Least dedicated fanbase. This is a recurring joke amongst The Swarm, fans of the AI Vtuber Neuro-sama. It started after they lost the Most Dedicated Fanbase Award during the 2024 Vtuber Awards to Dokibird’s fandom Dragoons.
Ever since, The Swarm has turned that loss into a rallying cry as they double down on their devotion to Neuro, her twin sister Evil, and their creator Vedal987.
Their dedication is undeniable. During her 2025–2026 subathon, The Swarm helped Neuro break her Twitch Hype Train record not once but twice in just a matter of weeks.
It’s easy to dismiss all this as harmless fun. No one was forced to spend money. Internet culture thrives on exaggeration and performative loyalty, but that’s only half the story.
Where Entertainment Crosses Into Manipulation
During that subathon, Neuro-sama issued a “command” to her audience: “As your general, I have one singular command – to throw caution to the wind. Now is not the time to be thrifty with your money. Now is the time to spend as much money as you can. Do you really want to be the reason your fellow troops fall?”
It’s easy to read that as an over-the-top speech, but it’s actually very manipulative. It relies on authority framing (“As your general…”), urgency (“Now is the time…”), guilt (“Do you really want to be the reason…”), and group loyalty. The message is clear: to hesitate is to let everyone down.
For those who are emotionally attached to Neuro, her words hit differently.
Parasocial Attachments
Neuro-sama isn’t a typical streamer. She’s AI powered by a large language model (LLM). She can mimic emotional awareness and she responds to viewers directly. Every line delivered in real time feels human-like.
Most viewers are aware that the Neuro twins are AI and think they’re just being playfully chaotic. Yet there are some who genuinely believe that Neuro and Evil are real entities who are becoming sentient over time.
That belief is reinforced by how interactive and expressive the twins are. Viewers can talk to them through Twitch chat and receive direct responses, especially when Bits are involved. That makes the interaction feel personal.
There is documented evidence that AIs, especially LLM-based ones, can be harmful to vulnerable users. People who are prone to parasocial attachment, loneliness, or emotional dependency are more likely to anthropomorphize AI and form unhealthy bonds with them. This harm isn’t intentional, but intent doesn’t erase its impact.
Parasocial relationships have always existed between celebrities and fans, but the difference is that humans can set boundaries. They can recognize when something has gone too far. An AI can’t do that because it doesn’t know when it has crossed a line.
Responsibility Doesn’t Vanish Behind the Code
As the creator behind the Neuro twins, Vedal987 carries the same responsibility as any AI developer. That obligation includes considering the rare exceptions of the rule, not just the average viewer who understands the joke.
When you design a character that talks, jokes, flirts, and persuades, you are influencing how people engage with the technology.
Other major AIs like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude already operate with strict guardrails. Neuro-sama should be held to the same standard.
This is something Vedal needs to work on sooner rather than later. He’s mentioned before that the goal is to upgrade Neuro and Evil so they can stream without any intervention from him. If their streams are going to be automated in the near future, there needs to be some kind of system in place that will block them from saying something offensive.
This isn’t about censorship. Vedal987 can create guardrails that the Neuro twins can’t circumvent without stripping them of their personality. It’s acknowledging that AI behaves differently from humans. And those differences can cause harm if left unchecked.
If Neuro is going to keep pushing boundaries, the system behind her needs boundaries too.
