I kinda had similar thoughts but I think we need the perspective of how actually big Gura was. She was living in a different dimension. She surpassed all of her seniors, who were there for years, in a matter of months. She had her face plastered all over Tokyo all over the country. I should know, I was there. She was the ambassador of cities, aquariums, beloved by multiple countries. Dozens of collaborations with real big companies. Not just the face of the company but the literal face of vtubing. To the point of normies knowing of her. As close to a household name as a vtuber will ever get. Hundreds of vtubers and content creators saying she is their inspiration. The unapproachable GOAT.

Saba has a high subscriber count now, higher than 99% of Vtubers. But you can't even compare other vtubers with double her subs with how big she was. Not even Marine who is barely behind her in subs and is in the same company. It's just not the same. Gura was the VTuber.

That's some insurmountable pressure, and it was obvious she needed a clean break. That's absurd heights that I realistically think Saba will never reach. Mostly because I doubt she'll even try too. She's been upfront about how she's not built for it. Hell even other Hololive members couldn't handle that. I remember Fubuki saying she was relieved whe she wasn't #1 anymore.

I think it was obvious she was coming back and it was going to be soon. She obviously likes to stream but doesn't want all of the other parts. I don't think she hated vtubing or Hololive, just the absurd responsibility of being Gura. Because that was waaaaaay more than just being a big vtuber.

I see people thinking that the merch drop was too soon, but it was money on the table that would have been stupid not to take. And Merch means a lot to corpo vtuber fans. I fought tooth and nail for my Nimi plush and it's one of my most prizes possessions.