Ethan Schulteis adopted the pseudonym from his first attempt at a YouTube channel called The Amagi. Schulteis created his initial YouTube channel to share his work as a digital animator and storyteller.

From there, he has shifted his focus several times in search of the most effective format for reaching a broad audience. The Amagi has evolved constantly from the beginning, and the newest iteration, The Amagi 2, continues in that tradition.

Channel Rebrand

On February 15, 2021, Schulteis launched a brand-new channel called The Amagi 2. Whereas the original stream tells the stories of animated characters, The Amagi 2, he said, would focus on the lives and backstories of live-action fictional characters. Schulteis designed a new logo, channel art and video graphics to differentiate the two streams and refresh the brand.

The Life of Homelander From The Boys

Schulteis posted the first live-action fictional history to The Amagi 2 just four days later, on February 19, 2021. The video, titled "The Life Of Homelander (The Boys)," gained traction among fans of the television show "The Boys," garnering over 2 million views in a few months. This video remains the most-watched video on the site. Schulteis also posted a fictional biography of Billy Butcher, Homelander's primary antagonist in the series.

Karate Kid and Cobra Kai

Throughout the spring and summer of 2021, Schulteis posted semi-weekly videos on the characters from the Netflix series "Cobra Kai." The seven episodes Schulteis ultimately posted between March 8 and September 1 covered the lives of the primary characters in the show:

•      Daniel LaRusso: "The Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai"

•      Johnny Lawrence: "The Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai"

•      Mr. Miyagi: "The Karate Kid"

•      Miguel Diaz: "Cobra Kai"

•      John Kreese: "The Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai"

•      Samantha LaRusso: "Cobra Kai"

•      Robby Keene: "Cobra Kai"

One Hit Wonders

The Amagi explored the fictional histories of characters from several other franchises between Cobra Kai posts during that same time frame. For the book and film series "Twilight," he covers the history of protagonist Bella, while the young psychic Eleven is the focus of a video for a "Stranger Things" playlist. Other single episodes in the "Life of" series include:

•      The Life Of Number Five (The Umbrella Academy)

•      The Life Of Archie Andrews: Part 1 (Riverdale)

•      The Life Of Sheldon Sampson: The Utopian (Jupiter's Legacy)

•      The Life Of John Hammond (Jurassic Park)

The Amagi 2 lists several of these one-offs as playlists for the named series, which seems to indicate that Schulteis plans to add content at a later date.

Real-Life History

In yet another shift for the content creator, Schulteis announced on July 9, 2022, that the original The Amagi channel would feature both live-action and also animated fictional histories. The Amagi 2 changed its attention to the stories of real-life people from history and popular culture.

The first video posted in this format covered the life of Walt Disney, followed by the story of Dwayne Johnson, "The Rock." YouTube has since removed the latter video per the site's copyright guidelines. Other famous names, including LeBron James and George Lucas, appear on the list.

Other Video Formats

The majority of the videos on The Amagi 2 consist of the so-called "Life of," which are the fictional histories of characters and, now, real-life celebrities. However, Schulteis has also uploaded several summary-type videos for popular films and series, appending clever titles, such as, "Demonic Nun Terrorizes Monastery (The Nun Recap)" and "Man Finds Jesus's Secret Kids (The Da Vinci Code)."

The real-life history format also includes explainer videos, such as "The Stock Exchange Explained." Along the same lines, a semi-analytical perspective on the Marvel Universe offers insights into character development in "What WandaVision Means for the MCU."

Sources:

https://ritzherald.com/meet-youtuber-ethan-schulteis-wisconsins-first-creator-to-surpass-1-million-subscribers/

https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amagi