They Won “King of Conte” with a Sake Joke! Gerardon: “We Toasted with Oryu Tea! We’re Actually Not Big Drinkers.”

A Long-Awaited Victory: Japan’s No. 1 Comedy Duo

“Guess who was the first to contact me? Believe it or not, I received a ‘Congratulations’ message from Hideo Higashikokubaru (69), a senior from my hometown!”

This year’s “King of Conte” featured numerous changes, including the introduction of a losers’ bracket and a seven-judge panel. Kamichii (39), the straight man of “Gerardon”—the duo that stood at the top of the competition—was delighted by the unexpected congratulations from such a big name.The duo, who clinched the championship by leveraging the quirky character of their partner Attack Nishimoto (39)—whose trademark is his “buzz cut”—were still basking in the afterglow of the competition the day after their intense battle.

Kamichii: “Honestly, it didn’t really sink in at first. But when I posted about winning on Instagram, I got about 800 comments. That’s when I thought, ‘Ahhh… I really did become the best in Japan.’”

Nishimoto: “After I got home, I went out to buy cigarettes—something I hadn’t done in seven years (laughs). I watched videos of the competition while smoking and searched for mentions of myself online… It felt absolutely amazing.”

In the first stage, they took first place with a skit in which they played office workers trying their hardest to pretend to be drunk—all while relying solely on Oryu tea—to get through a drinking party with business partners. In the final stage, they claimed the championship with a striking character: a middle-aged magician working at a magic bar, wearing a bunny costume from the waist down.

While meticulously structured, logical skits are all the rage these days, he says his seniors encouraged him by saying, “Prove to us that silly skits can be a hit!”

Kamichii: “I’m relieved the results turned out well. We won with two skits based on drinking, but to tell you the truth, neither of us can hold our liquor. So we raised a toast with oolong tea and non-alcoholic drinks (laughs).”

Nishimoto: “Actually, right before the finals, something major happened that could have shaken our characters to the core.I had a job in Fukuoka right before the finals, and since my hair was a mess, I went to a barber to get it trimmed. I told him absolutely not to cut the ‘corners,’ but the guy kept saying, ‘Got it, got it,’ and then went and cut into those ‘corners’—which are practically my life—with his scissors.”

Kamichii: “When I got back from the barber shop, I had a soft mohawk (laughs).”

Nishimoto: “For some reason, my manager got mad at me, yelling, ‘Fix it right now!’ I rushed to my regular barber shop in Omiya, and they managed to fix it back into a crew cut. That’s why the corners are a bit rounder than usual.”

“The World Went Silent”

“Gerardon” was formed as a trio in 2008. Since then, they have competed in the “King of Conte” comedy contest nearly every year, only to be repeatedly rebuffed by a formidable barrier.Yuji Unno (38), the “tsukkomi” who had been on hiatus since ’21 due to health issues, officially left the group last February. This left the remaining duo facing the need for a fundamental change.

Nishimoto: “Back in the trio days, we were both the ‘boke’ (the funny one). We spent our days trial and error—wondering whether to go with a double-boke approach or switch up the ‘tsukkomi’ depending on the skit.”

Kamichii: “Around that time, we performed a skit called ‘Baby’ at a keirin track event. But because of the premise, we couldn’t speak, and there was no straight man. It turned into a total disaster—just two middle-aged guys in baby costumes standing on stage.”

Nishimoto: “It flopped so badly that it was as if the world had gone silent (laughs).”

Kamichii: “That’s when I finally realized, ‘Someone’s gotta deliver the punchline or we’re in trouble,’ and I started to consciously take on the role of the straight man… but since I was so new to it, I really struggled.”

Nishimoto: “You make it sound cool, but you were actually really reluctant, weren’t you? There were plenty of times when you suddenly blurted out, ‘I want to be the straight man too!’ and the atmosphere got really tense. But Kamichii was willing to set aside what he’d built up and focus solely on being the straight man, which is how we got to where we are now. I’m truly grateful.”

On their 18th try—the 18th time’s the charm—the duo finally clinched the championship. When asked about their future goals, Nishimoto said, “I want to appear on ‘LIFE!’ (NHK) and perform alongside Mr. Uchimura (Teruyoshi, 62)!” Kamichii, meanwhile, declared, “I want to keep doing comedy sketches forever.”

This unconventional comedy duo will continue to create one-of-a-kind characters.

From the November 6, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*