A new fish girl VTuber’s debut has fans convinced she’s the legendary Gawr Gura.
Gawr Gura’s graduation back in May undeniably cast a dark shadow over the VTubing world. Her departure from Hololive EN came as a shock to many, leading to fans worrying about whether or not they’ll ever see Gura again.
However, a short while after Gura’s final stream, a new account popped up that got the community perked up, and it’s for a new independent VTuber called Sameko Saba. Some clues regarding this new Vtuber have led fans to believe that Gura and Saba are actually the same person.
Why fans believe Gura is Saba
A lot of social media clues have led fans to believe that Gura has taken on a new persona. An account on X (formerly Twitter) allegedly believed to be Gura’s former Vtuber persona, known as Senzawa, previously revealed an updated profile bio that openly supports both Gura and Saba. Senzawa’s latest post, that of a blue fish emoji that's also affiliated with Saba, was posted on 9 April, just a week before Gura’s graduation from hololive was formally announced, likely hinting at the new persona.
Following Gura’s graduation on 1 May, trademark applications for “Sameko Saba” and an associated logo were filed under a company called Incoming Next LLC, which is based in Delaware. These professional decisions make it seem like the person behind Saba is aware of, and at some point was deeply involved in the Vtuber landscape.
Additionally, various design beats for Saba and Gura are similar. Saba uses a petite model, has a blue stripe of hair on her bangs, and also dons a similar fish tail to Gura. Her name itself is a cheeky homage to Gura: in Japanese, her last name “Sameko” literally translates to “shark child”, while “Saba” refers to a type of mackerel.
The most compelling evidence came however, when Saba formally debuted on 29 June. Her speaking voice was incredibly similar to Gura’s, and at some point during her livestream, seemed to hint at her previous identity in a joking manner.
Nevertheless, if Saba and Gura are the same person or not, fans are incredibly happy and supportive, painting a colourful future for this new fishy Vtuber.
