In the Hello! Project idol group Juice=Juice, data tracking each member’s monthly Instagram follower growth was posted to 5ch’s Hello! Project board, sparking discussion. Over the course of September 2026, Ebata Hisaki’s followers jumped from 105,772 to 116,367 — a gain of +10,595 — the biggest increase in the group. At the same time, some argued that Instagram numbers don’t match real-world event popularity, while others pointed out that the gap can’t be explained by differences in post frequency or content, leaving fans divided over the cause.
Hello! Project fans (haro-ota) pick their favorites (oshi) based on personality and skill, but the general public picks by looks — that's just proof Juice=Juice is finally getting noticed by the mainstream, which is great news.
3AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:20
Among otaku who actually go to shows, Yumeriai (a fan nickname) is more popular.
4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:22
Instagram doesn't reflect real popularity at all.
5AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:23
For some reason it's nationally famous as a metric that Sayuminto (a fan nickname) is weirdly obsessed with.
6AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:27
Kawashima's growth had been outpacing Ebata's for a while, and I figured she'd eventually overtake her, but Ebata's picked up the pace.
7AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29
There's way too big a gap in post count.
Step it up a little, c'mon.
8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29
Not trying to put Kawashima down, but her posts don't feel like they have much effort put into them — Ebata's seem more thought-out in composition and stuff.
12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:35
Re: #8
Basically it's only updates from lives or outside work, so honestly it's kind of scary that it gets this much reaction from just that.
25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:44
Re: #8
Well yeah, Kawashima's pretty laid-back about everything.
9AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
But Ebata is a Noguchi who can never beat Sasaki Maika.
14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
Re: #9
Who's supposed to be Ebata's 'Sasaki'?
10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
There are also kids like Matsumoto, who post videos and put together images that clearly took time, trying their hardest on Instagram, but still barely gain any followers… so post count and effort don't really matter.
13AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
I get it if people just like Juice=Juice and follow everyone, but a gap this big between members is kind of a mystery.
15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
Re: #14
Don't make me say it when you already know.
18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:38
Re: #15
I have no idea at all.
Ebata's eventually going to have the most followers in Juice.
16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:37
Post count and content aren't really that important.
17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:37
Some girls post less often but update their Stories regularly, so you can't judge just by post count.
20AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:40
Members with fewer Instagram followers than Arisawa Ichika → Eguchi, Onoda, Kitahara, Ono, Fukuda, Matsumoto, Akiyama, Hirayama, Yumikuta, Saito, Hashisako, Goto, Tamenaga, Kubota, Inoue, Kaze, Tsutsui, Nakayama, Nishizaki, Hiromoto, Shimoitani (names run together in the original post)
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790919823/
21AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:40
Honestly, Ebata and Kawashima are the ones who stand out for flattering photos.
You often see comments like 'the short-haired one is cute' or 'the one with the ribbon is cute.'
23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43
Shame Hayashi can't get an Instagram going right now, at the peak of her prime.
24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43
Instagram is the metric that links most closely to mainstream popularity.
From the general public's perspective, they just see Ebata as cute, plain and simple, and that's why her followers grew.
28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:45
I really don't get why Matsunaga isn't more popular.
Her visuals are great, her performance is great, so why?
34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:49
If people don't properly take stuff like this on board, Hello! Project won't grow.
44AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
Re: #34
That's because the Hello! Project fan bubble is out of step with the mainstream.
42AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
Setting the past aside, Matsunaga's cute now, isn't she?
48AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:53
Re: #42
It's not really 'cute' so much as… intense, I'd say.
51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:54
Re: #42
She's gotten seriously cute though.
60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:58
But every single day there are people who just desperately want to drag down Juice=Juice or its members, grasping at any excuse they can find.
70AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:05
Re: #60
Honestly, so true.
When there's no material to attack Juice=Juice as a whole, they latch onto the gap in numbers between members instead — trying to stir up infighting?
If you've got no material, you don't need to force a new thread into existence.
88AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:27
Re: #60
Reading this as an attack says more about your persecution complex.
You can just take it as a normal popularity metric.
71AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:06
Tako-chan (nickname) has Yumeriai going for her,
and there's the buzz-leader Endo plus the ace known as the 'pigeon seller' (fan nickname)…
the problem is Risachi — there's no easy-to-grasp pairing (cp, a fan-shipped duo) for her.
75AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:08
Re: #71
If only that guy hadn't retired — he and Tashiro got along well.
83AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:17
I'd love to see the Ebamifu (fan nickname for Ebata) leadership era soon, now that she's on a flattering-photo streak.
Please don't let anyone in who isn't cute.
89AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:28
Re: #83
That'd be hell around then, huh.
Background and key points of this discussion
Among Hello! Project fans, it’s become a regular practice to compile and post each member’s monthly Instagram follower change — treated as a gauge of general public name recognition, separate from drawing power at actual events. As some commenters note, the popularity of fans who actually show up to live shows doesn’t necessarily line up with the popularity that builds on social media when first-time viewers decide someone looks “cute.” Some argue the gap comes down to differences in photo composition or posting frequency, while others argue the gap persists regardless of such effort — no single decisive explanation has emerged. A few posts point to individual members’ posting habits or styles as possible reasons, but these remain speculation, and it’s worth noting as a reader that there’s no official explanation from the group’s management.
Leave a Reply