What Is Ichibansho? Ichiban Kuji Figures at Retail, Explained
If you have shopped for anime figures outside Japan, you have probably seen the same character sold two ways: as an Ichiban Kuji prize and as an Ichibansho figure. The names look almost identical, and that is exactly why collectors get confused about what they are actually buying.
Here is the short version. Ichiban Kuji is a paid in-store lottery in Japan; Ichibansho is Bandai's retail brand that sells the top figure prizes from those lotteries as regular boxed products you can just buy. Same sculpt, different way of getting it.
This guide explains what Ichibansho is, how it differs from Ichiban Kuji and from Banpresto's crane-game prizes, whether the figures are the same quality, and how overseas collectors can buy either one.
What Is Ichibansho?
Ichibansho is Bandai Spirits' retail brand for the premium figures that originate as the top-tier prizes in an Ichiban Kuji lottery, packaged and sold internationally as single boxed products. Instead of buying lottery tickets and hoping to draw the figure you want, you buy the figure directly.
According to Bandai, these are the higher prize tiers — the Prize A or Prize B figures — pulled out of the lottery format and released to stores as stand-alone items for fans worldwide. They typically stand around six inches tall, sometimes larger, and are molded in a mix of ABS and other plastics with detailed texturing and character-matched paintwork.
The key thing to understand: Ichibansho is not a different product line with different sculpts. It is the same figure, sold a different way for markets where the Japanese lottery cannot easily operate.
Ichibansho vs Ichiban Kuji: The Core Difference
The difference is the method of sale, not the figure. Ichiban Kuji is a game of chance you play in a Japanese store; Ichibansho is a fixed-price purchase you make anywhere.
Ichiban Kuji, run by Bandai Spirits, is a character lottery offered at convenience stores, bookstores, and hobby shops across Japan. Every ticket wins something — there are no blanks — and prizes are sorted into tiers labeled A, B, C, and down. The company puts out roughly 250 lottery sets a year across more than 100 different anime and game properties.
Two mechanics make Ichiban Kuji distinctive. The Last One Prize goes to whoever draws the final ticket in a store, and the Double Chance Campaign lets buyers enter a serial number for a separate post-sale draw. Neither exists once a figure moves to the Ichibansho retail shelf — you simply pay the sticker price.
| Ichiban Kuji | Ichibansho | Banpresto (crane prize) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Paid lottery ticket in-store | Fixed-price retail purchase | Won from a crane / UFO catcher |
| Outcome | Guaranteed a prize; which one is random | You choose the exact figure | Skill/luck based; not guaranteed |
| Where | Japan convenience & hobby stores | Retail stores and online, worldwide | Arcades and amusement venues |
| Extras | Last One Prize, Double Chance | None — just the figure | Venue-exclusive designs |
| Best for | The full experience and rare tiers | Getting one specific figure for sure | In-person arcade collecting |
For a deeper look at the lottery itself, see our guide to what Ichiban Kuji is and how to buy it from overseas.
5 Things That Set Ichibansho Apart
If you are deciding between chasing a lottery and buying the retail version, these five points cover what actually changes:
- Certainty. With Ichibansho you pick the exact character and pose. With Ichiban Kuji you are drawing at random within the prize tiers.
- Availability abroad. Ichibansho is produced specifically so the figures reach stores and online retailers outside Japan, where running the lottery is impractical.
- Fewer bonus items. The minor lottery prizes — towels, keychains, acrylic stands, glassware — generally stay Japan-exclusive and are not part of the Ichibansho retail release.
- Scarcity math. A single Ichiban Kuji set stocks only about three to four of the top figure per store, so the retail Ichibansho version is often the more reliable way to secure a popular sculpt.
- Price transparency. Ichibansho has a set retail price; an Ichiban Kuji figure's real cost depends on how many tickets you buy chasing it.
Are Ichibansho and Ichiban Kuji Figures the Same Quality?
Yes. Because Ichibansho figures are the same top-tier prizes from the lottery, the sculpt, paint, and size are identical to what a lucky Ichiban Kuji draw would give you. You are not paying retail for a downgraded version.
The premium tiers of both lines frequently use Bandai's high-end finishing standard, MASTERLISE, which is applied to the most detailed prize figures for sharper shading and cleaner sculpting. Not every prize uses it, so check the individual figure — but when a lottery figure is MASTERLISE, its Ichibansho counterpart is too.
In collector terms, these sit between cheap gacha trinkets and expensive 1/7 scale statues. If you want the full picture of where they land, our breakdown of prize figures vs scale figures explains the whole ladder.
Where Banpresto Fits In
There is a third name that muddies the water: Banpresto. It is worth separating clearly, because Banpresto prizes are neither Ichiban Kuji nor Ichibansho.
Banpresto is the Bandai Spirits department behind amusement prizes — the figures and plush you win from crane games and UFO catchers in arcades. It produces well over 1,800 figures and plush toys a year, made exclusively as venue prizes rather than lottery or retail products.
So the simple rule is: crane game equals Banpresto; in-store paid lottery equals Ichiban Kuji; the boxed retail version of a top lottery prize equals Ichibansho. If you want the maker's full story, read what Banpresto is.
Which Anime Get Ichibansho Figures?
The Ichibansho retail line leans on the biggest, most exportable franchises — the same properties that headline the lottery calendar. Bandai's own examples include Dragon Ball, One Piece, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Evangelion, Pokemon, Kirby, Love Live, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman.
That overlap is deliberate. A franchise with strong global demand is exactly the kind Bandai wants on shelves outside Japan, so the flagship Ichiban Kuji figures for those series are the most likely to reappear as Ichibansho.
How to Buy Ichibansho and Ichiban Kuji From Overseas
Buying Ichibansho is the easy case: it is a normal retail product, so any store or online shop that imports Japanese figures can carry it, and you pay a fixed price with no lottery involved.
Ichiban Kuji is the harder case, because the lottery physically runs inside Japanese stores. Overseas collectors usually rely on importers who draw the tickets in Japan and ship the results, or on sellers listing individual prizes after a set has sold out. Our step-by-step guide to buying Ichiban Kuji online from overseas walks through the safe ways to do it.
One practical takeaway: if you only want one specific figure and do not care about the Last One Prize or the bonus goods, the Ichibansho retail version is almost always the cheaper and less stressful route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ichibansho the same as Ichiban Kuji?
No, but they are closely linked. Ichiban Kuji is the paid in-store lottery; Ichibansho is Bandai's retail brand that sells the lottery's top figure prizes as regular boxed products. The figures are the same; the way you buy them differs.
Are Ichibansho figures bootlegs or reissues?
Neither. They are official Bandai Spirits products — the genuine top-tier prize figures, released to retail for markets where the lottery does not operate.
How big are Ichibansho figures?
Most stand around six inches (roughly 15 cm), with some larger depending on the character and pose. They are prize-grade figures, larger than gacha capsule toys but smaller than premium 1/7 scale statues.
Why is the same figure sometimes cheaper as Ichibansho?
Because there is no gambling involved. An Ichiban Kuji figure's true cost includes every losing ticket you drew chasing it, while Ichibansho has one fixed price.
Do Ichibansho releases include the lottery's bonus prizes?
Usually not. The smaller Ichiban Kuji prizes — towels, keychains, acrylic goods, and glassware — typically remain Japan-exclusive and are not part of the retail Ichibansho release.
The Bottom Line for Collectors
Ichibansho and Ichiban Kuji are two doors to the same figures. Choose the lottery if you want the full Japanese experience, the rare Last One Prize, or the bonus goods. Choose Ichibansho if you simply want a specific figure, guaranteed, at a fixed price — especially when shopping from outside Japan.
Ready to browse? Akibato ships authentic Japanese figures worldwide. Start with our Ichiban Kuji collection for lottery-origin prizes, or the broader Figures collection to find a specific character. Every item ships directly from Japan, so you always know you are getting the real thing.