When I shared all of this with S, he looked at me and with confidence said, “Let’s do it. We can make this happen.”

STREET FIGHTER 6 was released in June 2023, which actually led to me having that conversation with S, because, before having those discussions, I had the rare opportunity of being invited to take part in a non-COVER-hosted tournament called CR CUP (Crazy Raccoon Cup (https://crcup.jp/)) that featured STREET FIGHTER 6 (or “SF6” for short).
^{※reference：https://www.youtube.com/live/-YlLwsEt0Js?feature=shared}

This event brought together all kinds of people, regardless of their affiliations, and opened my eyes to what kinds of tournaments are possible. It also got me completely hooked on SF6. 

So, I’d always thought that if I ever had the chance to host my own event, I would want it to be something I truly love, and it was at that point I knew it had to be SF6. So when I told S that I wanted to organize an SF6 tournament, that’s when things started to happen. Initially after that conversation, there wasn’t a lot of movement for a while, but eventually, S reached out to say that they were ready to start planning, and from there, we were able to have more detailed discussions.

Making sure both the viewers and the participants will have a good time. Entertaining the audience is something I have always cared about – so no different from my regular streams – but I’m especially mindful of the competitors and the fact that they choose to spend their valuable time with me for this tournament. This is why I try to make it as fun for them as possible, like having them against other players they wouldn’t normally get the chance to face.

I make it a habit to go for a walk every day, and that’s usually when I do my thinking. I’ll find myself thinking about things like, “Was what we talked about yesterday really the best way?” – and while I’m debating it in my mind, a new idea will suddenly pop up. Then once I get home, I’ll message the team with something like, “About what we were discussing, what if we added this? It could make it even more fun!” I imagine it must be exhausting working with me. (lol) 

Whenever I come up with a new idea at the last minute, S always finds a way to seamlessly work it into the existing plans. I kind of have this mindset of, “If it’s before the deadline, I can still change a few things,” so I end up refining things right up until the last minute.

To be honest, a lot of that just comes down to instinct though. I usually think that if we can prepare things up to a certain point, the rest of the fun should take care of itself on the day, but I definitely try to choose people who I feel will help maintain a fun energy and lively atmosphere when inviting players to compete in the tournament or exhibition matches. 

There are actually a lot of people involved in Shishiro Hai, from the performers and staff to the production team and affiliated sponsors, so I always want everyone to feel like they were glad to be a part of this tournament, but finding the right balance can be really challenging at times when you’re trying to accommodate everyone. 

For example, there’s a segment before matches begin where we introduce all of the sponsors and personally, I’d love to give every company their own time in the spotlight, but if we did that for all of our sponsors, it would take nearly an hour. However, the viewers, of course, are eager to jump into the matches as quickly as possible so I want to keep the sponsor introductions brief for them – but when I think about all the companies that have generously supported us, I honestly wish I could have proper introduction and featured content for all of them. Finding that balance is something I still struggle with.

I think the event itself has become a way for me to show people what Shishiro Botan is capable of and that in itself has made it all worth it. It’s also become a great opportunity for more people to get to know me, so I would love to keep doing it for as long as I can.  

If I had to put it simply, I’d say it’s full of potential. I’d love to explore new ways to collaborate with any interested potential partners through Shishiro Hai and this doesn’t have to mean sponsoring a tournament, nor does it even have to be limited to SF6 either. While Shishiro Hai has begun as an SF6 tournament, I think it could take many forms that include different game titles, so long as it’s something I genuinely love.

I really hope more people and companies get involved with Shishiro Hai, so if you’re a company that’s interested in working together, I’d be more than happy to hear from you!

In my previous job, I worked as a promotions planner, coming up with campaigns involving licensed IP from anime and video games. I was also lucky enough to be involved in launching an esports business, so going into this, I had a mix of experience in shaping content for promotional use along with a bit of a background in esports.

As for why I decided to join COVER, I had this feeling that I might be exposed to even more exciting opportunities if I switched to working for a company that produces and owns its own content, and looking back, I think I was really lucky that things worked out the way they did.

There are around 90 talents affiliated with hololive production*. As a business, we naturally need to focus on driving revenue – but our resources aren’t unlimited. And from the talent side, they each have projects they want to pursue too, while also managing their regular streams, preparing for anniversary events, and planning other special content. So they’re constantly juggling a lot. Back in 2023, when Shishiro Hai was just getting off the ground, one of the biggest challenges was figuring out how the company could expand its support among the resources limitations that exist on both the company and talent sides.
^{*As of June 2025}

So I approached my manager with a proposal: “Maybe we can generate revenue in ways that go beyond the traditional model if we can turn the things our talents genuinely want to do into business opportunities.” That way the talents get to pursue what they’re passionate about, and the company can allocate resources accordingly if it’s a viable revenue stream. It’s a win-win for everyone. Shishiro Hai was a perfect example of this: it became a way to bring Shishiro Botan’s passion to life, while also creating opportunities for sponsorship and monetization.

Fortunately, I happened to be in the sales department at that time, which allowed me to casually sound out a few trusted companies and get an early read on their interest. That helped me sketch out a rough budget plan and move forward with an internal proposal, which was officially approved on the condition that it would be monetized properly from the very first installment. In her interview, Shishiro Botan mentioned that “there wasn’t a lot of movement” after our initial discussions but the truth is that this was the time when I was working behind the scenes to try and get everyone on board! lol.

Overall, the response was very positive. The event has brought together multiple partners to co-create something genuinely entertaining, while also delivering real value and allowing the talent to pursue something they genuinely wanted to do. I think it served as a great example of what’s possible when creativity, collaboration, and business all come together in the right way. 

What really surprised me was how warm and supportive Shishiro Botan’s fans were – even announcements about sponsor partnerships were met with genuine excitement and enthusiasm. 

We’re always mindful of how we present our sponsors’ products and initiatives because our goal is to not just simply promote a product, but to make sure we’re genuinely entertaining our fans and viewers. The idea is to generate excitement in the lead-up to the tournament and ensure that promotional content remains fun and compelling even during the main event. 

And judging by the warm reactions from viewers, it seems that this approach is resonating with them. Still, it’s always a pleasant surprise to see just how positively and enthusiastically our audiences embrace it each time.

Simply put: Shishiro Botan handles the creative side, and COVER takes care of the rest. She shares whatever she’d like to try, and the company figures out how to bring those ideas to life from a business perspective, including scheduling, production, and overall execution. 

Starting from the second edition of the tournament, we introduced an exhibition segment that involves a “punishment” for on-camera performers. Whenever real people are being filmed, there are always technical constraints – certain angles or elements that can and can’t be shown, etc. – so getting the visual setup just right is always a bit tricky. On top of that, we also have to figure out how to keep things entertaining when props/equipment for the punishment are being set up. These small but important details from the performers’ side of things require careful planning every time. 

For the third tournament, we also had a teaser. Initially, Shishiro Botan requested that the video be released immediately after the livestream announcing the final round of selected players from the open entry pool – ideally including the winners in real time. However, due to time constraints, that proved difficult, so instead, we proposed releasing it one week before the tournament as a final promotional push. Fortunately, everything came together just in time.

Even if things don’t go exactly as Shishiro Botan initially imagined, the goal is to find a middle ground everyone can work with and make it happen in some form. We always aim to present clear options by telling her how we can make something happen and whether or not she would like to go with that, making sure that the final decision always rests with her. 

Compared to the early days, there’s less back and forth in our chats now, because I have more of an understanding of what kind of ideas Shishiro Botan is likely to go for. That has helped things move much faster overall.

What’s more, with each new installment, Shishiro Botan has been bringing more and more ideas to the table, which I take as a positive sign that we’ve built up a relationship over time where she feels comfortable sharing requests openly, because if we constantly rejected her proposals, it would naturally become harder to speak up. So the fact that those requests keep coming in hopefully means we’ve been able to deliver on promises and there is an element of trust as a result.

When companies collaborate with VTubers, the main value for them lies in leveraging the talent’s influence to meaningfully engage with fans when promoting products or services. That said, the real key is how positive the reaction from fans is. 

One key advantage for talent-led initiatives like Shishiro Hai, compared to standard PR streams, is that they allow partner brands to be positioned as supporters of the talent, rather than just sponsors. This creates a more welcoming environment for partner engagement from the perspective of fans, making it easier for them to feel positively about the companies involved.

If we can showcase closer and more collaborative relationships, whether it’s between talents and sponsors, or between our company and the sponsors, I believe there’s even greater potential for growth. When introducing products or content as part of a promotion, it’s not just about fulfilling client requests, but it’s up to us to create new and innovative ways to collaborate with partners that go beyond the conventional “do what the client asks” approach.

As more companies show a growing interest in the ever-evolving VTuber culture, we hope to build win-win relationships with more and more business partners by producing streams that exceed expectations. By continuing to show that there’s value in these collaborations, we believe more companies will see the impact that can be had by supporting a talent and consider approaching us.

One of the unique aspects of sponsorship, which can be both a strength and a challenge, is how easy it is to get started. All companies need to do is select the sponsorship package that suits them and they can quickly come on board as official partners. Even companies that may not be so familiar with VTubers can use events like Shishiro Hai as a gateway to potentially becoming long-term partners.

To me, it’s a space filled with everything Shishiro Botan wants to create. Every member of the team involved in Shishiro Hai – including myself – is fully dedicated to helping her ideas become a reality. 

After Shishiro Hai, we don’t really reflect on what happened, because once an event wraps, preparations for the next one are already underway. Conversations naturally shift toward what we can implement for the next one: “Should we take another shot at what we couldn’t pull off last time?” or “How can we set this next tournament apart from the last one?” There’s no time to dwell on the past – every experience feeds directly into what comes next.

Some ideas only came to fruition in the third installment, and there are many more that haven’t taken shape yet, but likely will in the future. I’m excited to see how Shishiro Hai will continue to evolve, led by Shishiro Botan’s vision.