A scene from a video being streamed by Maruma sensei. The content includes a variety of things such as self-introduction, casual talk, streaming a wide range of games without genre restrictions, and live streaming while drawing illustrations, a skill unique to an artist.VTubers have begun to surpass the label of popular internet personalities, expanding their presence into general corporate commercials and image-building roles, with recognition now reaching levels comparable to traditional idols and talents. An emerging trend is the discovery of interesting talents by companies, with professional gamers turning into VTubers, resulting in the rapid rise of new stars. Among these are the so-called god-level artists, highly popular illustrators. These artists transform the illustrations they design into avatars, becoming VTubers themselves, and gain popularity through game streaming, various projects, and live drawing sessions that showcase their artistic skills. One such artist is maruma, a popular illustrator known for having a wall circle at Comiket (a term for highly sought-after circles, whose books generate long lines, leading them to be positioned along the walls to allow smoother traffic flow). With 292,000 followers on X and continuing to make strides, such as releasing an art book this year, maruma is a prominent figure in both the god-level artist and VTuber scenes. We asked maruma about the current state of god-level artists and VTubers.   God-level artists discuss the roots of their activities. ――What kind of person is maruma? “I am a freelance illustrator, and I create illustrations for light novel covers, card games, and for VTubers. I love beautiful girls, and I love drawing cute gestures, shy expressions, uniforms, and maid outfits. maruma in parentheses is my pen name.” ――What made you decide to pursue a career as an illustrator, which is a profession admired by many? “When I was a child, I drew a picture of my mother, and she was incredibly happy about it, which made me feel so good. I can’t remember exactly how she showed her happiness, but she expressed her thanks in a way that even a child could understand. The picture I drew back then is still hanging in our house. From there, I started to think that drawing is fun. Later, I saw the cover of a light novel from the ‘Suzumiya Haruhi’ series, and I thought it was really cute. That got me into anime, and I gradually became an otaku (laughs). I started to love drawing cute girls.” ――It seems rare for a female illustrator to draw cute girls, which might seem more aimed at a male audience. “I think it has a lot to do with how much I’ve loved cute girls since I was a child. As I watched various manga and anime from the latest to the older works, I fell in love at first sight with a character named ‘Nomi Kudryavka’ from the visual novel ‘Little Busters!,’ who has long, amber-colored hair and is small and cute. That was a big turning point in my journey of drawing cute girls. I think the charm of drawing is being able to freely express cute, cool, and favorite things!” ――I see. So, you drew cute girls out of your love for them, and gradually, you started thinking about pursuing a professional career? “Actually, I never intended to become an illustrator.”