“My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL” Volume 1 – Manga Recommendation

Idol culture + VTuber culture + Shut-In + social anxiety + a guide + “I can fix her” meme (without red flags) = My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL.

This isn’t a counseling session manga. It is a bit more than that. It gives off a wholesome vibe.

From Riyo Yorima, My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL Volume 1 came out as a webcomic in June 2023 on the author’s Pixiv account. Square Enix acquired the series and placed it under Gangan Pixiv. Square Enix Manga & Books announced an English release in July 2025, with the first volume releasing in February 2026.

My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL is a story about a shut-in woman, Hanae Fuwari, who is a VTuber. She is extremely shy around strangers and experiences anxiety and social withdrawal due to her past.

She decides to engage in “Cash4Talk”: Paying a stranger, her food delivery person, to talk with her to improve her social skills and ameliorate her anxiety. Of course, said delivery driver is quite surprised by this turn of events. That is, especially since 1) he never had any previous conversations with a recurring customer and 2) when our lady protagonist speaks, she sounds awfully like his favorite VTuber.

This manga reminds me a bit of The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses. Both series have a similar shy protagonist with a character or a bunch of characters being part of their journey to open up to the world. However, whereas The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses feels more like a harem anime with a hero’s journey to greatness as the backdrop, My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL takes this concept to a whole other level.

This particular story is a deeply personal view of one person’s self-growth journey.

I’m here for it.

Amplifying that journey are some descriptive facial expressions and emotions you would find in situations like this one – manifested impactfully by the art.

My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL is a story told through crinkly smiles puncturing the face, swiveling heads, and raindrops from the eyes. Volume 1 gives a hint of the series’ eventually predictable course. Yet predictable does not make a series bad.

I think My Favorite VTuber is Scary IRL has just enough intrigue to keep making readers wonder, “how will this series go?” to see what will happen next – despite low-key knowing how it will turn out.

Author: Rakim Reid

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