Junji Ito Becomes A VTuber To Kick Off Crunchyroll Expo

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a VTuber, it’s a “Virtual Youtuber” who uses a digital avatar in order to add commentary to a video, and it seems that the world of anime is diving into this technological advancement by giving a new avatar to the master of horror Junji Ito. With this year’s Crunchyroll Expo already in full swing, the creator of Uzumaki, Gyo, The Enigma of Amigura Fault, and countless other horrific short stories helped to launch the digital convention in style by getting an avatar that does well at playing up the mangaka’s strengths.

While fans of Junji Ito are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Adult Swim’s anime adaptation of Uzumaki, set to arrive on the small screen in the fall of 2022, one of the master of horror’s most well-known stories has yet to receive an anime adaptation. The Enigma of Amigura Fault was first released as a short story in the twisted tale of Gyo, the Junji Ito creation that saw aquatic life sprouting spider legs and terrorizing the surface world. In the short story, we witness a mountainside that is filled with holes that are meant for normal citizens, creating a horror, unlike anything that has been seen in fiction before.

Crunchyroll shared the first appearance of the digital version of Junji Ito for its Digital Expo, with the horror mangaka hilariously emerging from a hole that was “made for him,” to help in kicking off the virtual convention that has become an annual tradition for the streaming service:

While most anime fans are anticipating the arrival of Uzumaki on Cartoon Network, rumors have been swirling that another anime series is in the works for one of Ito’s properties that have yet to be revealed. Junji Ito will remain one of the greatest horror storytellers in the world and we expect far more stories to arrive in the future via manga and anime.

What do you think of Junji Ito’s VTuber debut? What is your favorite terrifying tale from the roster of short stories that Ito has created over his long career? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of horror.