Ichiban Kuji (一番くじ) is an in-store lottery run by BANDAI SPIRITS in which there are no losing tickets. You draw once and are guaranteed a prize — the only question is which one.
A kuji is a sealed package: a retailer buys a complete draw with a fixed number of tickets and prizes. Customers draw one at a time, usually for 700 to 900 yen. Because every ticket wins, it is legally not a lottery in the strict sense but a sale with randomised contents.
Prizes are ranked from A downwards. Prize A is the largest and most elaborate figure and is typically included only once or twice per draw. The further down the alphabet, the smaller the prize and the more copies exist — towels, glasses, charms or art prints.
A typical kuji has six to ten tiers, marked with 賞 (shō, "prize"): A賞, B賞, C賞 and so on. This database lists them as "Prize A", "Prize B" and so forth.
The number of copies per tier is fixed in advance and posted in the shop. Drawing early gives the best odds at the top tiers; latecomers often find only the lower ones left.
The Last One Prize (ラストワン賞) goes to whoever draws the very last ticket of a set. It comes on top of the normal prize and is usually a special version of Prize A — a different paint job, pose or colourway that exists nowhere else.
That is exactly what makes it sought after: there is precisely one per draw. Shops often see a rush towards the end of a set for this reason.
Many kuji run a Double Chance campaign (ダブルチャンスキャンペーン): you submit your receipt or ticket code and enter a follow-up raffle. The Double Chance prize is often an even more exclusive figure not included in the regular draw.
These are usually redeemable inside Japan only, which makes them rare on the international market.
BANDAI SPIRITS gives its figures dedicated product-line names. MASTERLISE denotes particularly detailed sculpts, EXPIECE elaborate One Piece scenes, Q posket the stylised chibi figures, Revible Moment dynamic two-character pieces. These names are never translated and are a reliable indicator of a figure’s quality tier.
In Japan, sets are stocked by convenience stores, bookshops, electronics retailers and dedicated hobby shops. Outside Japan a handful of sellers import complete sets and run them locally; otherwise the figures reach collectors individually through the secondary market.
For collectors outside Japan the secondary market is usually the only route to a specific figure, and prices sit well above the original ticket cost.
No. Every ticket wins a prize. Only the tier you draw is down to chance.
Typically 700 to 900 yen per ticket, depending on the set. A few elaborate lines cost more.
The Last One Prize goes to whoever draws the final ticket, immediately and in store. The Double Chance prize is raffled afterwards among everyone who entered.
Yes. A set is produced in a fixed quantity and not restocked. Once it sells out, the figures are only available second-hand.