Virtual band

Some groups and idols, like The Archies, Gorillaz, Dethklok, The Banana Splits, Prozzäk, One-T, Dvar, Renard Queenston, Quasimoto, MC Skat Kat, VBirds, One eskimO and Alvin and the Chipmunks are hand-drawn characters, and much of their media uses traditional animation and cartooning techniques.

Others, such as Hatsune Miku, Kizuna Ai, Crazy Frog, Genki Rockets, Gummibär, Pinocchio, The Bots, Studio Killers, Beatcats, Pentakill, K/DA, Your Favorite Martian, Hololive, Eternity and Mave: are computer-generated.

This means having a wide range of animated sequences ready to play, with matching spoken lines, in response to different reactions.

DJ Shadow, for example, on his In Tune and On Time tour, had pre-animated sequences, which were played on giant screens behind him while he performed the set.

After The Archies, produced by Filmation, became a huge pop hit, Hanna-Barbera started releasing several cartoon TV shows with the adventures of rock bands, such as Josie and the Pussycats, The Cattanooga Cats, The Impossibles, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, Jabberjaw, and others.

During the 1980s, Hasbro released Jem, an animated TV series featuring two enemy bands with a music video in each episode.

Voiced by Mari Iijima, Lynn Minmay became the first fictional idol singer to garner major real-world success.

Megazone 23 was a success in Japan partly due to the appeal of EVE, and it was later adapted into Robotech: The Movie (1986) in North America.

[4][5] A similar concept later appeared in Macross Plus (1994) with the virtual idol Sharon Apple, a computer program who takes the form of an intergalactic pop star.

[6] The same year, the fictional Japanese rock band Fire Bomber from Macross 7 (1994) became a commercial success, spawning multiple CDs released in Japan.

Her creation was inspired by the success of the Macross franchise and dating sim games such as Tokimeki Memorial (1994), along with advances in computer graphics.

[10][11][12] The game's 2017 Nintendo Switch sequel, Splatoon 2, introduces more virtual bands, most notably Off the Hook, a duo similar to the Squid Sisters.

[13][14] Prior to it, Nintendo had already made a virtual band composed of characters from Pikmin called Strawberry Flower, to promote the games.

Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London.

[17][18] Dethklok is a fictional melodic death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series Metalocalypse, known for its satirical or parodic lyrical themes.

[19] K/DA is a virtual K-pop girl group consisting of four themed versions of League of Legends characters Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai'Sa.

In 2019, Riot created a virtual hip hop group called True Damage, featuring the champions Ekko, Akali, Qiyana, Senna, and Yasuo.

The group consists of 11 members: Seoa, Sujin, Minji, Zae-in, Hyejin, Dain, Chorong, Jiwoo, Yeoreum, Sarang and Yejin.

The group consists of Siu, Zena, Marty, and Tyra, who are hyper-realistic, AI-generated members that were created using machine learning, deep fake, and full 3D production technology.

First appearing in 2020 as part of K-pop girl group Aespa's fictional universe, Naevis was launched as a soloist in 2024 with the single "Done".