Congrats to Long Coat Daddy! King of Conte Champs Reveal Why a Negative Partner Works Best

Let’s make this the last one this year

“I’ve always taken it seriously, but maybe this year I took it too seriously (laughs). I even gave up my favorite potato chips, went on a harsh diet to fit the role, and lost 10 kilograms. I focused everything on this competition, and the results show it.”

So says Usagi (37), one half of the comedy duo Long Coat Daddy, who — alongside partner Tohru Doumae (35) — won the “King of Conte 2025” competition (aired October 11 on TBS), which saw a record-breaking 3,449 entrants.

Their biggest strength lies in the unique atmosphere created by the blend of Usagi’s exceptional acting and eccentric characters with Doumae’s cool, deadpan retorts. In their winning sketch, they portrayed the bizarre friendship between a subterranean creature named “Mogdon” (played by Usagi) and a young schoolboy (played by Doumae). They topped the first round and rode that momentum to capture the 18th championship title — and the ¥10 million prize.

The day after their victory, the two were all smiles when FRIDAY caught up with them.

Usagi: “When we did Double Impact (Editor’s note: a new competition launched this July that combines sketch and stand-up comedy), I realized my body had gotten to the point where it wasn’t even funny anymore. Around mid-August, I started losing weight for King of Conte — dropped 10 kilos. Honestly, if I hadn’t done that, we probably wouldn’t have won.”

Doumae: “Yeah, he’d gone past the limit. Even after losing 10 kilos, he’s still kind of chubby, so I’m telling him, keep at it a little longer.”

Usagi: “Now that we’ve won, I can finally eat potato chips again, but I’ll keep dieting. I’m still 100 kilos, so I’d like to get down to 90 (laughs).”

Since forming in April 2009, Long Coat Daddy has been at it for 16 and a half years. They first reached the King of Contefinals in 2020 and placed 7th. In last year’s competition — their third final — they were the heavy favorites but finished runners-up. Despite repeatedly reaching the finals of M-1 and Double Impact, the ultimate victory had always eluded them.

Doumae: “We’ve made the finals for M-1, Double Impact, and King of Conte several times, but we just couldn’t get that win. We talked and decided — ‘this year will be our last.’ We entered determined to win, nothing less.”

Usagi: “Before entering, Doumae told me, ‘let’s make this the last one,’ and that really made me face everything — my body, my look, my mindset — more seriously than ever. His dedication to the script was incredible, and it really paid off.”

We’ve come this far by believing in our talent

Because it was their last year, they did everything they could to win. Doumae confessed, “I set aside all my attachments and wrote sketches solely for the championship.”

Doumae: “Every year we do our solo live shows, but this year, I customized them for the competition. Normally, I’d do seven or eight sketches of 7–8 minutes each, which are hard to use in contests. This year, I practiced 100 sketches of 5 minutes each, the King of Conte standard!”

Usagi: “Well, actually seven.”

Doumae: “Jokes aside, recent contests have favored characters with humanity, so I carefully calculated the two sketches we brought this time to maximize how much human element we could show. That’s what the ‘Red Book’ said (laughs).”

Usagi: “Uh, there’s no such book.”

The two sketches performed in the competition both centered on Usagi’s eccentric characters. In the first, Usagi played the subterranean creature Mogdon, whose personality is always starting with denial, and a schoolboy points this out — creating hilarious back-and-forth comedy.

Doumae: “Mogdon’s lines had a lot of irritating moments, but Usagi naturally talks that way in real life. I thought, let’s turn that into material. So it wasn’t a character — it was just Usagi himself.”

Usagi: “No, I was just doing it hoping it might become material. But I’m grateful for your talent in picking it up. If you hadn’t, it would’ve gone to waste (laughs). I’m glad I trusted your talent.”

Doumae: “See! You started with no again!”

Usagi: “No that’s not it it’s part of the sketch!”

The two finally captured their long-awaited title. Their next goal? Surprisingly!?

Having won the King of Conte title and completed their final year in M-1, the question now is: what will the duo aim for next? Doumae spoke of their love for comedy.

Usagi: “Our next goal, hmm, maybe Wimbledon. I want to aim for the world in doubles tennis. I think we could just do a sketch on the court and still win the match. That’s how perfectly in sync we are.”

Doumae: “Have you ever played tennis?”

Usagi: “No, only once or so, but it was easy. If we play tennis through comedy, we’ll win without realizing it. With our sketches, we’re unbeatable.”

Doumae: “Basically, I think what he means is that we want to use our comedy to challenge ourselves in unique, original ways.”

Usagi: “Well, I’m kind of serious about it.”

Doumae: “On a serious note, this feels like a milestone for our duo, like the end of the first chapter. As champions, we want to continue performing sketches worthy of that title. The ‘Long Coat Daddy: Chapter Two’ starts now.”

Usagi: “I still want to compete in Double Impact, which we didn’t win.”

Doumae: “I have no intention of entering, so that might start a fight.”

Usagi: “Chapter Two might start with a fight then (laughs).”

After achieving their long-awaited victory, this perfectly synchronized duo is ready to challenge even greater heights.