In internet, you can practically become anything, so it shouldn’t surprise us that many men prefer to spend their free time as cute anime girls. However, for some, this experience goes beyond using an attractive character. A report from the Japanese program ABEMA Prime presented the case of a man in his thirties who spends up to 15 hours a day in VRChat using a female avatar, while a survey cited during the broadcast indicates that about seven out of ten men surveyed prefer this type of character.

One of the interviewees was Kane, a man who has been using anime girl avatars on this VR platform for seven years. Although his character looks like a cute young girl, he doesn’t hide that he is a man and doesn’t modify his voice to sound like a woman. He simply believes that appearance represents what he likes and how he wants to express himself.

According to him, he has always felt a great fascination for cute things. In fact, he used to dream of becoming a muscular and attractive man, but over time he discovered he preferred a completely different appearance. For him, the biggest appeal of VRChat is being able to become the version of himself he truly wants to show, without worrying too much about others’ expectations.

And we’re not talking about someone who logs in for a few minutes to chat. Kane said that on his days off, he can stay up to 15 hours inside the virtual world. Since the platform also allows him to do computer tasks, he uses that time to work on his own projects, chat with friends, and participate in various activities. In real life, he has a customer service job, so he continues to alternate between both experiences.

This practice is known in Japan as babíniku, a shortening of virtual bishoujo juniku, referring to adopting the appearance of a beautiful girl in a virtual environment. Although it’s often associated with men using female characters, their motivations can be quite different and not necessarily related to their gender identity.

To explain the phenomenon, the program also interviewed Nemu, a VTuber specializing in metaverse culture who has been participating in these communities for about ten years. According to her, there are two especially common reasons for choosing female avatars: the variety of customization options and the ease of interacting with others.

First, female characters usually have a much wider range of clothing, hairstyles, and accessories, especially when aiming for a cute aesthetic. This allows users to experiment with styles they could hardly use in their daily lives. Additionally, Nemu noted that female-looking avatars can facilitate certain social interactions, as some people find it easier to approach and make friends with them.

The expert also clarified that using a female avatar doesn’t automatically mean the person is transgender. While some users explore gender identity issues, the studies she mentioned indicate this isn’t the main motivation for men who adopt female characters.

According to a survey on social VR users cited in the program, around 70 percent of the male participants used female avatars. However, this figure corresponds to those surveyed and doesn’t mean that seven out of ten men online, or necessarily in the entire VRChat community, have that preference.

The problem arises when it’s time to return to the real world

However, Kane also admitted that his experience has difficult moments. After spending so many hours using his favorite appearance, returning to reality and seeing his reflection in the mirror can be uncomfortable. He explained that sometimes he struggles to accept the difference between how he looks in the virtual world and his everyday physical appearance.

He also admitted that he has distanced himself from some real-life friendships, as he doesn’t always manage to maintain the same balance between both worlds. Nemu, on the other hand, said she keeps both experiences separate and enjoys both her offline relationships and the friendships she has built in the metaverse.

The report showed that, for some users, VRChat isn’t just a game where you can dress up as a waifu. It can also become a space to try other ways of presenting oneself, meet people, and enjoy an appearance that would be impossible to maintain in daily life.

Would you choose an avatar similar to yourself or transform into a completely different anime girl if you could spend the whole day in VRChat?