New “R-1” Champion Rai Pachi Imai Says, “I want to be more famous! I will do anything without NG!
Direct Interview
Rapper’s “drawing song” story topped 6,171 people.
I felt a mixture of surprise, happiness, and relief. It was the first time I had ever felt these emotions. But I was quickly brought back to reality by a word from a senior I met the day after I won. ……”
The final of the “R-1 Grand Prix” was held on March 21. The winner was Imai Raimpachi (38), who drew laughs by playing a self-help seminar lecturer and a rapper with a lot of venom. He reveals the secret story behind his remarkable accomplishment.
He says, “The person who helped me the most was Mr. ‘Mimikazu. Since I moved to Tokyo in the spring of 2012, I have been living for free in a YouTube shooting room that costs 300,000 yen for rent. Not only do they provide me with material, but they even support me at home.
The day after we won the competition, I thanked the two men, and Moriyama-san (Shintaro, 40) scoffed at me, saying, ‘You’re going to receive 5 million yen in prize money, so I want my rent back in full. I became calm at once.
This year marks the 16th year in his career. As he showed in the finals, he is good at finding peculiar quirks of ordinary people and exaggerating them.
He says, “I make my material with an emphasis on character, so if I see someone I like, I just try to imitate them. When I created a character who was an action actor but ran like a girl, I exaggerated his running style so much that it irritated my stomach, and I farted twice during the material. The audience could hear me, and the whole place erupted in laughter. …… (giggles). It was a good experience.
Even after winning “R-1,” he said, “I want to become even more famous! I’ll do anything without NG! I’ll do anything! Imai was so excited that when asked to rap about his aspirations for the championship, he responded impromptu, “I want to be more famous!
I’m going to show you my show! I’m going to show you my show! Let’s make your second life bloom!
Imai’s “show” time began.
From the April 10, 2026 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： Hiroyuki Komatsu