VTuber Bao The Whale and Skeb controversy explored

A new controversy has erupted in the VTuber community, as Bao The Whale's social media post about Skeb, a Japanese art commission platform, went viral. It all started on November 3, 2025, when Bao The Whale posted on X that artists should "ask permission before publicly posting finished commissions" because they "might accidentally spoil a client's project."

While appearing to express her dissatisfaction with Skeb, the VTuber wrote the following in a now-deleted X post:

"Artists Please ask permission before publicly posting finished commissions I know you're really excited about finishing a really cool comm, but you might accidentally spoil a client's project So many commissions I just gave up doing anything because it was posted before I could do anything with them I HATE YOU SKEB"

VTuber Bao The Whale's now-deleted X post from November 3, 2025 (Image via x.com/SylvieClosVT)

Skeb eventually issued a public statement in response to Bao The Whale's post, stating that creators own all rights to their work on the platform, and that clients "cannot restrict creators from publishing their works."

Furthermore, Skeb explained how they're "fundamentally different from Western art commission platforms" by writing:

"⚠️WARNING⚠️ All rights to works on Skeb belong to creators. Clients cannot restrict creators from publishing their works for any reason. This notice is shown at 4 times before sending their first request, and they cannot proceed unless they check the box agreeing to it. Skeb is fundamentally different from Western art commission platforms. It’s a creator-support platform rooted in Japan’s "Sukebu" culture — where artists draw illustrations on the spot at doujinshi convention. Skeb is NOT a stock-material marketplace. Over 30% of users are now from overseas. We sincerely thank everyone abroad who understands our Terms and Policies carefully and supports creators."

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"My tweet WENT WAY out of my circle" - VTuber Bao The Whale says her "original tweet was NOT about Skeb"

Later that day (November 3, 2025), Bao The Whale addressed the community about her viral now-deleted X post by saying that it was "not about Skeb." While claiming to be discussing her "general experience with commissioned art," the virtual Twitch streamer said:

"My original tweet was NOT about skeb, it was my general experience with commissioned art. My opinion of skeb was an after thought. I get why people are thinking the former. I haven’t used skeb for almost a year. My tweet WENT WAY out of my circle and (understandably) lead to A LOT of people to think what I was saying to be 100% about skeb. It wasn’t."

Bao The Whale then elaborated on the "reason why she said she disliked Skeb":

"The reason why I said I disliked skeb was due to the option of keeping the commission private on the artist’s skeb profile. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. I just don’t want my NSFW commissions connected to my skeb profile. If it’s posted on their twitter with no connection to me, that is fine! WIPs, streams, all of it, is fine! As for general commissions aka what my tweet was originally about (commissions not via any website) if you took the time to see my replies, it was 100% in support of artists and I continually wished for ways to better serve the purpose of the commission, such as paying for an NDA fee, extra costs to keep a commission hidden, etc."

In a follow-up X post, the VTuber stated that she was "very sorry for the stir caused," and that she "should be more aware of her influence."

Edited by Aarnesh Shrivastava