AKB48 Janken Tournament: A Battle of Fists and Fashion

| 48 / 46 Group | Posted by Kai Okudara on Sep.19.2014

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Regardless of who won the 5th AKB48 janken tournament at the Nippon Budokan on September 17th, one of the things fans have to look forward to is seeing what the competitors are wearing. Ranging from cute to outlandish, there is bound to be something that will bring a smile to your face or make your heart skip a beat. Although it would be near impossible to analyze what all of the members were wearing, here are some of the highlights from that event.

Haruna Kojima came out in a Nogizaka46-styled outfit accompanied by Nogizaka46 members Hina Kawago, Seira Nagashima, Yuuri Saito, and Kana Nakada and performed a short except from “Girl’s Rule”. Her opponent Nogizaka46/AKB48 Team B member Rina Ikoma was speechless. The gamble paid off for Kojima as she easily defeated Ikoma on the first throw and assimilated her into her “Koji-zaka46” cheering entourage.

Haruka Shimazaki cosplayed as ‘80’s anime idol Creamy Mami but was anything but delicate as she looked downright salty after her victory over the traditionally dressed Tomu Muto. Despite winning it all in 2012, Paruru(nickname for Haruka) looked relieved when her streak was smashed by Mio Tomonaga’s rock in the third round. When asked who she thought would be a good center, Paruru’s response was “anybody would be fine”. It seems that the pressure got to her?

Paruru appeared again later, although without her Creamy Mami lavender wig as she accompanied Mariko Nakamura in Paruru cosplay to the main stage.

In the end, Mio Tominaga‘s devil powers were not enough to defeat veteran Miho Miyazaki, who seemed to be in disbelief every time she won.

One of the most anticipated matchups of the evening, Minami Takahashi vs Sayaka Yamamoto was everything it had been built up to be. Takamina(nickname for Minami Takahashi) was dressed as Tokyo Tower and Sayanee(nickname for Sayaka Yamamoto) was Tsutenkaku, Osaka’s famous landmark. Leading up to the clash between the leaders of the east and west, they were flashing symbols of their respective hometowns.