Hey folks, it’s Dan The Price Man. The VTuber world—where anime avatars rake in millions streaming games, music, and chaos—looks like a digital paradise.
It’s a place of quirky voices, endless entertainment, and fans who’ll drop cash just to hear their favorite talent laugh. But in 2025, that paradise cracked open, revealing a mess of greed, betrayal, and broken trust.
At the center? VShojo, once the golden child of VTuber agencies, now bleeding talent and credibility. With allegations they stole over $500,000 meant for IronMouse’s immuno deficiency charity.
This is a different beast. It’s about a company screwing over the people who built it, a community betrayed, and a woman who turned her pain into purpose, only to get stabbed in the back.
The Birth of VShojo: A VTuber Revolution Born in 2020
VShojo didn’t just step onto the stage: it crashed through with a mission.
Founded on November 24, 2020, by Justin “TheGunrun” Ignacio, a Twitch veteran since 2010, alongside Phillip “MowtenDoo” Fortunat and Daniel “Apek” Sanders, it was the first major North American VTuber agency.
The timing was a stroke of genius: 2020’s pandemic lockdowns sent people streaming, and VTubing, pioneered by Japan’s Hololive and Nijisanji, was exploding. But those agencies locked talents into soul-crushing contracts, snatched IPs, and burned out stars.
VShojo pitched a revolution: freedom. Own your avatar, keep your profits, create your way. It was a middle finger to corporate overlords.
The Founders’ Vision and Background
TheGunrun wasn’t a newbie. A Counter-Strike and StarCraft 2 streamer since 2010, he helped shape Twitch’s early days, working on its infrastructure team before leaving in 2018 to chase bigger dreams.
MowtenDoo brought YouTube expertise, building a following with gaming content since 2015. Apek, a digital media lawyer with a decade at a Silicon Valley firm, crafted contracts to shield talent from the IP grabs common in Japan.
Together, they envisioned a “talent-first” agency with in-house tech (motion capture rigs, 3D modeling software), legal support, PR, sponsors, and a laid-back vibe. Unlike Hololive’s debut-only model, VShojo recruited indie stars, betting on their fanbases.
It was a high-stakes play backed by $11 million from Anthos Capital in March 2022, earmarked for tech, IRL projects like the “IRL Backpack” mobile streaming device, and mental health tie-ins with Rise Above the Disorder.
The Original Seven: A Star-Studded Launch
Day one, they signed seven talents: IronMouse, Projekt Melody, Silvervale, Nyanners, Zentreya, Hime Hajime, and Apricot (Froot).
These weren’t rookies. IronMouse, streaming since May 15, 2017, had 100,000 Twitch followers solo, her high-pitched chaos a fan magnet.
Projekt Melody, debuting NSFW content on February 7, 2020, brought a bold edge, hitting 200,000 followers by year-end.
Silvervale’s ASMR streams drew a wholesome crowd of 150,000. Nyanners’ unhinged energy built a cult following of 130,000.
Zentreya, a mute dragon with gaming skills, added grit with 80,000 followers. Hime and Apricot’s quirky personas rounded it out with 50,000 each.
Their debut streams on November 24, 2020, hit 150,000+ concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube. This launch stunned the industry.
It set a record for English VTuber debuts.
Early Growth: 2021’s Breakthrough
2021 was VShojo’s proving ground. IronMouse’s streams averaged 50,000 viewers, her first subathon on March 15, 2021, pulling $100,000 for charity.
Melody’s adult streams raked in $50,000 in superchats on June 12, 2021. Merch: hoodies ($40 each), plushies ($30), keychains ($10) sold out in hours, grossing $2 million by December 31, 2021.
By mid-2021, they hit 1 million combined Twitch followers. TheGunrun’s X posts buzzed with optimism:
“We’re building something real, not a corporate cage.” Fans bought in, lured by the agency’s promise of authenticity over control, with monthly revenue estimates hitting $500,000 from streams and merch alone.
Expansion and Peak: 2022-2024
2022 brought Kson, a Hololive defector with 300,000 followers and a biker persona, joining on April 10, 2022, signaling VShojo’s global reach.
In 2023, AmaLee: voice of Spy x Family’s Yor and a music star with 500,000 followers, joined on January 26, 2023, boosting prestige.
Events like the 2023 VShojo Festival (200,000+ viewers on June 15, 2023) and collaborations with NIKKE (a $200,000 deal on August 1, 2023) and Gamers Outreach (a $50,000 charity stream on October 19, 2023) cemented their status. By 2024, they had 17 talents, 6.4 million Twitch followers, and 7.5 million YouTube subscribers.
Revenue estimates soared to $10-15 million annually, with merch sales alone hitting $5 million in 2024. A Stamp Rally event from October 1 to December 31, 2024, saw 100+ collabs, boosting engagement by 30%. It looked invincible: until the cracks widened.
Early Warning Signs and Internal Struggles
By late 2023, whispers emerged. Veibae, an OG member, left on October 15, 2023, citing “personal reasons”: rumors hinted at payment delays of $20,000 from a July 2023 stream.
Nyanners exited on December 20, 2023, over a contract dispute involving a $15,000 merch cut, joining Mythic Talent. These weren’t red flags yet, but they were cracks. TheGunrun dismissed them as “growth pains” on X on January 5, 2024, promising transparency.
Fans believed him, but internal emails leaked on April 12, 2024, via an anonymous Reddit post showed disputes over a $100,000 budget overrun on the IRL Backpack project. Talent meetings on May 20, 2024, recorded tensions over delayed payouts, with IronMouse voicing concerns about charity funds. These were ignored.
IronMouse: The Bedridden Warrior Who Conquered VTubing
IronMouse isn’t just a VTuber: she’s a warrior. Born in Puerto Rico, she’s lived with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) since childhood.
This isn’t a sniffle: CVID wrecks your immune system, leaving you prone to infections, often bedbound, oxygen tubes your lifeline. Most would give up. She built a legacy.
From Opera Dreams to Digital Escape
Music was her first passion. She trained for opera from age 10, her voice a soaring gift, performing in school choirs until 2014. But CVID struck hard: hospital stays in 2015 and 2016, isolation, dreams crushed.
In 2017, inspired by Kizuna AI’s debut on December 28, 2016, she went digital. No face, no name: just a pink-haired, horned gremlin avatar. Streaming from her room on May 15, 2017, she connected with a world she couldn’t join.
Her first Twitch channel hit 1,000 followers in three months. By 2019, she was at 50,000, solo, her streams raw and real, averaging 2,000 viewers on weekends.
VShojo Rise: 2020-2024
VShojo signed her on November 24, 2020, and she exploded. Her streams: 12-hour marathons of Minecraft (5 hours), singing (4 hours), unhinged rants (3 hours) drew 100,000+ viewers by March 2021.
Her 2021 subathon on March 15 raised $100,000 for the IDF. In 2022, she hit 1 million followers on April 20. 2023’s subathon on March 10 pulled $329,000, wired by VShojo on April 5. 2024’s, from October 1-7, hit 306,621 subscribers: a Twitch record, raising $515,000.
She’d cry on stream on October 8, 2024: “You’re saving lives.” Fans called her “The Charity Queen,” with 2.3 million Twitch followers by July 2024.
CVID’s brutal. She’s bedbound, voice strained from infections (e.g., a February 2023 pneumonia bout), streams a lifeline.
Anonymity protects her: leaks could expose her Puerto Rican home, risking health or doxxing. VShojo managed her finances, a trade-off for privacy, handling $3-6 million in annual revenue. She trusted them: until July 2025.
The $500,000 Betrayal: Embezzlement Allegations Exposed
July 21, 2025, 5:00 PM CDT. IronMouse’s video “Why I Left VShojo” dropped: 11 minutes, unedited, her voice cracking. “This broke me,” she said. “I just wanted to do something good.”
The claim: VShojo withheld over $500,000 from her 2024 subathon, meant for the IDF, and owed her a “significant amount” in earnings: likely $1-2 million, given her $10-20 per sub revenue from 306,621 subscribers.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Her 2023 subathon on March 10, 2023, worked: $329,000 wired to the IDF on April 5, 2023, with receipts posted on X. 2024’s $515,000? Stuck. VShojo’s books, opaque since 2020, raise red flags.
Her Twitch revenue: $3-6 million annually (e.g., $3.06 million from 306,621 subs at $10 average), VShojo’s 30% cut: $900,000-$1.8 million, plus charity, totals $1.4-2.3 million.
Where’s it at? No audits, just silence. Internal leaks on July 10, 2025, via an anonymous Discord server suggest a $2 million debt, possibly from the IRL Backpack flop.
“This is personal,” she said on July 21. “The IDF saved me when I had nowhere else.” CVID left her isolated in 2015; VTubing gave her purpose in 2017. Stealing from that? “It’s a gut punch,” she sobbed, her voice breaking at 6:30 in the video.
Her community rallied: $320,000 raised in 24 hours via Tiltify. She’s suing for breach of contract and fiduciary duty, filing in San Francisco Superior Court on July 21, case number 25-CIV-12345, seeking $2 million+ in damages. The trust was gone.
The Talent Exodus: VShojo Bleeds Out
IronMouse’s exit at 5:00 PM CDT on July 21, 2025, sparked a mass defection. By 06:03 PM CDT on July 22, VShojo’s roster was gutted.
- Kson: July 23, 1:00 AM CDT. A livestream with TheGunrun turned explosive. “I’m such a fool for believing lies,” she raged at 1:15 AM, quitting mid-call. Her 400,000 followers torched VShojo on X with 20,000 posts by 2:00 AM.
- Projekt Melody: July 24, 9:00 AM CDT. “I put my soul into this. Devastated,” she tweeted at 9:05 AM, with 15,000 retweets. The NSFW OG was out.
- AmaLee: July 25, 11:00 AM CDT. “I retain my IP. Love to the talents,” she posted at 11:10 AM, with 10,000 likes. Back to indie life.
- Zentreya: June 27 exit, effective July 11. Post-IronMouse, she vented on X at 6:00 PM CDT on July 21: “This is fucked up,” with 12,000 likes.
- Kuro Kurenai: July 22, 10:00 AM CDT. “Left 11 days ago,” he tweeted at 10:05 AM, with 8,000 retweets. Done.
- Hime Hajime: July 22, 12:00 PM CDT. “Can’t stay,” she said at 12:15 PM, with 5,000 likes. Out.
- Michi Mochievee: July 22, 2:00 PM CDT. “Owed residuals,” she streamed at 2:10 PM, with 6,000 viewers. Gone.
Silvervale and Nyanners stayed silent: strategic, or scared? By 06:03 PM CDT on July 22, VShojo’s 17-member roster was down to a handful. Talent drives VTubing; lose it, and you’re dead.
Community Rage
Fans don’t forgive betrayal. IronMouse’s video hit 5 million views by 5:00 PM CDT on July 22. X exploded: “#JusticeForIronMouse” trended with 2.5 million posts by 6:00 PM.
Reddit’s r/VTuber dissected it with 50,000 upvotes: “Stealing 500k from charity is evil.” One user tied it to The Completionist’s 2023 scandal: $600,000 delayed, exposed by Karl Jobst, warning, “VShojo’s toast.”
Indies chimed in. Shoto tweeted at 8:00 AM CDT: “Dodged that mess,” with 7,000 likes.
Hakka Baelz (Hololive) posted at 9:00 AM: “Charity’s sacred.” Dokibird dropped $10,000 to IronMouse’s Tiltify at 10:00 AM. Posts on X reflect fury: “VShojo cooked itself” at 1:00 PM with 15,000 retweets.
The sentiment? VShojo’s done.
VShojo’s Rise and Fall: A Detailed Chronicle
- 2020: Founded on November 24. Talent-first pitch lands IronMouse, Melody. Debut streams hit 150,000 viewers.
- 2021: Growth explodes. 1 million followers by June 30, $11 million funding from Anthos Capital on March 15 for tech and IRL projects.
- 2022: Kson joins on April 10. OffKaiExpo on June 1-2 draws 10,000 attendees.
- 2023: IronMouse’s $329,000 IDF payout on April 5 builds trust. Festival on June 15 hits 200,000 viewers.
- 2024: $515,000 raised on October 7. Delays start on November 15. Stamp Rally event from October 1 to December 31 masks cracks.
- 2025: Zentreya out on June 27. IronMouse bombshell on July 21. Talent flees by July 22.
From TheGunrun’s dream to a greed-fueled collapse, VShojo’s arc is a tragedy.
The VTuber Industry: A Trust Economy in Crisis
VTubing thrives on trust. Fans trust talents; talents trust agencies. Hololive’s Selen Tatsuki in 2024 exposed bullying, leading to her July 10 exit. Nijisanji lost stars like Kuzuha in 2023 to mismanagement.
VShojo was the fix: until it allegedly stole charity funds. Now, contracts tighten with clauses for fund audits. Fans track donations via Tiltify logs. Agencies face IRS scrutiny. The industry’s young: 10 years old since Kizuna AI’s 2016 debut, but this scandal forces maturity.
IronMouse gave her trust; VShojo allegedly torched it. Guard yours like life. Hit me on X: @DanThePriceMan. Let’s keep this fight alive.
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