A Look Back at Hololive EN’s Amelia Watson’s Creativity and Impact

hololive English founding member Amelia Watson has streamed her final live show, marking the end of her VTuber career as we know it. Although Ame reassured fans that she will remain a part of hololive, the “semi-retirement” nature of this farewell still filled countless hearts with sadness.

Social media was soon flooded with tributes, as fans and fellow creators alike — including Dokibird, Shoto, and other well-known VTubers outside of hololive — shared messages of admiration. Ame’s boundless creativity and charm have clearly left a lasting mark on the Western VTubing scene.

In this article, we’ll look back on four years of Ame’s creativity and milestones, celebrating how this brilliant detective — with over 1.8 million subscribers — became a pioneer who helped hololive conquer the Western market and win hearts across the globe.

Playing with 2D: Ame’s Hands and Feet

In the early days of VTubing, 3D models and full-body motion capture were rare and expensive. Most VTubers used Live2D avatars, relying on iPhones or webcams to track facial movements — meaning their on-screen models were limited to the upper body. Hands and feet were practically never shown.

But Ame, being the mischievous detective she is, refused to stay boxed in. During Superchat streams, she began using custom hand images to prank her viewers — including cheeky gestures like flipping the bird. Later, she introduced the now-iconic “legs on the desk” pose, showing her animated legs during a collab with Gawr Gura, to the amusement of fans everywhere.

This small innovation sparked a wave of imitation across the VTuber world, as many others followed Ame’s lead — casually crossing their legs during streams.

The First VTuber to Use Illustrated Schedules?

Early on, VTubers usually announced their weekly streams just before going live, making it hard for fans to plan ahead. That changed when streaming schedules became common practice — an innovation that, according to Ame herself, she helped popularize.

During her 4th anniversary karaoke stream, Ame proudly shared that she was “95% confident” she was the first VTuber to introduce illustrated schedule cards.

After our some digging, it seems that Kizuna AI and Tsukino Mito had previously shared text-based schedules, but Ame may have been the first to introduce graphical templates — a format that quickly became the standard. Regardless of who was truly first, Ame’s influence helped make stream schedules a staple of VTuber–fan communication today.

The Rise of Smol Ame: From Fan Meme to Official IP

If you’ve spent any time in VTuber communities, you’ve probably seen the adorable Smol Ame. This mini version of Watson Amelia began as fan art by Walfie, whose round, simple, and endearing designs quickly went viral. Walfie later created Smol versions of other hololive Myth members, leading to an official collaboration with hololive — complete with fully animated Live2D models.

Ame loved the fan creation and fully embraced it in her streams. She first used a 3D Smol Ame model (created by Hasksoft) in a chaotic VR stream filled with strange dance moves and silly gestures. The result? Instant meme legend status.

As Ame continued to use Smol Ame in major events like Myth anniversaries and Halloween specials, the design became so iconic that hololive decided to adopt it as an official IP. Merchandise and mascot appearances followed, turning this fan creation into a symbol of community creativity — and a testament to Ame’s openness to collaboration.

Smol Ame stands as a perfect example of Amelia Watson’s creative genius: transforming a humble meme into a beloved cultural touchstone shared between VTubers and fans.

Mastering 3D and VR: Ame as a Tech Pioneer

Amelia Watson’s work with 3D modeling and VR was years ahead of her time, inspiring many other VTubers to explore the same frontier. Starting from her Smol Ame experiments, she encouraged fans to share 3D creations with the hashtag #ame3d, supporting artists with genuine enthusiasm.

Thank you for everything you've done, you have inspired me so much in my career as a vtuber and shaped it to what it is today. You've pioneered the EN vtubing sphere with your ideas and creativity. I looked into 3D because of your 3D worlds and concerts for Myth and the…

— Doki 🏆 (@dokibird) September 20, 2024

Her most groundbreaking achievement came during the hololive Myth 1st Anniversary. Due to the pandemic, their 3D debut was indefinitely delayed — but Ame found a creative solution. She collaborated with VRChat and the VR creator community to host a VR livestream featuring the members’ Smol models in themed rooms, celebrating their first year together.

Later that same year, she announced the establishment of the hololive EN VR Studio, which allowed EN talents to record 3D performances without traveling to Japan. For example, Takanashi Kiara’s 3D birthday concert was filmed entirely in Ame’s home studio — which, as Ame humorously revealed later, consisted mostly of cardboard props! Despite the humble setup, the quality was astonishing.

Her research and passion convinced hololive to invest in affordable home 3D technology, such as Sony’s Mocopi. Looking back, if not for Ame’s efforts, the EN branch might have faced a prolonged creative gap during the pandemic.

Charity Streams that Raised Over $400,000

Ame’s love for animals has always been sincere. In 2021, she hosted her first charity stream for the Best Friends Animal Society, planning to raise just $25,000 — but fans’ generosity shattered expectations, with donations reaching nearly ten times that goal.

Just before her recent hiatus, Ame held another charity event — this time supporting Ocean Conservancy and marine life preservation. She built an entire hololive aquarium inside VRChat, transforming hololive members into sea creatures with educational descriptions, blending entertainment with awareness.

Together, her two charity efforts raised over USD 400,000 — a powerful reminder that VTubers can make a positive, tangible difference in the real world.

The “Ame Way”: The First “Semi-Graduation” in VTuber History

Every idol faces the end of their career eventually, and VTubers are no different. While some “reincarnate” under new avatars, their old identities usually disappear forever. But Ame’s path — dubbed “the Ame Way*” — may redefine what a VTuber farewell looks like.

Rather than graduating fully, Ame is pausing her streaming activities while keeping her character and IP active within hololive. She can return for special appearances and collaborations, maintaining her legacy without ending it.

Fans joked, “Even her retirement is done the Ame Way.” Fellow Myth member Ninomae Ina’nis likened it to “Ame leaving the long-running TV series, but still showing up in the movie version.”

Ame herself asked fans not to call it a graduation, but a temporary farewell. She’ll continue partnering with hololive behind the scenes, exploring new ways to collaborate.

*“The Ame Way,” originally coined by fans, refers to Ame’s signature stubborn determination — ignoring game hints and chat advice to solve challenges her own way.

Finally, just as Ame wished to convey, this isn’t the end — it’s a brand-new beginning, in true “Ame Way.” Let’s wait and see what kind of impact she’ll make next when she returns to the VTuber world.

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