Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2021: Week 41
Hatsune Miku is a popular Vocaloid. She is the human avatar of a vocal synthesizer whose voicebank (vocal database) was provided by Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita. Her name in Japanese means "the first sound from the future." (初 (hatsu)= "first", 音 (ne)= "sound", ミク (miku) = future.) She has a large fandom following and is the most well-known Vocaloid.
Her first voicebank was released in 2007, and Miku was originally popular in her native Japan before reaching an international audience. Today, she is jokingly credited as the inventor of Minecraft (as well as some other media) by the internet at large, meaning that many internet users can recognize the name and appearance of Hatsune Miku without necessarily being aware of what a Vocaloid is.
"Miku Monday" is a recurring art event associated with the character that dates back to her original release, and which is observed across a number of platforms. Miku is the girlfriend of the Crunchyroll mascot Crunchyroll-Hime, and the two frequently feature in artwork posted by the official Crunchyroll account, as well as some fanart.