Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rule the Stage -track.5-

***Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rule the Stage -track.5-*** is the fifth stage play in the *Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rule the Stage* series, featuring The Dirty Dawg, and original characters in a new team D4. The stage ran from January 7th, 2022 to January 9th, 2022, at Miel Parque Hall in Osaka. The play also ran from January 27th, 2022 to February 6th, 2022 at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL. The Blu-ray and DVD were released on July 6th, 2022. The official promotional website can be found here.

## **Plot**

The story begins with an introduction from Yotsutsuji, reading from a letter addressed to anybody, asking that the letter and story be delivered to whoever can read it. He says that this is a story that no one has heard, that has remained hidden until now.

Ichiro Yamada and Samatoki Aohitsugi fight against Kujaku Posse, and after a near tie, Ramuda Amemura asks if they want to team up. Ichiro Yamada and Samatoki Aohitsugi discuss briefly, both uneasy because Sasara Nurude and Kuko Harai have only just recently abandoned them and they find it strange to be teaming up with new people so soon, but Samatoki Aohitsugi argues that teaming up will be the best way to gain territory. The four of them join together under the name The Dirty Dawg, but it quickly becomes clear that instead of a group of 4 members, it's a group of 2 and 2. Ichiro Yamada and Samatoki Aohitsugi are still thinking about their past team members, and don't trust Ramuda Amemura and Jakurai Jinguji enough yet despite their friendliness.

The setting changes to a prison, where the audience witnesses a group by the name of D4 break out of jail. The group is not close with each other, and Rindo Akune reinforces that fact by saying they are only working together because they have mutual interests. The four of them set off towards Tokyo in order to achieve their goals.

Yotsutsuji, as a character now and not a narrator, relays news to the TDD members of 4 criminals who have just broken out of prison and are now rapidly taking over their territory. Samatoki gets defensive and wants to show these new people who's boss, but Ramuda and Jakurai Jinguji both advise him to take it slow. Samatoki and Ichiro end up not listening to the other two and they set off by themselves to pursue the trail of the 4 criminals. During this time, Jinguji explains to Ramuda that true friends will look out for one another, and Ramuda questions his current definition of 'true friend'.

It turns out that the two have done exactly what D4 has wanted, and after a brief rap battle, they make their status as criminals known when Seigen Arima pulls out a gun and shoots Samatoki, but not fatally. Ichiro, horrified, tries to help his friend but is stopped by Jyobu Jikuin's knife. The 4 of them threaten Ichiro and he almost ends up losing his life at the business end of Ibuki Yagasaki's gun, and he learns of Yagasaki's deep hatred and desire for revenge against him. Fortunately for Ichiro, Ibuki Yagasaki's revenge does not seem strong enough for him to shoot Ichiro so this gives Ichiro enough time for Jakurai Jinguji to appear and for D4 to regroup.

After Samatoki is admitted to the hospital, Ichiro is resolved to go back and get revenge on D4 for Samatoki, despite Jakurai Jinguji and Ramuda's protests. Ichiro does stay for Ramuda's information briefing on what he could find on D4, but Ichiro still ends up going alone anyway. This time, Ramuda and Jakurai Jinguji follow him. While in the hospital, Samatoki dreams of his old friend Sasara Nurude. He wakes up, albeit still injured, and makes his way towards the battle even though Yotsutsuji advised him against it.

Each TDD member faces off against a member of D4: Jakurai Jinguji vs. Jikuin, Ibuki vs. Ichiro, Samatoki vs. Seigen, and Rindo vs. Ramuda. In Jakurai Jinguji's fight, it is revealed that he's an assassin that Jikuin has looked up to for a long time, even though Jakurai Jinguji no longer practices that profession. Jakurai Jinguji firmly insists on the importance of human life and how it should be protected. In Ichiro's fight, he learns that Ibuki seeks revenge on him because he believed that Ichiro had a direct hand in killing his older brother, who was indebted to the gang Ichiro used to be in. Halfway through the fight, Ichiro gets shot by Seigen Arima, who came to back up Ibuki Yagasaki. After Yagasaki convinces Arima that he can actually kill Ichiro this time, Seigen declares that he's going to reconvene with Rindo. Samatoki appears shortly after and says that he'll chase after Arima. He also tells Ichiro that they can't change the past, so they have to look towards the future. This gives Ichiro the energy to continue fighting despite a bullet wound in his leg. Samatoki runs off, and Ichiro admits to Yagasaki that he was (and is) a terrible person, but he stresses the importance of facing forward and looking into the future. He's able to convince Yagasaki that the future can be changed, and while it's important to acknowledge the past, you must face the future.

Samatoki and Arima battle, and while Arima argues that any means can justify the ends, Samatoki pushes for making sure you're doing things you have pride in.\*\* Samatoki defeats Arima and starts making his way towards Rindo. Ramuda and Rindo are now facing off, and it's revealed that Rindo used to work for Chuuoku similarly to how Ramuda works for Chuuoku. Ramuda taunts Rindo and says that the fact that he doesn't consider anyone friends is the reason why Chuuoku betrayed him. Rindo laughs it off and calls Ramuda weak for believing that anyone would truly be friends with one another in this world, telling him that anyone who thinks like that will be easily cast aside. However, as Rindo and Ramuda argue about having friends, Jakurai Jinguji, Samatoki, and Ichiro all arrive to help Ramuda fight against Rindo. The D4 member only laughs and commands a few troops against the 4 members. After they beat up Rindo's troops, Rindo tells Ramuda that these friends are only going to cast him aside. Ramuda says that he knows, but right now, he has his favorite posse by his side.

The police end up showing up, and Ichiro, Samatoki, and Jakurai Jinguji fight over who will stay behind to distract the police while the others make their escape. In an unlikely turn of events, Ibuki Yagasaki shoves them aside and declares that he'll take on the police while they escape. The Dirty Dawg members end up escaping, leaving Ibuki alone. However, the other 3 members of D4 join him in the end, and they take on the police. It's implied that they were put back into prison at the end of this fight.

Yotsutsuji continues to narrate and wraps up the stage play by recounting the events of T.D.D's collapse, and how the team's desire to overthrow Chuuoku made them a liability. They were eventually split up and pitted against each other: Ichiro and Samatoki in their duel for their siblings, and Jakurai Jinguji and Ramuda when Jakurai Jinguji suspected Ramuda of putting his assistant Yotsutsuji in a coma.

## **Staff**

* Original Work: EVIL LINE RECORDS
* Director: Go Ueki
* Screenplay: Shinjiro Kameda
* Music Director: KEN THE 390
* Theme Song: Koji Ide
* Organized by: *Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rule the Stage* Production Committee

## **Cast**

### Main Cast

Akira Takano as Ichiro YamadaAran Abe as Samatoki AohitsugiKentaro Yasui as Ramuda AmemuraTaiyo Ayukawa as Jakurai JingujiYoshihiko Aramaki as Sasara NurudeRyota Hirono as Kuko HaraiYojiro Itokawa as Yotsutsuji KannabiShunichi Takahashi as Ibuki YagasakiYu Fukuzawa as Seigen ArimaKaito Okano as Rindo AkuneDai Goto as Jyobu Jikuin
### Division Dance Battle

* Totoyaka
* RYO
* gash!
* SHINSUKE
* HILOMU
* Dolton
* KENTA
* GeN
* KIMUTAKU

## **Music**

1. *The Opening*
	* Composition: Ts & Shiro "IXL" Tanaka
2. *Yotsutsuji's Letter* (衢の手紙)
3. *Shout Out to the Revolution*
4. *Ichiro and Samatoki VS Kujaku Posse* (一郎 左馬刻 VS 空寂ポッセ)
5. *A Coincidence? Or Just Inevitable?* (偶然か、必然か、)
6. *Jailbreak* (脱獄)
7. *King of kings*
8. *BACK IN THE DAY*
9. *Life in My Hands* (命を手にする)
10. *True Friends* (本物の仲間)
11. *Ichiro and Samatoki VS Arima and Jikuin* (一郎 左馬刻 VS 有馬 時空院)
12. *D4's Parade*
13. *DREAM TALK*
14. *T.D.D VS D4*
15. *T.D.D's Collapse* (T.D.Dの崩壊)
16. *Dirty Desire*