Hypnosis Mic: 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, a mobile game, and.
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.
Tours
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: 1st Live at Ikebukuro
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: 2nd Live at Shinagawa
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: 3rd Live at Odaiba
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: 4th Live at Osaka
Media
Video games
On September 9, 2018, a smartphone game titled Hypnosis Mic: Alternative Rap Battle was announced by video game developer and publisher Idea Factory. The smartphone 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.
Manga
The official manga adaptation was written by Rui Karasuduki and is split into four different sections. This is published by Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Zero Sum, according to the Hypnosis Mic Fandom Wiki site.
''Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Before the Battle: The Dirty Dawg''
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Before the Battle: The Dirty Dawg, which focuses on all the former members of The Dirty Dawg, began running in Kodansha's Shonen Magazine Edge beginning in the January 2019 issue.
''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, began running in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius beginning in the February 2019 issue.
''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 beginning in the February 2019 issue.
''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, will begin running in Kodansha's Magazine Pocketapp beginning in April 2020 issue.
Stage plays
Two stage plays were announced in September 2019. Both plays were directed by Gō Ueki and written by Shinjirō Kaneda. The first stage play, Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Rule the Stage Track 1, focuses on Buster Bros!!! and Mad Trigger Crew, running from November 15 to December 1, 2019 in Tokyo. The second stage play, Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Rule the Stage Track 2, focuses on Fling Posse and Matenro, scheduled to run in Q2 2020.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation titled was announced on December 4, 2019.
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.