Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle (ヒプノシスマイク-Division Rap Battle-) is a Japanese multimedia project by King Records under their Evil Line Records label. The characters were designed by Idea Factory under their Otomate label, with Yuichiro Momose as the main scenario writer. The project features eighteen voice actors and is centered on rap battles, with fans voting for their preferred team. The CDs have ranked high on mainstream music charts and the franchise has grown to include manga adaptations, stageplay adaptions, a mobile game, and an anime.

Plot
After war, women have taken over ruling politics in the Chuo ward and have banned and destroyed weapons. This has caused men to fight through rap battles using Hypnosis Mics, which can be used to affect people's sympathetic nerves and influence their thought process. However, the legendary rap group, The Dirty Dawg, has split up into four groups, each representing a division of Tokyo, Japan and engaging in territorial battles using words and the Hypnosis Mics.

Discography
Beginning in 2017, each group released an introductory single. In April 2018, the first Battle Season began, and each first press edition of the rap battle albums came with a voting card. Mad Trigger Crew and Matenro were the finalists. Matenro won the battle held in December 2018 and released a celebratory album titled The Champion, produced by Zeebra.

In 2019, Bad Ass Temple debuted with the album Bad Ass Temple Funky Sounds, which was produced by Nobodyknows. The song "Sōgyaran Bam" was written by Diggy-Mo.

Game
On September 9, 2018, a smartphone game Hypnosis Mic: Alternative Rap Battle was announced by video game developer and publisher Idea Factory. The game was slated for a December 2019 release, but was then announced to be delayed until March 2020 to improve the quality of the app. Kazui is the character designer for the smartphone game, while Yuichiro Momose will be the scenario writer. The game was officially released March 26, 2020 on iOS and Android. The game's original story is set in the "Alternative Rap Battle" held by the Chuo Ward. The main character (player) starts as an apprentice DJ participating in the alternative rap battle. In the game, you can also play a rhythm game called "KILLER SCRATCH !!" and play Hypnosis Mic songs.

Manga
Original work by EVIL LINE RECORDS, Scenario written by Momose Yūichirō.

Hypnosis Mic -Before the Battle- The Dirty Dawg
Hypnosis Mic -Before the Battle- The Dirty Dawg, which focuses on all the former members of The Dirty Dawg, began serializing in Kodansha's Shonen Magazine Edge January 2019 issue (released December 17, 2018) to the August 2020 issue (released on July 17, 2020), and was illustrated by Rui Karasuduki.

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side B.B. & M.T.C
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side B.B. & M.T.C, which focuses on Buster Bros!!! and Mad Trigger Crew, was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius from the February 2019 issue (released on December 26, 2018) to the May 2020 issue (released on March 26, 2020).

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side F.P & M
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side F.P & M, which focuses on Fling Posse and Matenro, began running in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Zero Sum from the February 2019 issue (released on December 28, 2018) to the April 2020 issue (released on February 28, 2020).

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- side D.H & B.A.T
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- side D.H & B.A.T, which focuses on the Osaka Division Dotsuitare Hompo and Nagoya Division Bad Ass Temple, began serialization in Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app on April 8, 2020.

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Dawn of Divisions
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Dawn of Divisions by Rui Karasuduki. Serialized in Kodansha's Shōnen Magazine Edge from January 17, 2021, to June 17, 2022.

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side B.B and M.T.C +
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side B.B and M.T.C + began serializing in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius from the March 2021 issue (released January 26, 2021).

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side F.P and M +
Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Side F.P and M + began serializing in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Zero Sum from the March 2021 issue (released January 28, 2021).

Stage plays
"Hypnosismic -Division Rap Battle-" began performing from November 2019 under the title of Rule the Stage, also known as Hypste (ヒプステ).

All plays were directed by Gō Ueki and written by Shinjirō Kaneda, with Yamadera Kouichi in charge of narration. The ensemble of background dancers includes dancers such as members of the dance vocal group Beat Buddy Boi, as a dance team titled "Division Dance Battle".

Cast (Stage Ver)

 * Ikebukuro Division Buster Bros!!!
 * Yamada Ichiro: Akira Takano, Ryoga Ishikawa
 * Yamada Jiro: Shōta Matsuda, Kennosuke Matsuoka
 * Yamada Saburo: Ryuto Akishima/ Ryunosuke Nagashima, Yukia Takano
 * Yokohama Division MAD TRIGGER CREW
 * Aohitsugi Samatoki: Alan Abe, Takuya Uehara
 * Iruma Jyuto: Kenta Mizue, YUKI
 * Busujima Mason Rio: Yūki Byrnes, Takumi Masunaga
 * Shibuya Division Fling Posse
 * Amemura Ramuda: Ryo Sekoguchi / Kentaro Yasui, Junpei Mitsui
 * Yumeno Gentaro: Takahisa Maeyama/ Ryuichirō Sakata, Shunto Imai
 * Arisugawa Dice: Ryo Takizawa, Taiyu Kitsuya
 * Shinjuku Division Matenro
 * Jinguji Jakurai: Taiyo Ayukawa, Allen Kohatsu
 * Izanami Hifumi: Hirofumi Araki, Yūto Ando
 * Kannonzaka Doppo: Kodai Miyagi, Yūki Nakashita
 * Osaka Division Dotsuitare Hompo
 * Nurude Sasara: Yoshihiko Aramaki, Ryusei Kitade
 * Tsutsujimori Rosho: Masamichi Satonaka, Torayoshi Iida
 * Amayado Rei: Yoshihisa Higashiyama/ Naoya Gōmoto, Taishi Yoshikawa
 * Nagoya Division Bad Ass Temple
 * Harai Kuko: Ryota Hirono, Tomoya Nakanishi
 * Aimono Jyushi: Daigo Kato, Fūta Sakayori
 * Amaguni Hitoya: Ruito Aoyagi, Kōhei Nakatsuka
 * Others
 * Kannabi Yotsutsuji: Yojiro Itokawa

Anime
An anime television series adaptation titled Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Rhyme Anima was announced on December 4, 2019. It aired from October 3 to December 26, 2020.

HYPNOSISRADIO supported by Spotify

 * Broadcast on TOKYO FM from October to March 2019.
 * Three times a month, each of the B.B, MTC, Fling Posse, Matenro, Dotsuitare Hompo, and Bad Ass Temple divisions took turns to serve as radio hosts. Hypnosis Mic music artists were often also guests on the show. The navigator of the program was Daichi Yajima.

Spotify HYPNOSIS WAVE

 * Broadcast on J-WAVE from February to September 2021.
 * The Ikebukuro, Yokohama, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Osaka, and Nagoya divisions change every month, and one person is in charge of the program on a weekly basis. The navigator is Sascha.

Reception
"Hypnosis Mic: Final Battle" was one of the trending topics on Twitter in Japan during the month of November 2018. In 2018, Hypnosis Mic was the most-followed Twitter account in Japan for voice actors in terms of fan engagement.

Fling Posse VS Matenro ranked #1 in the Oricon Weekly Digital Albums Chart. Mad Trigger Crew VS Matenro also ranked #1 on the Oricon Weekly Digital Albums Chart during its first week of release, with approximately 8,000 downloads.

Matenro's album, The Champion, ranked #1 in digital album sales on Oricon on its first week of release, with approximately 9,000 downloads.

The January 2019 issue of Shonen Magazine Edge, where Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Before the Battle: The Dirty Dawg debuted, unexpectedly sold out upon manga release.