A Comedy Heavyweight Joins the Onigoe–Watabe SNS Feud—But What Was He Really Trying to Say?

Ariyoshi’s final blow intensifies criticism of Onigoe

The SNS dispute between Ryō-chan (40) of Onigoe Tomahawk and Ken Watabe (53) of Unjash has finally come to an end. The controversy began when Ryō-chan posted an abusive tweet late at night, and escalated into a major uproar after Jinrikisha, Watabe’s management agency, issued a formal protest. Ryō-chan apologized and deleted the offending post, and on July 21, a video explaining what happened was uploaded to the Onigoe Tomahawk YouTube channel.

Onigoe Tomahawk had always managed to avoid major backlash by pushing the limits with their sharp-tongued humor. This time, however, the matter could not be resolved between the parties themselves, and once Jinrikisha entered the fray, there was nothing humorous about the situation anymore.

“Ryō-chan called Watabe trash on X because Watabe had declined to appear on his YouTube channel. However, the person who actually caused the trouble was the president of a production company, a former member of the comedy trio Nibun no Go! and also the producer of Watabe’s talk shows. This president had made a direct offer to Ryō-chan without going through the proper channels. Direct offers of this kind are considered taboo in the entertainment industry.” (Sports newspaper entertainment reporter)

However, it cannot simply be dismissed as the president of that company was at fault. Online criticism has also been directed at the two members of Onigoe, who took more than a week to apologize after the tweet was posted, as well as Yoshimoto, which has yet to issue any official comment on the matter.

Among industry insiders, Hiroiki Ariyoshi (52) has also attracted attention for his actions, which some see as having poured additional “fuel on the fire” from the sidelines.

“Ariyoshi first joined the fray with an X post saying, ‘So it really was the serious kind. Disgusting♪.’ Since this was posted the day after Jinrikisha issued its statement, it was obvious that the comment was directed at Ryō-chan. He later expressed his opinion on the radio, saying, ‘Is bullying a weakened senior to the point of delivering the final blow really the trend these days?’

Immediately after Onigoe uploaded its video explaining what had happened, he also criticized them, saying, ‘There are too many excuses. If you don’t want to apologize, just say so. If you’re going to apologize, then do it properly. It’s that simple.’ Although he did not name them directly, the remarks were clearly aimed at Onigoe. Looking back, it is clear that Ariyoshi’s final push played a role in intensifying the backlash against Onigoe.” (The same reporter)

The final post concerning the controversy was accompanied by the line, “I hope this goes viral and makes me money,”which could be interpreted either as a joke or as sarcasm.

Even now, critical comments continue to appear on social media regarding the video uploaded by Onigoe, including remarks such as “That’s not the attitude or clothing for an apology” and “They don’t look remorseful at all.”

Ariyoshi’s true intentions

“Onigoe’s apology should have been directed to Watabe himself, and since they had already apologized before deleting the tweet, it seems that the video was intended merely to explain what happened to the public and their fans. The matter between the parties themselves should already be settled, so why did Ariyoshi involve himself?

One reason is that he and Watabe are close in age and have known each other for more than 30 years. In 2023, after Watabe returned to work following his suspension over an infidelity scandal, the two appeared together on ‘Ariyoshi the Great Assistant’ (Netflix), and Watabe’s road to making a comeback began with that program. Perhaps Ariyoshi simply could not remain silent when someone was attacking such a close friend.” (Television network source)

Even so, why did he continue to go after Onigoe so persistently despite not having a particularly close relationship with them? A mid-career comedian analyzes Ariyoshi’s actions as follows.

“It is said that the reason Ariyoshi has not let up on his criticism of Onigoe may also be related to another controversy that occurred very recently. Solo comedian Kota Nakayama (46) said on an ABEMA variety show that he had once been bullied by a senior comedian, and Shigeo Takahashi (50) of ‘Savanna,’ who was identified as the alleged perpetrator, was forced to apologize. In society at large, there are increasingly cases where subordinates hold more power than their superiors, but apparently Ariyoshi was unhappy about this incident as well, saying, ‘I don’t think it’s appropriate for a junior to speak out against a senior.’”

Some have also suggested that Ariyoshi’s behavior may be a form of self-loathing toward someone in the same line of work, given that Onigoe are also known for their sharp-tongued comedy.

“Although Ryō-chan and Ariyoshi may appear to freely fire off cutting remarks, they are actually similar in that they read the atmosphere. When Onigoe first broke out with their fighting-style comedy, they once appeared with Ariyoshi, but Ariyoshi alone consistently refused to play the role of the person who gets cursed at, instead stepping in to mediate the mock fights. Given that, perhaps there was something about this latest abusive tweet—with absolutely no comedic element—that he simply could not tolerate as a fellow comedian. Other comedians are deliberately avoiding the issue because they fear that if you carelessly get involved, Ariyoshi’s anger could be directed at you instead.” (Same source)

Onigoe resumed its YouTube uploads on July 22. For the time being, it appears that the duo has returned to their usual activities. Will Ariyoshi’s support fire finally come to an end as well?