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.
2026/09/01 2026/09/30 Change Posts
105,772 116,367 +10,595 6 Ebata Hisaki (Juice=Juice)
Step it up a little, c'mon.
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.
Well yeah, Kawashima's pretty laid-back about everything.
Who's supposed to be Ebata's 'Sasaki'?
Don't make me say it when you already know.
I have no idea at all.
Ebata's eventually going to have the most followers in Juice.
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790919823/
You often see comments like 'the short-haired one is cute' or 'the one with the ribbon is cute.'
From the general public's perspective, they just see Ebata as cute, plain and simple, and that's why her followers grew.
Her visuals are great, her performance is great, so why?
That's because the Hello! Project fan bubble is out of step with the mainstream.
It's not really 'cute' so much as… intense, I'd say.
She's gotten seriously cute though.
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.
Reading this as an attack says more about your persecution complex.
You can just take it as a normal popularity metric.
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.
If only that guy hadn't retired — he and Tashiro got along well.
Please don't let anyone in who isn't cute.
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.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Yumeriai vs. Ebamifu: why is there such a huge gap in Instagram growth?“.
