* Meiko and Kaito

Contrary to popular belief among some fans, the first Japanese Vocaloids were actually Meiko and Kaito. They initially received relatively little attention, but following the release of Rin and Len Kagamine, the popularity and sales of both characters, particularly Kaito, increased significantly.

• Hatsune Miku

Released in August 2007, Hatsune Miku was developed using Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 engine and voice samples provided by Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita. The software allows users to synthesize and customize vocals by entering melodies and lyrics into the program. Miku was one of the first Vocaloids to be heavily marketed with an official anime-style mascot character, which quickly became highly recognizable within otaku culture, J-pop music, and online video communities. Her success played a major role in popularizing both the Vocaloid software and virtual idol culture internationally.

• Rin and Len Kagamine

Rin and Len Kagamine, the second characters in the Character Vocal Series, were designed as 14-year-old twins. Despite featuring two separate voicebanks and genders, they were released together as a single package, likely because both were voiced by actress Asami Shimoda, known for her role in THE iDOLM@STER. The original release of the voicebank was criticized for sounding rushed, leading to the later release of an updated version called “act2,” which was provided free to existing users.

• Megurine Luka

Megurine Luka is the third character in the Character Vocal Series. Voiced by anime actress Yū Asakawa, she was the first “bilingual Vocaloid,” designed to sing fluently in both Japanese and English. Although her English voicebank retains a noticeable Japanese accent, Luka became widely used in both languages.

• Gackpoid (Gakupo Kamui)

Following the commercial success of the early Character Vocal Series releases, INTERNET Co., Ltd. recruited Japanese singer Gackt to provide the voice for the company’s first Vocaloid. With character design contributions from a manga artist, the resulting Vocaloid became Gackpoid, also known as Gakupo Kamui.

• Megpoid (Gumi)

INTERNET Co., Ltd. later acquired voice actress and singer Megumi Nakajima to voice Megpoid, commonly known as Gumi. Nakajima had gained popularity through the song “Seikan Hikou” from Macross Frontier. The character design, which resembled Ranka Lee from the series, received criticism from fans, particularly regarding the proportions of the artwork. Despite this, Megpoid became widely regarded as one of the most realistic-sounding Vocaloids.

• Miki/Kiyoteru Hiyama/Yuki Kaai

In December 2009, AH-Software entered the Vocaloid market with three new characters: Miki, voiced by a former member of the band Supercar; Kiyoteru Hiyama, a teacher-themed character frequently used in rock songs; and Yuki Kaai, a childlike counterpart to Kiyoteru with a soft and innocent voice. Upon release, the trio received mixed reactions, with criticism directed at Miki for resembling older Vocaloids and at the other two characters for their generic designs.

• Lily

In early 2010, the design for Lily first appeared on an album cover for the Japanese band m.o.v.e. It was later revealed that the design represented an upcoming Vocaloid voiced by the band’s lead singer. A trial version was released in August 2010, followed by the full release later that month. Lily was the first Vocaloid developed directly by Yamaha while being distributed by INTERNET Co., Ltd.

The release of Lily also led to a large wave of Vocaloid videos featuring the character performing covers of existing songs. Fans informally referred to this trend as the “Lily Effect” or “Miku Effect.”

• VY1 Miziki

VY1 Miziki, a “genderless” Vocaloid developed by Yamaha, was released in late August 2010, shortly after Lily. Unlike most Vocaloids, VY1 did not have an official mascot character, though many fan artists later created their own interpretations.

• Nekomura Iroha

Sanrio collaborated with AH-Software to release Nekomura Iroha. Although the character featured a youthful design, her voice was notably deeper than expected. Her release was accompanied by announcements regarding additional future Vocaloid projects.

• Engloids

Several English-language Vocaloids were also developed. The earliest Vocaloid programs were Leon and Lola, released by the English company Zero-G in March 2004. These programs later won the 2005 Electronic Musician Editors’ Choice Award, though they were criticized for sounding muffled and unnatural.

Shortly afterward, singer Miriam Stockley provided vocals for the release of MIRIAM. Although considered an improvement over earlier English Vocaloids, the software still achieved only modest popularity.

In June 2007, the Swedish company PowerFX released Sweet Ann, the first Vocaloid 2 English voicebank and one of the earliest Vocaloids to feature a mascot character design. Despite mixed reactions to the character’s appearance, Sweet Ann became highly regarded for the quality of her English vocals.

In January 2008, Zero-G released Prima, voiced by a soprano singer. While praised for classical and choir-style performances, her voicebank was often criticized for sounding muffled.

More than a year later, Zero-G adopted a “Character Vocal”-style marketing approach with the release of Sonika, who was given a social media presence, comics, and an established personality. However, the character received criticism for both pronunciation quality and visual design.

PowerFX later released Big Al in late December 2009 after several delays. The final version featured improved vocals and a redesigned character by artist Accela, and it was generally received positively by both English and Japanese fans.

Around the same period, another English Vocaloid named Tonio was announced and eventually released in July 2010 after multiple postponements. Rumors of additional English Vocaloids continued to circulate afterward.

* Black Rock Shooter

Created by artist Huke as an unrelated original character, Black Rock Shooter initially had no connection to Vocaloid. The association began after musician Ryo, a well-known Hatsune Miku producer, collaborated with Huke to create the song “Black Rock Shooter.” During the collaboration, the character’s design was modified to resemble Miku more closely. The song became highly successful on Vocaloid rankings, and the character later inspired figures, games, and an anime series.

• Haku Yowane (Voyakiloid)

Haku Yowane was one of the earliest “Voyakiloid” characters, a category created primarily to parody poorly made fan songs and covers. She is depicted as a pessimistic or drunken variation of Hatsune Miku, often associated with a beer bottle. Fans created her “voice” by intentionally pitching vocals poorly, and later users replicated the sound through custom Vocaloid settings. Although her original satirical purpose faded over time, Haku remained a recognizable figure within the fandom.

• Neru Akita

(picture by TeraTerific90210123 on DeviantART.com)

Neru Akita is typically portrayed as a rude, impatient, or delinquent character and is often depicted as a rival or imitator of Miku. The character originated from posts on the Japanese message board 2channel, where users frequently posted phrases such as “I’m bored, going to bed.” Her name is a wordplay derived from those comments.

As with Haku, fans later developed custom vocal settings for the character using altered Kagamine voicebanks. Neru is commonly associated with texting and mobile phones.

• Kagamine Kawaiine

Kagamine Kawaiine was created by YouTube user sango312 as a parody of poorly designed fanmade Vocaloids and exaggerated anime fandom stereotypes. The character intentionally used an overly simplistic recolor design, exaggerated Japanese phrases, and distorted vocals for comedic effect.

Although the parody became popular among critics of fan-made Vocaloid culture, some viewers interpreted the videos as insulting, leading to the removal of the original upload after it was flagged. Despite this, the creator continued producing related content.

• Tako Luka

Tako Luka emerged from fan discussions regarding Megurine Luka’s “character item,” a common fandom tradition in which objects become associated with Vocaloid characters. She is often considered Luka’s equivalent to Hachune Miku, a deformed parody version of Hatsune Miku. Although no single video popularized the character, Tako Luka became widely recognized within the fandom.