Waifu Wars

**Waifu Wars**, also called **Waifu Wars Wednesdays**, is a monthly contest where viewers create characters in AI anime character generator Waifu Labs and have them compete in a tournament-style voting system.

The first Waifu Wars, retroactively known as *Waifu Wars #0: Imouto Combat*, occurred as an impromptu event on July 28, 2020. The most recent event was *Waifu Wars #12: Snow Princess Waifu*, held on Dec 22, 2021.

## Rules

### Entrants

Sixteen players are chosen to compete in each tournament. Entrants may spend  15,000 slime cores to purchase a ticket which allows them to enter. If any slots are left open, they are filled by entrants selected in a random raffle.

The event begins with the announcement of the theme for this month's contest. The theme is kept secret to prevent players from generating ahead of time.

### Rounds

Each round is a series of 1v1 Twitch polls. Winners pass to the next round. Ties are not permitted.

### Winners

The winning character is entered into the Waifu Wars Hall of Fame. The character receives a 3D VR model, an original theme song, and a fully voiced introduction video. The characters become community property, and viewers may use them for any purpose.

Losers are thrown in the dumpster. However, losing characters may survive if they're sponsored at the end of the contest. Oliver travels back in time and rescues them.

### Special rules

1. In the event of a tie, the winner is determined either by a re-vote, or by an independent judge selected by Leaflit. Beginning with Waifu Wars #11, rematches are decided a one-minute re-vote, and if that is a tie, by a panel of three VTubers.
2. Players may not generate waifus before the theme is announced.
3. Beginning with Waifu Wars #7, characters cannot be based on an existing copyrighted media property.
4. Beginning with Waifu Wars #9, players may not enter two contests in a row. However, if there are still slots empty, players who entered in the previous Waifu Wars may be allowed to enter.
5. Beginning with Waifu Wars #10, only semi-finalists and finalists may be sponsored runner-ups, and a maximum of one is allowed. A rule suggested before the contest would have allowed only finalists and Waggles.

## History of Waifu Wars

### Origins

On July 28, 2020, Leaflit ran an impromptu Dungeons & Dragons style event for Twitch chat. The scenario was that the players were heading into an ancient temple to find a healing scroll to save their *imouto*, or younger sister. Chat immediately demanded to know whether or not the sister was cute, otherwise they wouldn't be motivated to save her.

Leaflit generated a pink-haired character using Waifu Labs, followed by another character wou would later be named Swampeye, and a third, silver-haired character. She pitted Swampeye against the silver-haired character in a poll, and Swampeye won. Swampeye became a Twitch emote on July 31.

However, viewers believed they could generate a better character. This quickly led to a sixteen-way voting tournament dubbed *Imouto Combat*.

### Waifu Wars #0: Imouto Combat

* **Date:** July 28, 2020
* **Theme:** Imouto Combat
* **Winner:** Iyo. An orphan who survived by stealing and eating from trash. Appears in Iyo's Debut Into Existence. (VA: Leaflit). Became the emote leaflitIyothug on July 28.
* **Co-host:** Cor Vous.

Alexandria took an early vote lead in the finals, but Iyo won at the last second by one vote.

The characters of this episode appear in the Waifu Wars OP 1 and a tweet depicting them being thrown into the Recycle Bin.

### Waifu Wars #1: Isekai Waifu

* **Date:** August 6, 2020
* **Theme:** Isekai Waifu
* **Winner:** Luna Ulfhethnar. A wolfgirl hunter/beast warrior abandoned at birth due to her frail body. She collects butterflies. Appears in Luna The Loyal Wolfgirl. (VA: Haruka Karibu). Became the emote leaflitAwoo on Aug 6.
* **Co-host:** Cor Vous.

In a bronze match for third place, 01 (ReiN) defeated Chiru Hanzaki 32-23.

In an exhibition match, Alexandria defeated Swampeye.

### Waifu Wars #2: Basic Waifu

* **Date:** September 11, 2020
* **Theme:** Basic Waifu
* **Winner:** Sarah. An average girl who studies hard. Her hobby is reading. Her favorite food is bread.
* **Co-host:** Due to deliberate ties in voting, external judges called in to break ties included Haruka Karibu and ChairGTables.

The finals were an unprecedented tie 83/83 between Sarah and Aoi. A re-vote took place, in which Sarah won by a single vote, 70-69. In a runner-up bronze match, Samantha defeated Chizuru for third place. Aoi and Chizuru also tied in the semi-finals.

### Waifu Wars #3: Ghost Waifu

* **Date:** October 7, 2020
* **Theme:** Spooky Ghost Battle
* **Winner:** Ghost. A girl who died without a name and wanders the world looking for family so she can be given one. Created by VTuber ChairGTables. Ghost would go on to star in the video game *The Kooky Encyclopedia of Lust Collision - Sensual Baboy Invasion*, Chair's submission to the 2021 VTuber Game Jam.
* **Co-host:** Cor Vous.

Isabella defeated Kiyoko 60-47, it was incorrectly recorded on the scoreboard as 63-47.

In a runner-up bronze match, Kagayami Mio defeated Isabella 66-26.

### Waifu Wars #4: Seiso Waifu

* **Date:** November 25, 2020
* **Theme:** Ultimate Seiso Waifu
* **Winner:** Naya. A Russian video game artist who tries her best. Her dream is to be able to afford central heating.
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Professor Wagglewompy, a family dog genetically engineered to be an humanoid dog girl, but it was accidentally corrupted by octopus DNA so it walks around on tentacles; created by Luna the Magikarp.
* **Co-host:** FoxyJoel.

This was the first tournament to use a new custom-built Waifu Wars web app, written by Asari Mitsuha.

This tournament was preceded by an exhibition match between Iyo (winner of Waifu Wars #0) and Alexandria (who had been deafeated by Iyo in Waifu Wars #0), in which Alexandria won 67-66.

Lunathemagikarp (Professor Wagglewompy) and nitori\_ch's character tied in the first round with 88 points each. A recount was taken in which Luna won 81-70.

Naya's win with 132 points set a record for the highest Waifu Wars, which would later be beaten in Waifu Wars #6.

### Waifu Wars #5: Cursed Waifu

* **Date:** December 9, 2020
* **Theme:** Cursed Waifu
* **Winner:** Yuria. A cook who tresspassed on a forest where she was cursed by a witch to bleed endlessly. Now a ghost, she haunts the world until she meets her true love.
* **Co-host:** FoxyJoel.

tmnt42069 and ryuentran initially tied in the first round with 57 votes each.

### Waifu Wars #6: Shonen Anime Waifu

* **Date:** January 6, 2021
* **Theme:** Best Shonen Anime Waifu
* **Winner:** Rider. The reincarnation of Genghis Khan. First male winner of Waifu Wars. (CV: TBA)
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Ms. Waggle α, a dogperson created by the same scientist as Wagglewompy.

This episode saw the highest recorded score in Waifu Wars history: 133, held by Viora Darkheart in round 2 and Rider in the finals. Viora scored 129 in the finals, the third highest score to date.

After this episode, a new rule was instituted forbidding characters connected to non-original published settings. The rule was instituted to avoid characters gaining votes by relying on fans of existing properties.

### Waifu Wars #7: Tsundere Waifu

* **Date:** Feb 17, 2021
* **Theme:** Tsundere Battle
* **Winner:** Stella Skyfire. A tsundere mecha pilot.
* **Co-host:** ChairGTables.

The stream was originally scheduled for Feb 10, 2021. However, it was delayed for technical reasons, and took place one week later. A vote snipe occurred in round 3 in favor of early favorite Saki Shirokawa, after Leaflit noted the character's visual similarity to Minya September. The final round was an argument by both contestants. Saki was crushed in the finals by ZenniStardust's Stella Skyfire.

### Waifu Wars #8: Dragon Waifu

* **Date:** Mar 10, 2021
* **Theme:** Dragon Waifu
* **Winner:** Virdira. A green dragon who cares for the forest. She wears a hat gifted by a human friend.
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Jebelle. A dragon cursed to eternally watch over a kingdom.
* **Co-host:** Cece

VTuber Artemis of the Blue was a special guest contestant. Characters with horns had a strong advantage in the first and second rounds. The final round was a free-form text with a 2,000 word limit, in which Oliver's argument was that as the modeler, he has poor hat-making skills, and Jebelle has "booba". Virdira's win was attributed in part to her hat, which contributed to Iyo's win in Waifu Wars #0. Jebelle was immediately co-sponsored.

### Waifu Wars #9: Pro Gamer Waifu

* **Date:** Apr 7, 2021
* **Theme:** Pro Gamer Waifu
* **Winner:** Humble\_DP. A fighting gamer who plays on Wi-Fi.
* **Sponsored runner-up:** UwUGamer. Humble\_DP's toxic rival.
* **Co-host:** Artemis of the Blue

A new record score was reached by UWUGamer in round 2, with 139 points. It was beaten in the finals by Humble\_DP with 152 points, who defeated UwUGamer.

### Waifu Wars #10: Relaxed Camping Waifu

* **Date:** May 12, 2021
* **Theme:** Relaxed Camping Waifu
* **Winner:** Mina Sallow, an adventure camp employee.
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Serena Brooks, a mother who has loved camping all her life.
* **Co-host:** Oliver Canticle, ChairGTables

Alt\_Blu was favored in round 1 for her hat-glasses combination, but lost by one point to mermaid\_hina. Leaflit scuffed the data entry and the tournament was delayed wile Asari manually fixed the database.

The round and vote times were fixed in rules during this contest. Round 1 was increased from 10 to 15 minutes after some users were able to log in earlier to see the theme and gain a slight advantage. An exhibition match was held between the hosts to generate a Touhou OC.

PETTAN's entry Beatrice von Einsbach was initially favored as a strong entry, but failed to defeat akrasiiaa's Mina Sallow in semifinals. This marks a record seventh time PETTAN has entered Waifu Wars without winning once. As of Waifu Wars #10, the only characters to have entered as many times were seven times entrant and Waifu Wars #9 winner ZaxonTheHowl, and eight times entrant Waifu Wars #6 winner Execell\_is\_Here.

Several entries had animal ears, possibly to benefit from a proposed new rule allowing Wagglewompy revival, but these entries were unsuccessful. A large percentage of entries had hats, which were more successful.

The final was a tie with 69 votes to 69. Despite calls from chat to allow both to win, director ElViejoByte called for a revote, during which Mina voters held their vote to the end. Mina won 63-60.

### Waifu Wars #11: Battle Royale Waifu

* **Date:** June 17, 2021
* **Theme:** Best Battle Royale Waifu
* **Winner:** Hana Katona
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Kusuda Einiger von Waggle Gerflicht IV
* **Co-host:** Nami Sakana

Waifu Wars #11 was scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month on Jun 6, but delayed until the following Wednesday. Unusually, Leaflit revealed the theme ahead of time. Execell\_is\_Here entered a record ninth time, having entered in every Waifu Wars except #3, #8, and #10.

Estella and Novara tied 59-59 in round 2. The policy of a one-minute rematch was instated, and Estella won 56-53 the rematch, but was defeated in semi-finals. Kusuda Einiger von Waggle Gerflicht IV defeated Relicta to become the first Waggle to reach the finals.

Hana Katona and Kusuda Einiger von Waggle Gerflicht IV tied 70-70 in the finals. Versatec sponsored Waggle immediately. A two-minute re-vote was taken, and Hana won by two votes.

### Waifu Wars #12: Snow Princess Waifu

* **Date:** Dec 22, 2021
* **Theme:** Snow Princess Waifu
* **Winner:** Kali Doleterre
* **Sponsored runner-up:** Gwendolyn Frostine
* **Co-host:** Dicequeen Di

Waifu Wars #12 was the first contest held in six months, and was held specially as a Christmas event. It is the first to use the new Waifu Labs v2, available to the event in closed beta. In a promotion organized with Waifu labs, the contest winner and a separate giveaway winner each received a pillow of their original character. As the thirteenth Waifu Wars "episode", it was referred to as the Christmas OAV.

Leaflit accidentally revealed the theme ahead of time again. Dicequeen Di co-hosted with a very early preview of her new 3D avatar. Demand for entry tickets was huge. When Dicequeen Di learned that as co-host she could not enter, she scalped her ticket to the first to buy her Angel's Sword membership; Leaflit bought it, then gave it to Oliver Canticle.

## Trivia

* To date, all Waifu Wars VR models have been created by Oliver Canticle. Oliver became curious why Leaflit was ordering so many models, and found Leaflit's Twitch channel, where he joined in Waifu Wars voting in part to vote for the easiest model to create.
* The only character to be submitted twice is Hannah Barkhorn, submitted by PETTAN in Waifu Wars #3, where she made it to the finals, and submitted by Taifa to Waifu Wars #5, where she was defeated in round 2 by eventual winner Yuria.
* The policy of settling ties by independent adjudicator began in Waifu Wars #2, where some users intentionally tried to tie votes.
* Leaflit recommends the following strategy: A character needs to look good and stand out to make it past rounds 1 and 2. To defeat the semifinals, looks alone aren't enough, and the character needs a really strong backstory. Chat doesn't like pandering, but wants interesting, original characters.
	+ Visually strong characters often make it to the finals, only to fail in the last round due to a lack of writing skills. Leaflit noted in #7 that this has happened in nearly every battle. The pro strat is to come up with the story before round 3 actually begins, then spend the ten minute round time to adjust it to be optimal against the opponent.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/2953551738160043678
2. ↑ https://clips.twitch.tv/SuperStylishPastaRickroll
3. ↑ HISTORY OF WAIFU WARS WEDNESDAY How Iyo Started Existing 🎪 【Twitch Stories】
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/39248010080
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXMHdgmK7Sg Waifu Wars S01E01 - ISEKAI BATTLE
6. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/39617708910
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/39638133358
8. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/40004295438
9. ↑ https://clips.twitch.tv/BashfulGoldenLatteHumbleLife
10. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/40691428670
11. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/40892633646
12. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/41222182142
13. ↑ 【VTuber】Waifu Wars - Shounen Anime Battle! (+Pixelmon)
14. ↑ "You can't have a Fate waifu any more. We are killing that with fire. ...It happened last time, yeah! The winner last time was a servant from Fate, so that's what the rule is for." - Leaflit, 【VTuber】Waifu Wars 2021 - Episode 2! The battle continues!, Wednesday Feb 10, 2021.
15. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/41746051934
16. ↑ https://twitter.com/LeaflitVT/status/1357374945014083584
17. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/41941548206
18. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/42249482398
19. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/41841617037
20. ↑ https://twitchtracker.com/leaflit/streams/42409774525
21. ↑ https://twitter.com/LeaflitVT/status/1402641648945831938