>>13874265Ina is a shoot female. There are pictures of her throughout her life, and even video of her graduation ceremony. That said she is an ugly bug.
As for the appeal? I think it is a mix of parasocial friend simulator and coomers for the female vtubers. I have an IRL friend that does it and for the male vtubers they either lean into the gay shit and their audience is a mix of autistic gay incels and ugly girls, or they lean away from that shit and it is about character and sense of humor. I was talking with my friend over beers one day and he explained it as kinda like prowrestling. You come up with a character, cut promos, start feuds, and work the marks so you draw dimes.
