Camui Gackpo

* V2
* V3, V4

* Native
* Power
* Whisper

**Camui Gackpo** (神威(かむい)がくぽ *Kamui Gakupo*), is a Japanese VOCALOID developed and distributed by Internet Co., Ltd. as **Gackpoid** (がくっぽいど *Gakuppoido*), which was initially released in July 2008 for the *VOCALOID2* engine. There have been additional installments developed for the *VOCALOID3* engine in July 2012 and for the *VOCALOID4* engine in April 2015. His voice is provided by GACKT, a male Japanese singer, songwriter, actor, and musician.

## Concept

### Etymology

"Gackpo" is based on the pronunciation of the name "Gackt". The software name of "Gackpoid" also takes its name from Gackt's own. The "poid" on the end of the name is short for "like VOCALOID". Consequently, the full implied name of this product is "Gackt-like VOCALOID".

The romanization of his name is "Kamui Gakupo" (かむいがくぽ) but is officially stylized by Internet Co. as "Camui Gackpo". "Kamui Gakupo" is the spelling overseas VOCALOIDs fans are accustomed to and frequently use. "Kamui Gakupo" can also be seen on the KARENT website. Other spellings of his name have also been witnessed from other sources.

Less experienced overseas fans mislabeled Gackpo as a "Gackpoid" rather than a "VOCALOID" and sometimes dismissed that he is a VOCALOID altogether. This is owed to the confusion over the separate name for both the VOCALOID and software package. The same issue occurs with GUMI and her software Megpoid.

### Appearance

The avatar of the software was drawn by the illustrator Miura Kentaro (三浦健太郎 *Miura Kentaro*). A note from Crypton Future Media's VOCALOIDs stated that they were using cyber-style clothes which can "melt into" our everyday lives as much as possible. From this concept, Internet co., Ltd drew up their own ideas on what makes VOCALOID popular. Gackpo's look was picked from several possible designs.

Gackpo has a samurai aesthetic: the VOCALOID is clad in a Jinbaori, a kind of kimono which was used as a battle surcoat, with parts of Japanese armor, and carries a katana which is named “Music katana, Miburi” (楽刀・美振 / Gakutou Miburi). The patterns on its blade make musical sounds when it is swung down. The sword exists because producers wanted a link to a musical instrument and there were no objections to the use of a weapon.

When considering the features of Gackpo, the producers informed the designers that they wanted the eyes to look like Gackt's and for his outfit to include a combination of cyber and traditional Japanese-styled clothing. The colours were picked to make him stand out from the other VOCALOIDs.

The symbol on the back of both Gackpo's fan and shirt/jacket is a stylized version of the *kanji* character for "music" (楽). The kanji can be read as *gaku* using its *on* reading (the Chinese based pronunciation of a kanji), which is most likely a pun on both Gackpo's name and "楽" meaning music (as in the word 音楽 *ongaku*, "music").

Gackpo is one of the few VOCALOIDs to see his most popular meme make it into merchandise form. In keeping with the Item Wars, Gackpo has been associated with eggplants. An eggplant with stick-legs is an additional item included with his Nendoroid figurine.

## History

### Marketing

The Gackpoid software was marketed as part of the bid to introduce professional singers to VOCALOID, allowing users access to the vocal of a famous professional singer. He was also marketed with a guide book on his usage, which could be purchased optionally with his software. He was promoted as 'the first male (*masculine*) VOCALOID' for *VOCALOID2*.

Originally, Gackpo songs were not allowed to be sold on KARENT. However, this was later allowed in 2009.

## Voicebanks

Gackpoid - Native
Internet intended to allow VOCALOID users to have access to professional singer vocals. Camui Gackpo's original vocal was the first of many of these releases and gave users access to a vocal with the traits of the male Japanese singer Gackt.
* Gackpoid (*VOCALOID2*), July 31, 2008
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID3*), July 13, 2012
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID NEO*), February 26, 2014
* Gackpoid V4 (*VOCALOID4*), April 30, 2015

*Misc. versions*
His voice was used for Mobile Phone Gackpo, though details on this version are vague. The voicebank itself was accessed via the NetVOCALOID database and was one of the few VOCALOIDs who allowed users to access the network.
Gackpoid - Power
Power is a natural tone change variant of the "Native" vocal and designed to put emphasis on high notes.
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID3*), July 13, 2012
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID NEO*), February 26, 2014
* Gackpoid V4 (*VOCALOID4*), April 30, 2015

Gackpoid - Whisper
The Whisper vocal is a natural sounding tone change of the "Native" vocal and designed to allow more expressive tones on the lower ranges.
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID3*), July 13, 2012
* Gackpoid V3 (*VOCALOID NEO*), February 26, 2014
* Gackpoid V4 (*VOCALOID4*), April 30, 2015

## Reputation

### Reaction

In the Japanese fandom, he was slow to gain popularity due to a lack of demand for male vocals at the time of his release despite the high profile of his provider. Eventually, Gackpo gained popularity due to an increased interest for male vocals and Gackt's fame. Male VOCALOIDs had not been developed for a long time, indicated by the failure of KAITO's release early on in *VOCALOID's* life circle.

In mid-2010, he was reported to be on par with Crypton Future Media in terms of popularity. However, GUMI had overtaken him. Though he has always been among the most popular VOCALOIDs, post-VOCALOID2 vocals have overtaken his popularity. In VOCALOID3, he was often among the top 10 VOCALOIDs and is more often in the latter half (position 6-10). At times, he failed to make it into the top but still managed to maintain a popularity within the top 15.

He still is considered among the most popular Internet Co., Ltd VOCALOIDs, often the second most popular regardless of his stance with other studio-made vocals. This is most notable as he and Lily were the only other VOCALOIDs known to be considered for an English update when Noboru was asked.

### Impact

Though Gackpo maintains a relatively high popularity, during the VOCALOID3 era, GUMI became much more popular. As a consequence, her updates became more prioritized over his.

In terms of contributions to VOCALOID history, Camui Gackpo's voice provider, GACKT, noted that the creation of Gackpo and GUMI allowed for the possibility of other providers being used for VOCALOID. VOCALOID was no longer just Hatsune Miku and the Kagamines. This influenced voice providers such as Madoka Yonezawa, who during the early era of the software wanted to one day make a VOCALOID. This was later achieved with Kizuna Akari who was both a VOCALOID and a VOICEROID product. Yonezawa noted that at the time, the field of voice acting was narrow with limited job choices and VOCALOID added another possibility to the career path.

### Misc

A independent search on niconico revealed that most VOCALOIDs had less than 1,000 videos uploaded on niconico in 2011 between July 1 and December 15. Gackpo, however, managed to be the 4th most popular VOCALOID when a mean count was calculated with 375 views and 17 mylists.

In 2015, a survey was done based on the popularity of VOCALOIDs on niconico. For the year 2014, Gackpo was the 10th most popular VOCALOID.

### Trivia

* If you further change the character on his fan and back, the literal word "**gaku**" can be changed into ***hiragana***, which will be "**がく**", a commonly known name given to males.
* Gackpoid could be considered another contender for the inside joke "BIG AL syndrome" that overseas fans sometimes use to describe VOCALOIDs that are released later than announced. Gackpoid's release was delayed for a month, though the term "Big Al syndrome" had yet to be invented at the time.
* Because Gackt was a major singer, Gackpo was also the most expensive Japanese *VOCALOID2* vocal, beaten at his time of release in price by Zero-G's Prima. In Japan, he was the most expensive of the Japanese VOCALOIDs.

### Achievements

* First VOCALOID to be voiced by a major singer in Japan
* First INTERNET Co., Ltd VOCALOID
* First of INTERNET Co., Ltd's "VOCALOID Artist" series
* First male INTERNET Co., Ltd VOCALOID
* First male VOCALOID4
* First INTERNET CO., Ltd VOCALOID to be updated to *VOCALOID4*

## References

1. ↑ INTERNET Co.,Ltd - Gackpoid illustrations
2. ↑ http://www.ssw.co.jp/products/vocal/gackpoid/infomation/episode2.html#
3. ↑ http://www.ssw.co.jp/products/vocal/gackpoid/infomation/episode2.html
4. ↑ https://www.dtmstation.com/archives/22442.html
5. ↑ http://www.vocaloidism.com/2012/01/04/the-harsh-realities-of-vocaloid-on-nico/
6. ↑ http://ch.nicovideo.jp/kadotanimitsuru/blomaga/ar699704
7. ↑ [1] INTERNET Watch - クリプトン・フューチャー・メディア社長 伊藤博之氏（前編） (Crypton Future Media president Hiroyuki Itō (part one)