What is Ichiban Kuji?

What is Ichiban Kuji?

Ichiban Kuji (literally "Number One Lottery") is a prize lottery system run by Bandai Spirits. You buy a ticket (usually ¥700-900), draw a random letter, and win the corresponding prize. Every ticket wins something — there are no blanks.

It's one of the most popular ways to get high-quality anime figures and collectibles in Japan, and new sets are released almost every week across different franchises.

How Does It Work?

Each Ichiban Kuji set has a theme (like "Demon Slayer — Shaping the Future") and contains a fixed number of tickets — usually 70-80 per lot.

Prizes are ranked by letter:

A Prize / B Prize — the top-tier items. Usually 1-2 per lot. These are often large-scale figures (15-25cm), sometimes worth ¥5,000+ on the aftermarket.

C Prize / D Prize — mid-tier. Smaller figures, cushions, tapestries. 3-5 per lot.

E Prize through H Prize — lower-tier. Rubber straps, clear files, stickers. Many per lot.

Last One Prize — the final ticket in the entire lot wins a special prize, often a variant of the A Prize. Claimed by whoever buys the last remaining ticket.

Where Can You Draw?

Ichiban Kuji is sold at:

Convenience stores — Lawson, FamilyMart, 7-Eleven (varies by set)
Book stores — Tsutaya, Animate, Gamers
Hobby shops — Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera
Bandai official shops

Sets sell out fast, especially popular franchises. New sets typically go on sale Saturday mornings, and the best prizes (A and B) are often gone within hours.

How Much Does It Cost?

Standard tickets are ¥700-900 each (about $5-6 USD). You can buy as many tickets as you want, up to whatever's left in the lot.

A full lot (70-80 tickets) costs ¥50,000-70,000. Some people buy the entire lot to guarantee getting the A Prize and Last One Prize — this is called a "lot buy."

Can I Get Ichiban Kuji from Overseas?

Ichiban Kuji is Japan-only. Your options:

Proxy buying services (like our Buy For Me) — we draw for you or buy specific prizes.

Aftermarket — prizes appear on Mercari JP, Yahoo Auctions Japan, and Mandarake after the release. A/B prizes typically sell for 2-3x the ticket price.

Some Ichiban Kuji sets are released on the Bandai official online lottery (Ichiban Kuji Online), but these ship to Japanese addresses only.

Tips

Check the lineup before drawing. Bandai publishes full prize lists with photos weeks before launch.

If you want the A Prize, go early. Saturday morning, 15 minutes before the store opens.

If you just want lower-tier items, go a few days later. C-H prizes linger longer.

The Last One Prize is a gamble. You literally need to buy the last ticket in a specific store's lot. Not something you can plan for unless you buy the whole lot.