[Full text] “THE SECOND 2026” Champion “Tot” “Everything Changed Since I Gave Up the Award Race”

After a series of disastrous losses in “M-1,” he tried his hand at naked tricks. ……

My child will start elementary school next year. We were talking about asking each other’s parents for a school bag because they are expensive, but I’m relieved that we can buy one for him with the winnings.”

…… Oh, hey Tada!　You don’t have a wife or kids!　You don’t have a wife or kids!　You’re dragging out the winning story too much.”

Tomohiro Tada (40) and Masato Kuwabara (40) of the comedy duo Tot, winners of “THE SECOND – Manzai Tournament 2026” held on May 16, were still in high spirits after an all-nighter.

Tada said, “I’ve been getting a lot of congratulatory messages since yesterday. I was happy to hear from my brothers who have helped me, including Koji Nishida (51) of “Laughing Rice” and Kazunobu Kubota (46) of “Toro Salmon.

Kuwabara: “I got a call from Sakura Ando (40). She said, ‘I just finished Cannes, and the news just blew away my fatigue.

Tada “The first thing she said was, ‘Cannes is over.

Tada (pictured right) is the sharp-tongued one and Kuwabara is the blunt one. Their greatest weapon is their chemistry as high school classmates. The winning story, “Fictitious Family,” is a story in which the two expand their fantasies about a family that does not exist. They started the show with a low-tension and then quickly reached the top with their rapid-fire delivery in the latter half of the show.

This year marks the 18th year since their formation. Kuwabara looks back and says, “I was lost all the way to this point.

Kuwabara: “In 2008, I left Osaka, which I had grown accustomed to, and moved to Tokyo. But the COVID-19 crisis hit and all my gigs were blown away. To top it all off, I lost in the second round of the “M-1” competition. I was really, really shocked.

Tada: “What was even more frustrating was that my senior Einstein and junior Frog Tei, who moved to Tokyo with me, were immediately invited to appear on TV and became successful. We were beaten up on the Internet by people who knew nothing about us, saying that we had failed in coming to Tokyo (……). Back then, my partner and I fought a lot over trivial things (laughs).

Kuwabara “We talked about how we really had to start over from scratch. In order to break the stereotypes between us, we challenged ourselves to do a story in which we were naked in our underwear for the first time in our more than 10 years of performing experience. We did our best to make the audience laugh in a muddy way, such as doing strange dances on the stage. But in the end, I couldn’t win at “M-1” until the end.

His hobbies are wine and horseback riding.

Due to the qualification limit of 15 years or less since its establishment, the last year of “M-1” in 2012 was the last year for the company, and they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. However, the turning point came when he was released from “M-1.

Kuwabara: “Once, I told Tada that I was going to stop doing manzai with an eye on the awards race. Then Tada started giving me a lot of opinions about my material (laughs).

Tada “For goodness sake, right?　In the first round of the final of “THE SECOND,” I did a story in which I stubbornly refused to use electronic money no matter what he said, but that was just me.

Kuwabara: “You’re so stubborn, aren’t you? But I realized that’s what makes it funny. I tried to ignore the theories of manzai and develop what Tada wanted to say, and the audience liked it differently.

Having found the optimal solution, “Totto” went on to win the competition at a breakneck pace, and “THE SECOND” reached the top in its second attempt.

What is his next goal?

Kuwabara: “I have a wine expert certification and a 5th level horseback riding license. I would like to participate in such a program.

Tada “What kind of comedian is he?　He once went to a wine party hosted by a foreigner and came home saying only “Yeah~~” the whole time because he couldn’t speak English. He couldn’t speak English, so he just said ‘Yeah~~’ the whole time and came back. It’s a waste of money.

Kuwabara: “Tada is very picky. He is very picky about my hobbies. To be serious, I want to have my own TV show. The name ‘Tot’ is easy to use. Do it quickly!　something like that.

Tada: “That would definitely be a harsh location show. But an endowed program would be nice. I want to be a super celebrity that everyone will know!

Totto” and his speaking skills will be further polished in order to become a TV star.

From the June 5 and 12, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY