Live Q&A Session: Smith Hioka — Creator of Akita NeruSmith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 08:50 PMNo.9260
Hello, 39chan—nice to meet you. I’m Smith Hioka. Thanks for having me for this live Q&A session today.
If you already know Akita Neru—a derivative “fanloid” character in the Hatsune Miku world—you may know me as her creator. And if you’re thinking, “Akita Neru? Who’s that?” or “THE YELLOW ONE THAT DOESN’T APPEAR IN MESMERIZER,” this is a great chance to get to know her. You’ll likely pick up something new, so feel free to join in.
How this will work: I’ll take questions in two blocks, Part 1 and Part 2, with a 1-hour break in between. Please check the image for the schedule, and make sure you’re viewing the right time zone for where you live. The Q&A will be in English. I’m not a native speaker, so I’ll answer via AI translation—thanks in advance for your patience with any odd phrasing.
Questions & basic rules: As long as it doesn’t violate 39chan’s rules, most questions are welcome. I won’t be able to answer everything, and I appreciate your understanding. To keep things moving, please limit to one question per post. For questions that aren’t off-limits but need deeper thought, I may post a fuller answer later on my X (formerly Twitter) account. If I do, I’ll check with you first about sharing it.
>>9263 They’re similar, but 5channel (formerly 2channel), which I still use from time to time, relies on dedicated browser clients, so the overall experience is different.
>>9265 Both have different strengths, so I can’t rank one over the other. It really depends on the kind of song you have her sing.
What do you think about the current usage of AI in Vocaloid to the point where AI songs are becoming more mainstream and sites like VocaDB need to moderate themselves?
>>9260 welcome, hioka! i'm a big fan of your work. this is a rather specific question: what is your opinion about akine haru (秋音ハル) as well as akine natsu (秋音ナツ)? considering that both are a fusion of haku and neru. if you knew about them before, what was your reaction to both of them?
do you think neru would be able to fuse? (considering that haru and natsu are fusions...)
Hioka Hioka, what is your opinion about OwataP? Have you talked with him?
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 09:22 PMNo.9301
>>9271 Thank you for the fan art! That’s Tsukuyomi Sena, right? They’re both very cute
>>9272 I draw pretty slowly, so I might not be able to meet your expectations. That said, I can’t say for sure about the future.
>>9273 How she’s perceived is up to the audience. Whether she’s embraced by society—and in what form—or eventually forgotten, the dynamics of that process are what I find fascinating.
>>9294 this is the same person speaking and asking another question. will otaki mee (御瀧メエ) and otaki moi (御瀧モイ) ever return? i wonder if neru will consider them just brats, or if she considers them a real threat... or does she not care about them?
the otaki siblings are interesting characters, but i don't really know much about them. on this side of the world, there isn't much information available about them.
Hello Hioka, this is Lynx, the voice provider for Sena Tsukuyomi (月夜見せな), the UTAU you keep seeing on the thread. This isn't a question, but I wanted to thank you for having such an impact on my life. She's one of my top 5 in the vocal synth sphere, alongside Matcha, Tei, Miku and Momo. I grew up doing things like carrying a Miku tote bag around when I was in middle school (I would have had a Neru one if I could have found one for sale at the time...), I grew up fawning over your creation as well as other Fanloid, Vocaloid and UTAU. I think Neru's creation is that of inspiration, a light in the dark, one of perseverance, even! Thank you so much for being here. I'm so thankful to have had a chance to write something, anything, and have a chance for you to see it. I hope you have a wonderful day, and I hope Neru's popularity continues to grow more and more.
I think that many people who discovered Vocaloid early in their life were exposed to Neru at some point. For example I am in my early 30's now but discovered her when I was a kid. How do you feel about that? Your creation has had a lot of impact
When you compare the Vocaloid fandom of ~2008 to the Vocaloid fandom today, what feels different? What feels the same? From a western perspective, there are things like increasing production quality/professionalism, realistic voicebanks, and the migration of major producers to Youtube that feel different from the early days. Although the fandom is bigger, the pros are so good at drawing and music that it almost feels harder to participate. But at the same time it's easier. I don't know if that makes any sense, but curious your thoughts.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 09:34 PMNo.9315
>>9276 Nijika’s a really good person, so I think they could be friends.
>>9277 I’d already been in contact with CFM before that, but when her inclusion in DIVA was confirmed I was really happy.
>>9278 If they asked, I’d gladly say yes—but it might be difficult. My sense is that Project sekai fans would prefer deeper support for the content they already enjoy rather than adding new characters.
>>9282 It’s a reworked version of an old handle I used—basically broken down and put back together. I just made it sound like a real name, so it doesn’t really have any special meaning.
I have two questions, so I apologize if it's a bit too long.
As you probably already know, recently there was a concert with Kasane Teto. Has CFM reached out to you regarding something similar with Neru, and if not is that something you would like to see?.
Is there a character you'd like to see more often along with Neru for original songs? Or a duet that maybe hasn't been seen before!? I know she almost always has nice duets with Haku and Teto, but rarely with another characters. A while ago, I was surprised when a composer showed interest in doing a Neru song with Sukone Tei. I think it was interesting!
>>9290 Negative reactions are understandable—and during any transitional phase of technological progress, they’re essentially inevitable. That said, both the landscape and people’s attitudes change over time, so I’m optimistic.
Have you ever seen Neru as almost a depressed version of Miku? I know we technically have Haku for that but it seems great as a polar opposite to Miku's happy no lucky style
Hioka Hioka, do you know some Neru derivatives? Which ones are your favourites?
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 10:12 PMNo.9345
>>9291 It isn’t unique to the Vocaloid community, but I don’t like it when people make definitive claims without evidence or present speculation as if it were confirmed fact. It’s a bit better if they at least preface it with something like, “This is just baseless speculation, but…”.
>>9292 I’m actually not very familiar with Uma Musume. But as for real racehorses, I like Oguri Cap.
>>9293 As I mentioned above, I always welcome fan-made voicebanks.
HIII HIOKA!!! Since the arrival of new Vocaloid fans and the popularity that Triple Baka has received lately (at least in the West) Neru has been constantly appearing in many memes but They always use the sound of their phone that rings in the mentioned song, which has generated a lot of misinformation regarding the subject of their voice. My question is, what do you think about this topic? Wait patiently for your reply.
Are there going to be any restrictions on what the Neru character is/isn't allowed to say? Like we have with Teto. I know most utauloids are created to not be free of this and it lets you portray bad and messy things in life but for any voice bank with a real company behind it it feels like your trying to stay on the line of what might be considered acceptable by the legal language
Do you think we'll ever see the return of "fanloids"? I've seen people on this site try to make some, but what I mean is something of Haku and Neru's scale
Also my friend wants to know why Neru is so stoic and if there's a reason for that because they're vicariously living this AMA through my dicksword screen share
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 10:27 PMNo.9361
>>9294 I’ve seen them, but I don’t know much about them. As for whether Neru could fuse, I’m not sure.
>>9295 My impression is that they’re a veteran MMDer from the old Nico Nico Douga days—the “good old (were they good?)” era.
>>9296 Sakanaction, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Ado. There are plenty more, but no need to rattle off a long list—those are just the first that came to mind.
>>9297 Of those, the only one I’ve met is Oyamano Mayo.
>>9287 If Hioka draws for /leek/ two worlds will collide
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 10:40 PMNo.9366
>>9298 Sure, it might be a bit old-fashioned. But technology trends are always changing. As long as we keep using small personal devices, there’s always a chance the flip-phone form factor—updated with modern internals—will make a comeback. Back in the Space Shuttle era, if you’d said that “the rockets that take off and land vertically, like something out of 1950s sci-fi, would become the stars of the 21st century,” people probably wouldn’t have believed you. Same idea.
>>9300 Without OwataP, Neru and Haku might have been forgotten much sooner—that’s how important he is. I met him again at Magical Mirai Sendai in August and we had a good chat.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 10:44 PMNo.9369
>>9304 I’ve mentioned them on a discord server before—I’ll repost that below.
They ended up pushed into the margins of history, largely due to my own limitations.
In the 2000s, I could only stand by and watch as many beloved characters born in online communities declined—facing various obstacles and a lack of understanding—until they were eventually forgotten.
When Akita Neru unexpectedly drew significant attention, I became determined not to let that same sadness repeat itself. Out of an excess of caution, I poured all my energy into her, leaving myself with no capacity to properly care for the others I had created. In the process, I ended up neglecting and ultimately sacrificing them.
I did try to bring them back a few times, but by then the right moment for their return had already passed. At the very least, I felt they were no longer something I could handle.
Ironically, part of their unpublished backstory includes that they resent their father...
My last question, which is the Akita Neru song that you consider the most representative of her? Thank you for create Neru, she's my favorite character ever. I admire you so much!!!
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSat, Sep 13, 2025, 10:54 PMNo.9375
>>9305 As for Nero, I only defined a very limited set of details when I first designed him, so I plan to pull everything together later. I may have even forgotten some bits, so I can’t give a clear answer right now.
>>9306 Hi, Lynx! Thank you for sharing this. If any part of Neru’s influence has helped spark your creativity, that makes me genuinely happy—as someone who cares deeply about the chain of creation. Thank you so much!
Hi! I am a newer fan of vocaloid and the first one I’ve had emotional attachment to was, funnily enough, Akita Neru! My question to you, the creator, is what is your favorite part about Neru’s fans and the community you have grown over these years? Thank you so much in advance! Oh, and here’s a Neru made by a friend!
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:02 AMNo.9397
>>9308 To be precise: In 2008 I signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Crypton Future Media (CFM) regarding the copyright status of Akita Neru. That MOU affirms—on both sides—that Neru is a derivative work of Hatsune Miku.
Without getting into the details, this arrangement lets us preserve the freedom of fan-made secondary creation while also enabling commercial use of Akita Neru. Thanks to it, things like single-day event licenses for garage-kit/sculpture events, merchandising (plushies, figures, etc.), and appearances in games have been possible. Without the MOU, these would not have happened.
CFM also handles the licensing/contact window, which meaningfully reduces my personal workload. And of course, any commercialization requires mutual consent from both parties.
If I don’t agree, CFM cannot issue permission to use Akita Neru on its own—and the reverse is also true.
>>9309 Hmm… I’m not sure exactly what she’d play, but percussion comes to mind.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:08 AMNo.9399
>>9310 I never could have imagined this when I first drew Neru. On social media I often see people talk about her as a “childhood memory.” Childhood memories are powerful and vivid; knowing that Akita Neru is etched into a part of that is the greatest joy for me. I was also genuinely surprised by how many of those comments came from outside Japan.
Back in 2007, I was convinced that Hatsune Miku’s arrival would change the world of music, but I didn’t expect the impact to last this long—or that even Neru would spread worldwide.
Neru’s reach has less to do with her being “my work” and far more to do with the power of the fans.
Last year, when Mesmerizer helped drive a surge in Neru’s overseas fandom, it strengthened my resolve to do what I can to make sure fan-driven creativity isn’t held back.
Hello Hioka-san, just wanted to say thanks again for creating Neru! You did a wonderful job creating her iconic design. Don't have very many questions in mind to ask, but I guess I was curious: do you own a lot of Neru merchandise? Officially there's her Nendoroid mini and two plushies, but there's also all the items fans make. Do you like to buy merch of your girl?
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:14 AMNo.9403
>>9312 The biggest difference is that today both the leading artists and the broader fanbase are a Vocaloid-native generation. In 2008, of course, no one could say “Miku existed when I first became aware of the world.”
There were commercial works back then, but the market for Vocaloid music was nowhere near today’s scale, so it’s natural that production quality and professionalism feel different now. If you look only at the most visible content, it’s easy to conclude the scene has “professionalized,” and I understand why that can create friction or a sense of being shut out for some people.
However, if you zoom out, the base has widened and the scene has grown so large that no single vantage point can capture it. This may be close to what you’re sensing: with just a small shift in perspective, you can see there’s still plenty of room for beginners in music production (DTM/DAW) and amateur creators—whether you join purely for personal enjoyment or aim high.
Above all, I feel the community is healthy because it keeps renewing itself: there are always newcomers, and it’s easy for people who once stepped away to come back. That’s a very good thing.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:15 AMNo.9404
>>9326 “School Club Girl” was inspired by how some girls at my high school would customize their outfits on their own. The skirt and tracksuit colors are also based on what we had at my school. That said, these looks were technically outside the prescribed way to wear the uniform.
As for “Aborigine,” around that time I was interested in traditional/folk clothing, and the design reflects a broad, non-specific image of traditional attire.
>>9330 Do you mean this illustration? It’s not really a new design—it’s a refined version of a character design sheet I drew a long time ago. Most of my older drawings are, well, old, so I made a three-view reference sheet that people can use when creating fan art. It’s mostly done and already colored, and I plan to release it on November 1, Neru’s birthday.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:40 AMNo.9414
>>9331 Whatever the lineup, seeing vocal combinations I hadn’t imagined is always a fun experience. Of course, I love the classic duets too!
Hi, this isn't a question but I wanted to thank you for visiting /leek/
I hope we can see you again
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 12:46 AMNo.9416
>>9338 I do like yellow now thanks to Neru, but my original favorites were black, indigo, and olive drab—and I still like those too.
>>9339 To be honest, I’m not very familiar with Project SEKAI—I only installed the app the other day. Once I’ve played it a bit, I plan to watch the movie.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 01:00 AMNo.9418
>>9342 To be honest, I’m not very familiar with TS (gender-swap/gender-bent) characters in the Vocaloid scene. Even a quick look shows lots of subtle distinctions in that genre, and I’ve hesitated to comment while only half-informed, as that could be disrespectful.
>>9343 That’s an interesting take. I’ve always viewed Neru and Miku as entirely separate, so it’s fascinating to hear that perspective—and I think it’s good that each person’s own image of Neru can grow in its own way.
Hioka what is your favorite version of Neru's voice, such as Lower-pitched Rin and Higher-pitched Miku etc.?
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 01:03 AMNo.9421
We’ve reached the scheduled end time, so we’ll stop accepting new questions here. That said, I don’t have any plans today, so I’ll keep answering as many of the questions already posted as I can.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 01:28 AMNo.9427
>>9344 Sorry—I’m honestly not very familiar with them...😔
>>9346 All I can say is that it’s unlikely anything will materialize right away. That said, it’s important to keep gathering information so we don’t miss any opportunities.
Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 01:48 AMNo.9430
>>9347 From another angle, what we call “misinformation” can also be the seed of ideas that didn’t exist before. If a character’s settings are locked down so tightly that any deviation is forbidden—that may work for a corporate IP that constantly pushes out powerful official content, but for a character like Neru, who spreads through derivative creation, getting trapped in fixed ideas would make further growth difficult.
Akita Neru has always been entrusted to each person’s imagination. Whether she speaks or sings (or doesn’t), I think flexible interpretations are healthy. As generations of major creators and fans turn over, a character’s image naturally changes. In fact, even a widely accepted personality can be flipped by a single, striking work.
Relative to the earliest “canon,” that might look “wrong.” But measured against creativity that moves a lot of people, it’s a minor detail. If anything, I hope people draw inspiration even from the “wrong info” and transform it into interesting work.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 02:19 AMNo.9439
>>9349 Neru doesn’t have an official voicebank, so there aren’t any Neru-specific rules about what her “voice” can or can’t say. If you’re tuning and using another voicebank with her, just follow that voicebank’s own terms and guidelines.
Balancing free expression with legal responsibility is tricky. When a company releases a product, it has to consider potential liability for anything the product might cause; selling something commercially always carries litigation risk. The flip side is that, by clearly stating the scope of responsibility, a company lets users operate safely so long as they stay within those terms.
Voicebanks with few or no restrictions—much freer than corporate products—are also valuable. But that doesn’t mean there’s no responsibility. If a legal or moral problem arises, responsibility may fall on the user and, in some cases, reach the developer. Total lack of limits inherently leaves room for many kinds of issues, and a major incident could even jeopardize the voicebank’s continued existence.
Each approach has trade-offs, but the good news is that users today have many choices. You can pick the voicebank that fits the situation and express yourself accordingly.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 02:44 AMNo.9450
>>9350 Speaking only for myself, I do think it’s possible—under certain conditions. The key is that the character is born from, or becomes tied to, some larger “event.”
Neru emerged out of a major controversy in 2007 where several issues intertwined; looking back at her origins is like reading a historical archive of that moment. Haku embodies a universal experience that still hasn’t changed today: a beginner in music production hitting a wall and feeling defeated. Teto’s very birth was a kind of “festival,” and because both the illustrator and the CV were minors, a sort of “twin-drill” two-pillar setup naturally formed—one of the factors that helped propel her later rise.
The fact that all three came out of 2channel shows that, at the time, 2ch still had the power to act as a center of creativity. In any form, what matters is linking a character to an incident that many people find compelling.
That said, timing and luck matter—a lot. It isn’t something you can manufacture on command. If someone wants to create a character on the scale of Neru, Haku, or Teto, I’d say: keep your eyes on many streams of information and learn to spot opportunities. After that, it’s largely up to luck.
>>9351 It might be a translation issue, but I’m not sure what exactly you mean by “stoic.” If you don’t mind, could you clarify what you’re referring to?
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 02:58 AMNo.9453
>>9359 As for Nero, I plan to compile the details later, but I need to go back and verify my older notes—so I’ll refrain from making any premature statements here.
>>9362 I do listen to Western music, but I’m not really familiar with genres. I tend to just listen casually and think “that’s a nice song,” then move on—so I sometimes don’t even know who the artist is. And if it drops off my list/history, even I can’t track it down again…
>>9450 >I’m not sure what exactly you mean by "stoic." I'm not the one who asked but i believe what they're trying to say is why Neru is so expressionless, indifferent, etc >what matters is linking a character to an incident that many people find compelling. Oddly enough something similar is happening here with a character that's being created to make fun of censorship. But I don't think 39chan is nearly as big or influential as 2channel.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 03:14 AMNo.9458
>>9364 That’s a tough question—because pretty much every culture interests me. I can’t narrow it down to just one. I find human history itself—the force that has shaped every culture—deeply fascinating. And all of them inevitably connect somewhere along the way.
>>9374 It’s hard to narrow it down to just one, but in terms of showing different sides of her, I’d single out three songs as especially representative: “Triple Baka,” “Kemono no Uta,” and “Gocha Gocha Urusee!”.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 03:32 AMNo.9460
>>9388 Thank you for loving Akita Neru! I’m really happy to hear that. The more you look into Neru, the more fascinating she becomes—but that also means she can be pretty hard to get into for people new to Vocaloid culture. Those who get past that hurdle tend to be very dedicated, and in my experience they stay fans for years. Your friend’s Neru is lovely—and it has a strong Touhou vibe. 😂 （Yuyuko Saigyouji?）
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 03:43 AMNo.9461
>>9401 I’m not sure I could say I have “a lot,” but I do have a fair amount. There aren’t many official items, but I received many as samples, and I bought the ones I especially wanted myself. I also have some doujin merch and a few doujinshi (self-published books). I didn’t have much money back then, but if more Neru merch comes out, I’d love to buy plenty.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 03:51 AMNo.9463
>>9454 Got it. I’m guessing that impression comes from some work where Neru looks expressionless or indifferent (maybe “Toripuru Ryuunen” or “Zako”?). How she comes across depends on the creator depicting her and the viewer’s own sensibilities, so there isn’t a fixed answer—meaning I can’t really say.
>But I don't think 39chan is nearly as big or influential as 2channel.
Speaking of influence, Neru’s initial reception wasn’t big either. The thread I posted in back then wasn’t the main one; it was a slower-moving place. After that I made a blog and kept sharing information as best I could. It may help to build outlets for information outside the board, allow flexible interpretations, and make it easy for people to create derivative works.
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Smith Hioka !!LUvMAcwpNwSun, Sep 14, 2025, 04:21 AMNo.9466
I think I’ve managed to answer most of the questions. If I missed your post or couldn’t give a proper reply, I’m sorry.
>>9425 moth, thank you for giving me this opportunity! This really is the end.
