Kuzuha tops VTuber earnings in 2026, Houshou Marine leads in subscribers
Japanese singer Kuzuha leads VTuber earnings according to a January 2026 study by Galaxsys, with estimated monthly income of $119K. His YouTube channel, which has 2.11 million subscribers and over 1.4 billion views, generates most of his revenue. Kuzuha’s net worth is $2.58M, placing him third among the richest VTubers in the study.
While Kuzuha earns the most monthly, Houshou Marine dominates in audience size. With 4.27 million subscribers and over 2 billion total views, she is the most-watched VTuber worldwide. Marine earned $87.1K in the past month and has a net worth of $2.99M, slightly higher than Kuzuha’s.
![Kuzuha tops VTuber earnings in January 2026 with $119K monthly, according to Galaxsys. [photo credit: Virtual YouTuber Wiki Fandom page]](http://ourdailynewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Kuzuha_3D_Model_Debut.webp)
Top earners and growing fanbases
Coming in third, Sakura Miko earned $39.8K in the last 30 days. Debuting in 2018, she has nearly 2.5 million subscribers and 880 million views, contributing to a net worth of $2.14M. Her consistent growth highlights the long-term impact of dedicated content creation in the VTuber space.
Fourth place is Usada Pekora, the richest VTuber overall with a net worth of $3.1M. She earns roughly $31.7K monthly, has 2.74 million subscribers, and over 1 billion YouTube views. Pekora demonstrates how audience engagement and monetization strategies, including super chats and memberships, drive financial success.
Rounding out the top five is Tsunomaki Watame, earning $30.6K monthly. Despite starting later than most, she built 1.7 million subscribers and 610 million views. Her net worth is $2.22M, showing that even newer VTubers can reach top-tier earnings with effective engagement.
Monetization and community engagement
Galaxsys CEO Hayk Sargsyan explained: “About 40% of VTuber monetization comes from super chats and live stream memberships, which means a few hundred loyal fans beat a million passive subscribers every time. Platforms are redesigning community features to reward and engage fans who actually show up.”
This insight shows why Kuzuha, Marine, Pekora, and others optimize both revenue and fan interaction. The study emphasizes that VTuber success relies on community depth, not just sheer audience size, shaping the competitive landscape for 2026.
