The rapid proliferation of VTubers, digital avatars controlled and voiced by human actors (Nakanohito), has created a lucrative and popular entertainment ecosystem. However, the prevailing industry model, where corporations retain ownership of the VTuber persona while the Nakanohito bears the immense pressure of dual-identity management, exposes the Nakanohito to significant vulnerabilities, including burnout, harassment, and precarious labor conditions. When these pressures become untenable, the Nakanohito may terminate their contracts and later debut with a new persona, a process known as "reincarnation". This phenomenon, a rising concern in the industry, inflicts substantial losses on the Nakanohito, agencies, and audiences alike. Understanding the quantitative fallout of reincarnation is crucial for mitigating this damage and fostering a more sustainable industry. To address this gap, we conduct the first large-scale empirical study of VTuber reincarnation, analyzing 12 significant cases using a comprehensive dataset of 728K livestream sessions and 4.5B viewer interaction records. Our results suggest reincarnation significantly damages a Nakanohito's career, leading to a decline in audience and financial support, an increase in harassment, and negative repercussions for the wider VTuber industry. Overall, these insights carry immediate implications for mitigating the significant professional and personal costs of the reincarnation, and fostering a healthier and more equitable VTuber ecosystem.

翻译：VTuber（由真人演员“中之人”操控和配音的数字虚拟形象）的迅速普及，已催生出一个利润丰厚且广受欢迎的娱乐生态系统。然而，当前行业的主流模式——企业持有VTuber角色的所有权，而“中之人”则承受着双重身份管理的巨大压力——使“中之人”暴露于显著的脆弱性之中，包括职业倦怠、网络骚扰和不稳定的劳动条件。当这些压力变得难以承受时，“中之人”可能终止合同，随后以新的虚拟形象重新出道，这一过程被称为“转生”。这一日益受到业界关注的现象，给“中之人”、经纪公司及观众均造成了重大损失。理解转生现象的量化后果，对于减轻其损害并促进行业更可持续发展至关重要。为填补这一研究空白，我们首次对VTuber转生现象进行了大规模实证研究，利用包含72.8万次直播会话和45亿条观众互动记录的综合性数据集，分析了12个典型案例。我们的研究结果表明，转生显著损害“中之人”的职业生涯，导致其观众群体与财务支持减少、遭受的骚扰增加，并对更广泛的VTuber产业产生负面影响。总体而言，这些发现对于减轻转生带来的重大职业与个人成本，以及培育一个更健康、更公平的VTuber生态系统，具有直接的启示意义。