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The story
The finals of “King of Conte 2026” aired on October 17 starting at 6 PM, and the seven judges were announced. Tokyo 03’s Iizuka, Baikingu’s Kominato, Robert’s Akiyama, Kamaitachi’s Yamauchi, and Sisonne’s Jiro all return, while this year brings two newcomers to the panel: Long Coat Daddy’s Domae and Hanako’s Akiyama — two more judges than the usual lineup. On 5ch, opinions split between those questioning the system itself (“Does the panel really need to be limited to fellow comedians?”) and those pointing to the new judges’ thin track record (“Domae’s scoring just doesn’t feel convincing”).
“King of Conte 2026” Finalizes Seven Judges — Newcomers Are Hanako’s Akiyama and Long Coat Daddy’s Domae
It’s been confirmed that the seven judges for the “King of Conte 2026” finals, airing live tonight, Saturday October 17, starting at 6 PM, will be Tokyo 03’s Iizuka, Baikingu’s Kominato, Robert’s Akiyama, Kamaitachi’s Yamauchi, Sisonne’s Jiro, Long Coat Daddy’s Domae, and Hanako’s Akiyama.
This year’s “King of Conte” finals panel has grown by two judges compared to previous years. Iizuka, Kominato, Akiyama, Yamauchi, and Jiro all return from last year, while Long Coat Daddy’s Domae and Hanako’s Akiyama are joining the panel for the first time.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Probably the lingering effect of Matsu-chan (Hitoshi Matsumoto) pointing that out himself years ago
Would a celebrity outside the industry even agree to be a judge?
The risk would be insane
Must be awkward for the hosts (Hamata) to call on them too, with two Akiyamas up there
Yoshimoto (his talent agency) pushes Domae insanely hard, and yet he just never breaks through
Don't let someone with no skill, no popularity, and no real career judge off his own taste
He stepped down ages ago
That was genuinely absurd
There were even die-hard 'Matsu-shinja' (Matsumoto fanatics) sending borderline threatening messages to the official X account like 'bring Matsumoto back or this blows up'
Kinkume's Takahashi
Wagaya's Sugiyama
Yonsendoshin's Tsuzuki
Jungle Pocket's Saito
Saito's getting sentenced to prison in November, so we won't see him for 7 years
Sounds way more entertaining than the actual panel this time
Feels like a lot of these sketches are hard to actually laugh at —
workplace-harassment bits, hospital bits, stuff like that.
Whether something's funny or not is entirely up to the audience
The 'Yahhoi' bit is funny and I want her to become a star, but her chatty persona apparently runs purely on memorized lines, so she probably can't hold her own in unscripted talk segments
And out pops the real Ai Shinozaki from inside the robot,
striking her signature 'Satellite Office' pose!
I get that they're supposed to be past champions, but that doesn't mean you should put someone barely distinguishable from the contestants up there as a judge
Then again, a lot of veterans everyone would actually respect just don't want the job
For conte specifically there's someone like Uchan (Uchimura), but there's no way he'd ever agree to it
In that sense Matsumoto really was a convenient figure — his name carries weight, and he judges both conte and M-1
The escalator sketch was funnier than that
Second place seems off, doesn't it?
We're not the ones judging, after all
Can't help it if someone unfunny ends up ranking high
Their first sketch ended before I even understood what it was supposed to be about
There are still idiots out there going on about 'prestige' in comedy
Guess comedy's some kind of sacred thing to you, huh? lol
No charisma
This panel needs the name 'Hitoshi Matsumoto'
Background and talking points
The finals judging panel for “King of Conte” has traditionally consisted mainly of past champions and other comedy veterans, and ever since Hitoshi Matsumoto withdrew from entertainment activities in 2024 following reports of sexual misconduct allegations, how to keep the judging lineup together has become a recurring talking point each year. This time the panel grew from the usual six judges to seven, with Long Coat Daddy’s Domae and Hanako’s Akiyama newly added — a lineup that can be read as an attempt to fill the gap left by Matsumoto’s absence. The thread split along two lines: a structural debate over whether judges really need to be limited to fellow comedians, and individual gripes about scoring, such as “Domae’s scoring lacks consistency” — the latter being the kind of complaint that tends to resurface every year whenever the lineup changes. One point worth noting, not raised in the original comments, is that King of Conte scoring is a relative evaluation made individually by each judge, and the fact that the reasoning behind scores is never disclosed is itself a structural factor that tends to breed this sense of “it just doesn’t feel convincing.”
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Entertainment] “King of Conte 2026” New Judges Are Hanako’s Akiyama and Long Coat Daddy’s Domae.”
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