The Muse of His Canvas: An Interview with Hyde on Art and Shirakami Fubuki
Artists are one of the biggest sources of creativity and influence within the VTuber scene, shaping not only how talents are celebrated, but also how they are remembered.
Within the hololive community, certain artists stand out not just for their technical skill, but for the feeling embedded in every piece they create. Some support hololive broadly as proud DDs (Daredemo Daisuki), while others devote themselves wholeheartedly to a single muse, refining that devotion into an art style widely recognized.
For our fifth guest in this Interview series, we’re honored to feature one of the most distinctive and influential artists in the hololive fan art space. Please welcome Majima himself, Hyde (@tabakko)!
With over 420,000 followers on X/Twitter as of early 2026 and millions of impressions across his illustrations, Hyde’s work resonates throughout the hololive community, the broader VTuber sphere, and beyond.
Widely known for his detailed facial expressions, semi-painterly style, and soft use of colors, Hyde has in recent years dedicated much of his craft to drawing his beloved oshi, Shirakami Fubuki.
Through his “comfort zone” in drawing the things he genuinely wants to draw, his work has become both a tribute and a source of inspiration for countless artists within the community.
hololive TODAY / hT:
Welcome, Hyde! Thank you so much for taking the time to interview with us at hololive TODAY. You’re our fifth guest in this interview series, and we’re really happy to have you here!
Hyde:
Thank you for having me! I will do my best to answer the questions!
hT:
To start things off, could you tell us a bit about yourself? When did you first become involved with hololive and the hololive community, and what initially drew you in?
Hyde:
There were three things that got me started back in 2019, I call it the holy trinity (or "holo trinity" if you may): Fubuki's Scatman cover, Mikochi's GTA clip, and Matsuri's band-aid clip.
But back then, the vtuber culture was still quite obscure and I wasn't really openly drawing and supporting hololive until Kiryu Coco's 3D debut. I drew one fan art of Coco Kaichou back in 2020 to celebrate her 3D debut and I just never stopped since then.
Now I mainly draw Shirakami Fubuki.
image source: https://x.com/tabakko/status/1958690463315370399
hT:
A couple quick curveballs before we get into the meat of things!
If you’re Mr. Hyde, where is Dr. Jekyll? I'm curious to know about the significance or meaning behind your name!
Hyde:
Jokes on you! You're actually currently talking with none other than Dr. Jekyll himself! Mr. Hyde is too busy drawing Fubuki at the moment!
Jokes aside, yeah that's the origin of my name! the duality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I wanted to separate my online persona with my irl self, giving a life to this "Hyde" with a name, design, and everything else.
I wanted people online to just focus on my works without me revealing anything related to my real life. Although... nowadays that line is kinda blurred as I started "opening up" and reveal teensy bit of my real-life activities every now and then (cause how else am I going to share my gunpla collection to other people right?)
hT:
Be honest, are you the real Majima?
Hyde:
Yes. And I'm everywhere. (check your basement)
hT:
(”Funk Goes On 極” starts playing)
No…not again…
Hyde:
見つけたでぇ～
hT:
ANYWAYS! Let's reel it back in shall we.
Who in hololive is your oshi, and why? What's one stream, video, song, or any piece of content of theirs that you absolutely love?
Hyde:
The one and only Shirakami Fubuki.
The ever-hardworking fox, the king of FBKINGDOM, the pillar of hololive, the muse of my canvas. I admire her persistence and strong-willed mentality, she inspires me big times and I just couldn't help but wanting to support her with all my might.
It's a bit hard to pinpoint which stream of hers is my favorite, because she always knows how to make every stream always fun and engaging.
But the type of streams that she does that always get me binge-watch the VOD, gotta be her "challenge" type streams, whether it's to hunt Golden Magikarp, or to do an RTA of a game, or her ゾロ目 stream (read: Zerome, is a game where you need to get a matching number from 2 or more dice by rolling them). Because every time she does these types of games, she would just play the game mindlessly, and she would mostly focus on talking with the viewers about anything at all, does random funny things to spice up the stream, etc. All in all, I just love seeing her engagement with her fans.
My favorite song of her? I absolutely love all of her original songs!
But there are two songs that struck me the most: "Say!Fanfare!" and "Storyteller".
Say!Fanfare! is Fubuki's first original song, while Storyteller is another one of her original songs released in 2024, and I am SO grateful that I had the privilege to do the storyboard and Illustrations for the Storyteller music video.
For reference, in a way, Storyteller is about her journey both as a vtuber and as an idol, and inspiring others to pave their own way to achieve their dreams.
In Storyteller, there was this one part that references Say!Fanfare!, both the lyrics and the melody (They were written, composed, and arranged by the same artist: ハム)
Translated in English:
Say!Fanfare! : "I'm still embarrassed about singing and performing on stage, but let's support each other and let our voices reach you."
Storyteller: "Songs and stages are our footprints. That's right, we are the storytellers."
That sentence from the Storyteller is a direct callback to the Say!Fanfare! part and it even has the same melody! and that part symbolizes all of her effort and transformation from the shy fox into the one who supports and inspires others.
(I could go all day talking about her)
hT:
Well I’d love to dive a bit more into your love and your art of Fubuki! But before we do that, let’s learn a bit more about what you do.
For viewers who might not be familiar with you yet, could you tell us about the kind of artwork you've created in the hololive community?
Hyde:
Short answer: I draw Shirakami Fubuki. Cute Fubuki, pretty Fubuki, cool Fubuki, you name it.
Long answer: I do variety of things with my artwork, I'm quite flexible with my style, be it a shitpost, sketchy, painterly, flat colors, anything really. (but the subject is mostly Fubuki).
hT:
Over the years, your art has become instantly recognizable: from the way you draw eyes to your emphasis on well-defined lips, as well as expressive facial details conveying the right kind of emotion.
How would you describe the evolution of your technical style? What intentional changes have you made in your art style over time, and what aspects of your style feel the most "you" today?
Hyde:
Drawing was more of a hobby to me and I've been drawing for as long as I could remember (I used to draw Kamen Rider Black and Batman on my bedroom wall when I was a toddler), until a few years back I felt the urge to study art seriously, my art style was rather semi-realistic, and that requires me to draw characters with well-defined "full" lips.
But as I progressed throughout the year and expanded my visual library, I felt more comfortable with 2D/anime-ish style! But for some reason I just couldn't force myself to do the usual simple "one line" lips or mouth, I need to give the lips that I draw some sort of a dimension to it, so I remove the unnecessary details, I stopped rendering the lips fully, and just leave the "silhouette" of a full lips, and that's how I got my current style of drawing facial details, and that applies with the eyes I draw too.
I could spend hours on the sketching stage trying to get just the perfect facial expression that I'm looking for. A slight change in the corner of the mouth or eyes can change the entire atmosphere of an expression.
I love to challenge myself to do new stuff, but I'd say semi-painterly is my "main" art style. I play around with contrast and bright soft colors a lot nowadays. But whichever style I do, when it comes to a non-shitpost artwork, my main focus is always on the facial expressions!
hT:
Not long ago, I saw you post one of your first art pieces in a pixel art style. It surprised me in an awe-inspiring kind of way because it’s a style I wasn’t expecting, but the piece turned out really beautifully in the end. I’d love to see more of your pixel art!
I’ve also seen your chibi art and animations, so you really do have an amazing flexibility and variety in your style. I think that’s really awesome.
Hyde:
Oh that one! It all started because Fubuki starts playing this pixel art fishing game and I was mind blown by how well drawn and detailed the background was despite being limited by smaller number of pixels, so I did my research on how to do pixel art properly. Turns out pixel art is harder than I thought..
And yeah I've also started doing simple animations with the help of my animator friends! Right now I'm just brute forcing it but I'd love to just sit down one day and do a study on how to properly animate.
hT:
Speaking of art style flexibility, one of my first exposures to you and your art was the old DOOM vs DOOG Korone meme. I also remember Gura using your art for one of her Minecraft stream thumbnails, and later seeing your artwork of Iname, Mano Aloe, Botan, Polka, and more. And of course, we can’t forget the era of your Kiryu Coco art, which I think many fans still remember fondly.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since drawing hololive members in 2020, or even before that? Not just in technical skill, but in your personal confidence, perspective, and the way you approach the canvas today compared to back then.
Hyde:
I'm surprised you remember the Korone meme!
And yes of course my Kiryukai era.. Nowadays people know me as "that Fubuki artist that draws pretty art with soft colors" and the new followers would get surprised when I draw a strong, and sharp artwork with dark colors and high saturation as opposed to the usual soft Fubuki art hahaha
Compared to now, back then I used to set a goal to myself to do at least one fully rendered art a month. And I was struggling really hard to just finish one artwork.
But now, I have my go-to approach for different kind of style, a "comfort zone" as people call it. I've changed my mindset from "I have to draw" to "I WANT to draw".
hT:
And it seems like a big part of your “comfort zone” is drawing Fubuki!
I’m curious, at what point did she become a primary focus in your illustrations? Or was she always, in some way, the “muse” of your canvas?
Hyde:
After Coco Kaichou's departure I wasn't really planning to find a new oshi or anything.
To be honest.. I'm not really sure when exactly that happened, before I realized I was already drawing tons of Fubuki and watching her a lot and I was thinking "oh.. I guess I like her", that's when I finally decided to focus supporting her!
I wish I could draw more of Kaichou to support her when she was still active, I don't feel like I've supported her enough. So this time I won't do the same mistake and I'll support Fubuki as hard as I can and draw her as much as I want.
hT:
Some call you a trendsetter, creating art that often becomes the perfect template for other creators to make even more art and memes. How do you come up with these big hitters? Do the ideas come to you on a whim?
Hyde:
YES, I kid you not these "epiphanies" sometimes just hit me at 2am in the morning and "force" me to get out of the bed to sketch it out before I forget about it.
And most of the times they weren't even some ideas with the intention for it to be a "banger" that snowballs to people to do the same thing. Sometimes these ideas came from the things that I see or experience that is completely unrelated to the subject of my art.
This shadow trend for example (https://x.com/tabakko/status/1766657770064109727) it was all because of one night there was a power outage at my place, and I was using a flashlight to go to the kitchen, so I walked around my house when my flashlight hits one of a tall object on the dining table and the shadow casted on the wall looked like an animal. And the idea just hits me like those Revelation moments in Yakuza 4「ひらめいた！」
“ゲーマーズ”
image source: https://x.com/tabakko/status/1766657770064109727
hT:
What are some things you've learned about yourself, not just as an artist, but as a hololive fan throughout the years?
Hyde:
I would say I'm quite a persistent and determined person even before I knew hololive. And being in this community just made me even more persistent and determined.
There were some aspects of myself that somehow changed though, and it just hit me not too long ago. It's that I realized that I've learned to trust others more.
Back then I was a very recluse person (I still am, to some degree), very private (still is, to some degree), but throughout the years, through this hololive community I made a few friends (they're all fellow artists) whom I would feel comfortable in opening up a little bit more to other people.
I talk to them almost every day now and we would crunch art together every now and then, helping out each other when they are in need of some art-related advice or just anything in general, brainstorming ideas and whatnot.
We would even sometimes do art collab! And that requires teamwork, something I never thought I would be doing and I will never ever do if you ask me 7 years ago.
hT:
Who would you say has been your biggest inspiration, not just as an artist, but as a person?
Hyde:
That would be my late father,
He inspired me both as an artist and as a person. He was an artist himself! But he was more into wood carving. Before that he used to be a blacksmith, specialized into sword making (so he was more of a swordsmith), I used to help him during my middle to high school days at his workshop, and I daresay had I not picked up my brush, I would've been a swordsmith myself too.
He was a man of focus, harsh with his words and teaching but had a very soft heart.
He taught a righteous and honest way of living to everyone around him through his deeds.
He was the hammer and knife that forged and shaped me into who I am today, both as an artist and as a person.
hT:
My condolences to you on your loss.
He sounded like an amazing person and an extraordinary father figure to you. I’m glad to hear he was your biggest inspiration.
Hyde:
He really was! And I hope one day I could inspire others the way he inspired me.
hT:
Speaking of inspiration, I think you already are a big inspiration and influence on other artists in the hololive community and the broader art community!
Many say they want to be like you. Others call you their art idol. Some even started learning how to draw so they could create art of their oshis the way you do.
What's a message you'd like to share with aspiring artists who want to share their adoration and passion for VTubers and their oshis?
Hyde:
DON'T BE LIKE ME!
BE BETTER THAN ME!
Also, draw what you love. Don't let your passion become a chore in the long run.
hT:
Since this is our fifth interview, we'd like to introduce a special segment in the hololive TODAY Interview series, where we invite a previous interviewee to ask you, our current guest, a question of their own!
I think you know Jimmy WeebShooter already! He'd like to ask you this:
“Dear, Hyde. There are so many questions i would like to ask—But probably next time we meet hahahaha! But since it’s HololiveToday, let’s ask something that would benefits everyone.
I know you started from Zero like, literally. How long does it take for you to brought you into this position where so many works of yours are very much official arts of Hololive. What did you do to get to this point? Do you made any mistakes or having any regrets? And what are the tips to encourage everyone who still felt disappoint in themselves? I’m sure this will save a lot of people around us.
Until next time buddy!!
(YOU OWE MEEEE🫵) (emotionally)"
Hyde:
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 JIMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Why am I not surprised that you would be my guest interviewer HAHA
To answer your question.
First of all, I feel truly honored and grateful that I've been in charge of so many official works for hololive throughout the years, and I wouldn't be here without the support of my fellow artists and holo fans.
I'm a flawed person, but seeing the length some holo fans would take just to support their oshi truly opened my eyes and made me feel determined to be better both as an artist and as a fan (and that includes YOU Jimmy! 🫵 )
I did make mistakes, but I always try to not have any regret, at least not for all of my actions to come. It took me quite literally 5 years, 7 months, and 17 days to bring me to this point (I counted from my very first hololive fan art lmao), but a lifetime of passion for creating.
As an artist, one of the challenges I faced (and for other illustrators as well), it's when I realized that this is a path where you never stop learning, you need to always keep improving to stay relevant, so this challenge is something that I and all illustrators still and will always face even now and ahead.
Especially now that generative AI is spreading like a wildfire, people get too lazy to improve themselves and rely on these machines instead.
But I love learning, and I believe manmade art will thrive for as long as they have the drive and the will.
The will to resist and persist.
I hope this reach well to the other artists that need to hear this.
(TIL NEXT TIME BROTHER!)
hT:
Have you attended any hololive-related conventions or events? We’d love to hear about any memorable moments you’ve had with the community, whether online or offline. What do you think makes the hololive community unique compared to other fandoms you may have been part of?
Hyde:
Yes!
Once!
It was Shirakami Fubuki's first sololive concert FBKINGDOM "ANTHEM" back in Feb 13th last year, exactly one year ago!
So right now, as I speak, I'm currently celebrating her sololive first anniversary by watching the blu-ray!
It was a life changing event to me personally, both mentally and physically, cause that day was the day I did a cold turkey on my smoking habit. so, today happens to be my first anniversary of smoke free as well!!!
I've never been a part of a community this long before, let alone being in a big community in the first place.
But I could tell that the passion of the fans to support their oshi makes this place a special one, their drives is what makes this fandom strong.
You will see some artists who will draw their oshi almost everyday, you will see a fan proudly showing off the "shrine" of their oshi, you will see the cosplayers making the costumes and donning the cosplay of their oshi.
It is a nice and fun place to belong and forge strong bonds.
hT:
What are your current interests, both inside and outside the hololive community?
Hyde:
I'm currently into Gunpla!
Actually, I've always been interested in making Gunpla since a long time ago because I'm a huge Gundam fan, but I was holding myself back cause I knew I would be heavily obsessed with it and it might distract me from my work.
But I finally gave in and started collecting and building them, and tried my best to give a balance between my hobby and my responsibilities.
hT:
Oh, Gunpla! I’ve always wanted to get into building Gunpla.
I actually got really close once to buying a Guntank kit. I think at some point I’ll get into it when I feel more capable of balancing my own work responsibilities.
Hyde:
GUNTAAANK!
They look badass (and cute at the same time) I have the Origin version of HG Guntank in my backlog and I'm planning to weather it one day.
Building model kit is surprisingly therapeutic. You will absolutely love building them (let me know if you need some gunpla recommendation to build hahaha)
hT:
At this point in your art journey, what goals do you still have as an artist? Ever thought about releasing an art book, or maybe even tabling at Comiket or another convention?
Hyde:
YES! Artbook!
That is my primary goal at the moment, I already have it planned (theme-wise) and obviously Fubuki will be the focus of this.
I'm still not sure how I would release it, be it as part of a Comiket, or another convention, or self-published independently, I have yet to figure that out!
Other than that, I feel pretty zen about where I'm at right now.
Like, sure I'd love to work on the things that I like (Arknights, Gundam, etc) that would be pretty damn cool! But I don't feel eager to aim for that as of now.
Long-term wise, my goal is stay healthy so I can draw as much as I want!!!
hT:
I’m looking forward to what you’re cooking up for your artbook 👀 Here’s to a healthy, long life and achieving all the goals ahead of us!
And for our final question, do you have a message you'd like to share with your followers, fans, or the broader hololive community?
Hyde:
"推しは推せる時に全力で推せ" Support your oshi with all your might while you still can.
hT:
That's all we have for you today, Hyde. Thank you so much again for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing more about you and your experiences in the hololive community!
Hyde:
Once again, thank you for having me here. The honor is mine!
And thank you, the reader, for checking out our fifth interview here at hololive TODAY! We’d like to sincerely thank Hyde for taking the time to share his thoughts and creative journey with us.
We hope readers gained a deeper appreciation for Hyde’s passion for Fubuki and the thought process behind his illustrations. In a community as vibrant as hololive’s, artists like Hyde remind us to enjoy the things we love to do, not because we need to, but because we want to.
Be sure to check out and support him on social media below:
X/Twitter page: https://x.com/tabakko
As always, we’re incredibly grateful to continue showcasing the fans and creators who help shape how hololive and its talents are celebrated and remembered. We look forward to sharing even more stories from across the community in our future interviews!
