Tachie (Standing Illustration) Complete Guide
Character Illustration Concepts and Usage for Commentary Videos
What Is Tachie?
Tachie (็ซใก็ตต) literally means "standing picture" โ a full-body or upper-body character illustration in a standing pose. Originally used in visual novels to display characters on screen, it has become an essential asset in YouTube commentary videos.
Components of Tachie
Base (ใใผใน): Character body, costume, hair base form
Expression variants (่กจๆ ๅทฎๅ): Multiple versions with only eyes, mouth, eyebrows changed
- Normal, happy, sad, surprised, angry, troubled, etc.
Pose variants (ใใผใบๅทฎๅ): Different hand positions, body directions
Accessory variants: Glasses, hats, weapons ON/OFF
PSD Layer Structure
Tachie PSD files typically have this layer structure:
๐ Body (base)
๐ Clothes
๐ Hair
๐ Face
๐ Eyes โ Normal / Smile / Surprise / Closed ...
๐ Eyebrows โ Normal / Raised / Lowered / Troubled ...
๐ Mouth โ Closed / Open(a) / i / u / e / o ...
๐ Arms โ Normal / Pointing / Crossed ...
๐ Accessories โ Glasses / Hat ...
YMM4 auto-recognizes these layers for lip-sync (mouth shapes a-i-u-e-o) and expression changes.
Sakamoto Ahiru's Tachie
Sakamoto Ahiru is the most famous illustrator for VOICEVOX character tachie. Their Zundamon and Shikoku Metan tachie have become the de facto standard in Japanese YouTube commentary.
Features
Rich expression variants: Dozens of expressions and poses per character
PSDTool compatible: Well-organized layers for immediate PSDTool use
YMM4 ready: Includes lip-sync mouth variants (a-i-u-e-o)
Free distribution: Free download from BOOTH
Commercial use OK: Free for monetized YouTube videos (follow guidelines)
Available Characters (partial)
Zundamon: Most popular. Full-body and upper-body versions
Shikoku Metan: Often used paired with Zundamon
Kasukabe Tsumugi: Bright casual design
Nurse Robot Type T: Robot nurse design
Kyushu Sora: Calm mature design
Many other VOICEVOX characters
Step-by-Step
Search "Sakamoto Ahiru" on BOOTH โ Free download desired character tachie
Extract ZIP and open PSD in PSDTool to check layer structure
Toggle eye/mouth/eyebrow layers to check basic expression set
YMM4 โ Character settings โ Register tachie PSD โ Auto lip-sync setup
Insert expression change tags matching dialogue (expression switch commands in YMM4)
Pros
- ✓ Sakamoto Ahiru tachie is free, commercial use OK, high quality
- ✓ Rich expression variants allow free emotional scene direction
- ✓ Tachie is more modern than Yukkuri face with better viewer response
- ✓ PSDTool + YMM4 combo automates lip-sync
Cons
- ✗ Tachie occupies large screen area โ less space for background/materials
- ✗ Popular tachie (Sakamoto Ahiru) results in same visuals as other channels
- ✗ Commissioning original tachie costs money ($40-$150)
- ✗ Many PSD layers can make YMM4 performance heavy