1. Overview
Rubén Doblas Gundersen, widely known as El Rubiusel ˈruβjusSpanish or elrubiusOMGSpanish, is a prominent Spanish-Norwegian YouTuber and live streamer. Born on February 13, 1990, in Mijas, Andalusia, Spain, he is recognized for his dynamic content primarily consisting of gameplays, vlogs, and humorous sketches. His unique style, characterized by acid, black, absurd, and surreal humor, has resonated with a global audience, making him one of the most influential figures in digital entertainment. He holds the distinction of having the most subscribers in Spain and consistently ranks among the top 50 most subscribed channels worldwide on YouTube, and is among the top three most-followed streamers on Twitch.
Rubius has achieved numerous milestones throughout his career, including publishing best-selling interactive books and comic series, making cameo appearances in films, and lending his voice to video games. He broke a world record for live viewers during a Fortnite tournament broadcast on YouTube in 2018, attracting over a million concurrent viewers. His impact extends beyond online platforms, earning him a spot in Time magazine's "next generation leaders" list in 2016. He has also been the subject of an animated series based on his comics and a documentary film about his life. Despite his widespread fame, he has faced challenges related to privacy and public scrutiny, including a notable controversy regarding his relocation to Andorra over tax implications.
2. Early Life and Background
Rubén Doblas Gundersen's early life was marked by frequent changes in residence between Spain and Norway, influenced by his parents' marital history. These experiences shaped his multi-cultural background and proficiency in several languages.
2.1. Birth and Family
Rubén Doblas Gundersen was born on February 13, 1990, in Mijas, Andalusia, Spain. His mother, Bente, is Norwegian, and his father is Spanish. He has a younger sister named Liv on his mother's side and two brothers on his father's side. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, leading him and his mother to relocate to Bergen, Norway. In Bergen, his mother partnered with another Spanish individual named Héctor, whom Rubius affectionately refers to as "The Godfather" in his videos. This partnership later brought him back to Madrid, Spain, for his primary and secondary schooling. His early exposure to video games through an SNES console was crucial in developing his passion for gaming and geek culture, which he credits as fundamental to his future success.
His parents separated again when he was 16 years old during his high school years. Following this, he returned to Norway to complete his studies before moving back to Spain with his godfather.
2.2. Education and Early Experiences
Before embarking on his professional YouTube career, Rubius worked as an intern and in a supermarket. He later pursued formal education in 3D modeling and animation at the Arteneo School in Madrid. This academic background provided him with skills that would later prove useful in his content creation, particularly in the visually-driven online world.
3. Career Beginnings
El Rubius's career on YouTube began in the mid-2000s, evolving through different channels and content styles before he achieved widespread fame.
3.1. First YouTube Channel and Initial Activity (2006-2011)
Rubén Doblas Gundersen launched his first YouTube channel in 2006, simply titled "elrubius." The name "Rubius" is a play on words derived from his first name, Rubén, and the Spanish word RubioblondeSpanish, referring to his blonde hair during childhood. His earliest video, "The audience," was uploaded on December 8, 2006, and was a montage of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV with English commentary.
By 2011, he began consistently uploading montages of the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, showcasing unusual and humorous in-game situations. Despite the growing popularity of these videos, Rubius announced in January 2012 that he would be switching to a new channel. This decision was prompted by the inability to associate his existing channel with a contract from Machinima Network, Inc., due to three copyright infringement complaints received on YouTube.
3.2. Growth and Rising Popularity (2012-2013)
On December 19, 2011, El Rubius established his second and most prominent channel, "elrubiusOMG." In January 2012, he began re-uploading his popular The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim montages, alongside new commentary videos for various other games like Battlefield and Happy Wheels. This format, where creators humorously commented on video game situations, was gaining significant traction on the platform, and Rubius quickly emerged as one of its pioneers in the Spanish-speaking community. His unique style, combining gaming with acid, black, absurd, and surreal humor, set him apart from other commentators like Willyrex, who focused more on detailed game analysis.
On January 28, 2012, Rubius uploaded the video "MI CARA" (My Face), marking the first time he publicly revealed his identity on YouTube. During this period, he also developed the popular segment "(X video game) in 1 minute," which summarized video games ironically and humorously, becoming a viral hit in Spain.
A pivotal moment in his rise was the video uploaded on March 14, 2012, a parody of Chayanne's song "Torero" titled "Minero" (Miner), which parodied the popular game Minecraft. This video became the most viewed in his channel's history, attracting almost 100 million views. His subscriber count soared, reaching 100,000 by April 27, 2012, which he celebrated with a live stream answering fan questions.
His channel continued its rapid growth, reaching 200,000 subscribers by July 22, 2012. On July 29, he uploaded a vlog documenting his first in-person meeting with Mangel, another Spanish YouTuber he had connected with on internet forums. Rubius and Mangel later moved in together in Madrid after securing a contract with the production company BGames, allowing them to dedicate themselves fully to content creation. By September 16, 2012, his channel hit 300,000 subscribers. Subsequent viral content included a video conference on Chatroulette and a collaboration with fellow YouTuber Willyrex. He surpassed Willyrex in November 2012 to become the most subscribed Spanish channel. By December, he celebrated 500,000 subscribers.
In January 2013, Rubius launched the "Meet The Rubius" segment, where he shared personal anecdotes, inspired by the Team Fortress 2 video game series. His rapid ascent continued, reaching one million subscribers by February 18, 2013, making him one of the few Spanish-speaking channels to achieve this milestone at the time. Just two months later, he reached two million subscribers. His growing influence led to invitations to major industry events, including Ubisoft Spain's invitation to E3 in June 2013 and an appearance at the Gamepolis event in Malaga in July, alongside Mangel and other prominent content creators.
4. Major Activities and Achievements
El Rubius's career has been marked by a series of significant achievements, diversifying his presence across various media and platforms, and setting new benchmarks for online content creators.
4.1. YouTube Milestones and Media Appearances (2014-2015)
In 2014, El Rubius expanded his creative output by publishing El Libro Troll (English: The Troll Book), an interactive book filled with challenges. The book became a sensation, topping sales charts in Spain for eight weeks and becoming a bestseller at the Madrid Book Fair 2014. However, it also sparked controversy, with the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio deeming it unsuitable for children and teenagers due to what some parents described as "sexual" content.
He made his acting debut with a cameo appearance in Torrente 5, a Spanish comedy film directed by Santiago Segura. On September 25, he announced his involvement in the Spanish dub for the video game Sunset Overdrive, lending his voice to a character.
February 2015 marked a historic moment when El Rubius became the first Spanish YouTuber to surpass 10 million subscribers. His burgeoning fame also brought challenges, highlighted during an interview on the Spanish television program Al rincón de pensar in June. Speaking with journalist Risto Mejide, Rubius tearfully confessed to suffering from depression due to the immense pressure of fame and being away from his family.
In September 2015, the Spanish publishing group Planeta published his first comic book, El Rubius: Virtual Hero. The following month, he received the coveted Diamond Play Button at YouTube's 10th Anniversary Party in Madrid, an award recognizing channels with over 10 million subscribers. He continued to engage with his fanbase through appearances at the Club Media Fest in Argentina and Chile. In December, he collaborated with Spanish singer Edurne in a video where they danced in the video game Just Dance.
4.2. Media Issues, Publications, and Animated Series (2016-2017)
The year 2016 brought both further achievements and new challenges, particularly regarding his relationship with traditional media. In February, El Rubius publicly denounced the Spanish newspaper El Mundo for allegedly distorting and manipulating an interview he had given, leading him to declare that he would no longer provide reports or interviews to the press.
Despite these media conflicts, his influence continued to grow. In April, he participated in the Colombian edition of the Club Media Fest, featuring a live electronic music performance. He also received the "Youtuber of the Year" award at the 1st Play Awards ceremony in Palma de Mallorca. In the same month, he released a music video parody titled "Pokemon HEYEYEYEAH" with Narehop, a take on 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?". May saw him attend a YouTube event in New York, where he met fellow global sensation PewDiePie. He also organized an 18+ concert event in Barcelona, mixing music for his fans.
The second installment of his comic series, Virtual Hero II: La torre imposible (English: Virtual Hero II: The Impossible Tower), was published in June 2016. In August, after surpassing 20 million YouTube subscribers, Rubius created a viral sensation with a simple tweet containing the word "Limonada" (Lemonade), which became one of the most retweeted posts in Twitter's history.
In September, he critically addressed YouTube's new anti-censorship rules in a video, humorously suggesting he might have to change his style, while intentionally breaking the rules to demonstrate their impact, resulting in the video's demonetization and age restriction. Weeks later, he criticized a new gossip magazine for leaking private vacation photos of him and his partner, expressing his disbelief at the legality of such privacy invasions. Later in 2016, he became a playable character in YouTurbo, a video game for iOS and Android featuring several prominent YouTubers.
In December 2016, Rubius participated in a promotional video for the film Passengers, collaborating with stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, a collaboration later mentioned by Lawrence on Jimmy Kimmel's show. He also engaged in Spanish advertising campaigns for Fanta throughout 2016 and 2017. His international presence continued with appearances at Club Media Fest editions in Mexico (June 2017) and Peru (October 2017). The third and final part of his comic series, Virtual Hero III: La máscara del troll (English: Virtual Hero III: Mask of the Troll), was released in April 2017.
A significant announcement came in October 2017 when El Rubius revealed the production of Virtual Hero, an animated television series based on his comics. Produced by Motion Pictures from Barcelona and Jaruyi studio from South Korea, in collaboration with Movistar+ and Zeppelin TV, the series follows Rubius's adventures as he endeavors to free 100 top gamers from Trollmask, a vengeful antagonist in a virtual world.
4.3. Platform Shift to Twitch and Diversified Activities (2018-Present)
In early March 2018, Rubius released a video titled La verdad sobre Rubius (English: The Truth About Rubius), where he explored the dichotomy between his online persona and real-life self by introducing a "twin" named Gundersen. This introspective content was well-received by his followers.
A landmark event in March 2018 saw El Rubius break the world record for live viewers during a Fortnite tournament broadcast. The event drew over a million concurrent viewers and featured 100 Spanish-speaking streamers, surpassing the previous record held by streamer Ninja.
Despite his successes, the pressures of continuous content creation led him to announce a temporary hiatus from YouTube on May 25, citing stress, anxiety, and nervousness associated with recording videos and live streams. He reached 30 million subscribers in July, a testament to his enduring popularity.
On October 3, 2018, El Rubius released a documentary about his life on his YouTube channel, later premiered on Movistar+ on October 11, titled De Rubén a Rubius: un viaje de un Virtual Hero (English: From Rubén to Rubius: A Virtual Hero's Journey). The documentary chronicled his ascent as a YouTuber. On October 12, 2018, Virtual Hero, the first anime series produced in Spain, premiered on Movistar+. The series was directed by Alexis Barroso, illustrated by Lolita Aldea, and written by Juan Torres, based on Rubius's comic.
Following his return, Rubius made a strategic shift, announcing his intention to prioritize Twitch for his live streaming activities, designating YouTube as a secondary platform. He also reactivated his original "elrubius" channel, renaming it "Rubius Z," to re-upload his Twitch content there.
In May 2019, he announced a collaboration with Epic Games to host a Fortnite competition where players could win 3.00 M EUR by speedrunning a custom map he created. He also made a cameo in the 2019 film Father There Is Only One. In January 2020, he participated in a promotional campaign for the film Bad Boys for Life, appearing in a video alongside its stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
In February, he held a live stream on YouTube for the Season 2 premiere of the Virtual Hero anime. Following rumors about his contract renewal with Amazon, he announced on July 15, 2020, through a YouTube video titled "The Final Decision" (parodying Ninja's move to Facebook Gaming), that he would be staying on Twitch. His presence extended to video games directly, as he was made a playable character in Watch Dogs: Legion, released by Ubisoft in October 2020.
In October and November 2020, he served as a coach in Atresmedia's Top Gamers Academy video game talent show. On November 7, 2020, Rubius uploaded a video to his main YouTube channel reflecting on the scale of his community and the negative impacts of massiveness on social media, in celebration of reaching 39 million subscribers. He also participated in a promotion with Sony for the PlayStation 5, alongside other Spanish celebrities like Josep Pedrerol, Michelle Jenner, Santiago Segura, and Marc Gasol.
In December 2020, Rubius garnered significant attention by announcing he would open a Pokémon card box valued at 20.00 K USD on his Twitch channel. The live stream on December 23 attracted 350,000 viewers, becoming the fifth most-viewed Spanish-speaking broadcast. On January 2, 2021, he and Alexby11 launched "Egoland," a Rust series that brought together 70 streamers, attracting 1.2 million viewers in its debut, becoming one of Twitch's major events in 2021.
In October 2021, he announced his participation in the film Uncharted, sharing a photo with actor Tom Holland on social media. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of his first YouTube video, Amazon Prime Video announced "Rubius X," a documentary about the YouTuber, set to premiere in early 2022 in over 240 countries, with a promotional theme played by the Jove Orquestra Simfònica from Barcelona.
5. Content and Creative Style
El Rubius's content primarily revolves around gameplays, sketches, vlogs, and montages, often centered on video games. A defining characteristic of his style is his distinctive use of humor, which ranges from satire and sarcasm to acid, black, absurd, and surreal elements. This unique comedic approach, combined with his natural charisma and direct language, has been a key factor in his widespread success and viral appeal. He connects deeply with his audience, predominantly composed of individuals between 14 and 23 years old, who find his authenticity relatable. Unlike some other public figures or content creators who adopt a persona, Rubius presents himself naturally, fostering a strong sense of identification with his viewers.
When El Rubius first gained prominence on YouTube around 2012, the platform's Spanish-speaking audience was accustomed to commentators like Willyrex, who focused on highlighting game details and summarizing plays in online matches. Rubius introduced a refreshing change with more dynamic and heavily edited content. His humor, described as acid, black, absurd, and surreal, offered a new dimension to gaming commentary, appealing to a broader and younger demographic.
GQ magazine characterized him as "the throbbing incarnation of a generation gap," noting that "His videos encapsulate a high school mentality that we would never, ever think would be legitimized within such a massive platform. That has been his true triumph: turning something as fleeting as adolescent immaturity, or the clumsy search for identity through the outburst or bullshit, into pure spectacle." The New York Times observed that "in the videos it is always clear that he lives between two dimensions, that of the screen with its massive audience and that of his room (in a hotel when he travels), his cat and his friends. This double reality leads in The Troll Book, the comics and the anime series." This duality between his public online persona and his private life is a recurring theme that resonates through his various creative projects.
6. Personal Life
Publicly known aspects of Rubén Doblas Gundersen's personal life include his long-term relationship with Irina Isasia, which began in 2016. He often refers to his pet cat in his videos and has shared glimpses of his life, including the challenges of maintaining privacy and managing fame. He describes living between the public dimension of his screen presence and the private reality of his room, his cat, and his friends.
7. Controversies
In January 2021, El Rubius announced during a Twitch broadcast his decision to relocate to Andorra. He stated that the move was primarily motivated by a desire to live closer to his friends and to avoid the intense public recognition he experienced in Madrid. This announcement sparked significant controversy across social media, as many YouTubers and streamers had previously made similar moves, largely driven by Andorra's substantially lower tax burden.
His decision drew criticism from various public figures. During his announcement, Rubius alleged that a Spanish Treasury official had publicly criticized his choice, which he found unethical. Furthermore, Pablo Iglesias, then the second deputy Prime Minister of the government of Spain, publicly criticized Rubius's move via Twitter. Iglesias retweeted a post by former athlete Juanma López Iturriaga, which explicitly explained that YouTubers relocated to Andorra to avoid paying taxes in Spain, thus fueling the social and political debate surrounding tax evasion among digital content creators.
8. Awards and Recognition
El Rubius has received significant awards and recognition throughout his career for his contributions to online content creation. In 2016, Time magazine included him in its list of "next generation leaders" and referred to him as an "online conqueror."
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Play Awards | YouTuber of the Year | Won |
| 2022 | ESLAND Awards | Streamer of the Year | Nominated |
9. Legacy and Influence
El Rubius has left an indelible mark on the landscape of digital content creation, particularly in the Spanish-speaking world and beyond. His pioneering approach to combining gaming content with unique, often absurd and surreal, humor redefined online entertainment for a generation. He was instrumental in popularizing the "gameplay with commentary" format in Spanish, inspiring countless other creators and shaping the development of the YouTube and Twitch communities.
His direct, natural, and charismatic style has fostered a deep connection with his audience, making him a relatable figure for millions of young people. This authenticity, coupled with his willingness to explore diverse content, has cemented his status as a cultural icon. El Rubius's influence extends beyond digital platforms; his ventures into publishing, animated series, and film cameos demonstrate the growing crossover appeal of online personalities into mainstream media. He played a significant role in professionalizing content creation and establishing streaming as a viable and influential career path, fundamentally shaping youth culture and online entertainment in the 21st century.