Ichibansho vs Ichiban Kuji vs Prize Figures: What's the Difference?

Ichiban Kuji is a Japanese character lottery run by Bandai Spirits: you buy a ticket, every ticket wins something, and the letter on it decides whether you take home a large figure or a sticker. Ichibansho is the name Bandai Spirits uses for figure statues sold through ordinary retailers, so you pick the exact figure you want. Prize figures are the Banpresto-brand figures made as prizes for crane games in Japanese arcades. All three come from the same company; the difference is how you get them.

If you are comparing prize figures with scale figures, Nendoroids or figma, our Prize vs Scale vs Nendoroid vs figma guide covers that. This article stays inside the Bandai Spirits prize family.

At a Glance

Ichiban Kuji: The Lottery

Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America translates Ichiban Kuji (一番くじ) as "number 1 lottery." On the official Japanese site, 1kuji.com, Bandai Spirits calls it a character lottery with no losing tickets, and says you always get one of the products.

The format began in 2003, when Banpresto released a Pokémon Ichiban Kuji at Seven-Eleven. On April 1, 2018, the business moved to Bandai Spirits as part of a Bandai Namco group restructuring.

How the prize tiers work

Each Ichiban Kuji is built around one series; there are no mixed-series lotteries. The prizes are graded by letter. Take Ichiban Kuji FAIRY TAIL 20th ANNIVERSARY as an example: the A, B and C Prizes are MASTERLISE figures of Natsu, Lucy and Happy. D through G are smaller goods: desktop mascots, acrylic stands, clear posters and sticker sets.

On top of the lettered tiers sits the Last One Prize. Draw the last ticket at a store and it comes with a special Last One Prize. In the FAIRY TAIL set that is an Erza Scarlet MASTERLISE figure, about 25 cm tall. Some sets also run a Double Chance campaign, a second-chance drawing you enter on the official site; in the FAIRY TAIL set, its prize is the same Erza Scarlet figure.

The top tiers are not always figures. In Ichiban Kuji Mobile Suit Gundam UNIVERSAL CENTURY SAGA2, the A Prize is an RX-78-2 Gundam bust from the BUSTISAN series, the B Prize is a "Heritage Box," and the C Prize is an Amuro Ray MASTERLISE figure. Lower tiers in that set are listed as either "choosable" or "not choosable." For the choosable tiers, you pick which design you get.

Where Ichiban Kuji is sold

According to 1kuji.com, Ichiban Kuji is sold at convenience stores, bookstores and hobby shops across Japan. Bandai Spirits also runs Ichiban Kuji ONLINE, a Japanese-language site where you pick a product and a lottery box and then draw. Not every set is on it: the Gundam UNIVERSAL CENTURY SAGA2 page says that set has no online sales. Outside Japan, the official overseas page links to Ichiban Kuji programs in Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, the UK, Spain, Mexico and China.

Ichibansho: The Figures You Can Buy Outright

Ichibansho is how the figures reach collectors who are not standing at a lottery counter in Japan. Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America describes Ichibansho as "a line of top-quality figure statues" from series such as Demon Slayer, Digimon, Dragon Ball and One Piece. It ties the line to the lottery: the prize most people chase is Prize A, "which are the Ichibansho Figures." The same article says you no longer need to be in Asia to get one, because you can buy them from an online or local retailer.

Bandai's US articles describe the figures as roughly 6 inches tall, "sometimes bigger," made from "a mix of ABS and other plastics," and "painted with precision." Actual sizes vary a lot. The My Hero Academia set Bandai announced runs from 9.4 inches for Midoriya to 11.8 inches for Endeavor, and Midoriya comes with an alternate head sculpt. Many Ichibansho releases also carry a sub-line name, such as MASTERLISE or BUSTISAN, the same names used in the Ichiban Kuji prize lists.

The practical difference from the lottery is simple: you see the exact figure on a product page and buy that one. Browse the Ichibansho collection or narrow it to MASTERLISE figures.

Prize Figures: Banpresto's Crane-Game Line

Japanese Wikipedia describes the current Banpresto as Bandai Spirits' brand for prize-game merchandise. The company Banpresto was merged into Bandai Spirits in 2019, and the name carried on as a brand. Bandai Spirits' own Banpresto site, bsp-prize.jp, is built around crane games: its promotional video is about "the excitement of playing crane games," and it asks winners to fill in a survey after they get a prize.

The figure side of Banpresto is organized into named series. bsp-prize.jp lists Q posket, Grandista, The Amazing Heroes, ESPRESTO and History Box among its figure lines, plus plush and confectionery lines. Sizes depend on the series. For example, Dragon Ball History Box Son Goku is listed at about 15 cm. Q posket figures are chibi-proportioned, while Grandista figures are full-proportioned characters, as the photos below show.

On our shelves, prize figures are generally the cheaper way into the Bandai Spirits family, and Ichibansho is a step up. Browse Banpresto, the wider prize figure collection, or the Grandista and Q posket series.

How to Choose

• You want one specific figure and nothing else: Ichibansho. You buy the figure itself, not a chance at it.
• You are in Japan, or visiting, and enjoy the draw: Ichiban Kuji. Even the lowest tiers are official goods for that series, and the Last One Prize gives you a reason to finish a box.
• You want a whole cast of characters: Banpresto prize figures. Grandista if you like full-proportioned characters, Q posket if you prefer chibi.
• You want the larger sculpts in the family: look at the MASTERLISE releases. In the recent Ichiban Kuji sets above, the MASTERLISE figures sit in the top lettered tiers and the Last One Prize.

FAQ

What does Ichiban Kuji mean?

Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America translates it as "number 1 lottery." It is a character lottery with no losing tickets: every ticket wins a prize from that set, graded by letter, and the person who draws the store's last ticket also gets the Last One Prize.

Why is Ichiban Kuji expensive?

Each ticket costs the same, but you cannot choose your prize, and the big figures are only the top few letters of each set. Bandai's US explainer notes that each lottery holds only a handful of top-prize figures. Fans chasing one particular A Prize may draw many tickets and end up with lower-tier goods along the way. If you just want the figure, buying an Ichibansho release avoids the lottery altogether.

What is the difference between Ichibansho and Ichiban Kuji figures?

Ichiban Kuji is the lottery; you get whichever prize your ticket says. Ichibansho is the name Bandai uses for the figures when they are sold as normal retail products, and Bandai's US article identifies the top lottery prizes as Ichibansho Figures. With Ichibansho you pick the exact figure and buy it.

Can I buy Ichiban Kuji online?

The lottery itself has an official online version, Ichiban Kuji ONLINE, run by Bandai Spirits in Japanese, though some sets are store-only. In stores, the draw happens at convenience stores, bookstores and hobby shops in Japan, plus the official overseas programs listed on 1kuji.com. If you simply want the figure, Ichibansho releases are sold through regular retailers. Our Ichibansho collection lists the ones we carry.