About

**Paradox Live** (パラドックスライブ, *Paradokkusu raibu*; also abbreviated as パラライ, *pararai*, or ParaLive in English) is a Japanese multimedia project created by Avex and GCREST.

The series focuses on four hiphop groups— BAE, The Cat's Whiskers, cozmez, and Akan Yatsura— who compete in a mysterious competition known as Paradox Live for the prize of ten billion yen and an opportunity to challenge the legendary rap duo Buraikan. Later on, a new competition is announced which the existing cast as well as four new groups— VISTY, AMPRULE, 1Nm8, and Goku Luck— are to participate in.

The series's main content is released through CDs which contain group songs and oftentimes voice dramas which explore the lives of the characters inside and outside of the competition.

## Background

### Concept

Paradox Live is set in a futuristic Japan with a hiphop-saturated culture. There is a movement in which rappers perform “Phantom Lives,” using accessories made with a special material called phantometal which chemically reacts with their DNA and emotions to create illusions on stage. However, after performances, they suffer from illusions of their past traumas as a side effect, called a *trap reaction*.

### The Competition

Club Paradox, a renowned club that had suddenly disappeared a decade ago, has come back once again to hold the contest “Paradox Live”, which will give the winning team 10 billion yen and a chance to challenge Buraikan, a highly renowned rap duo that had also gone underground around the same time as the disappearance of Club Paradox. BAE, The Cat’s Whiskers, cozmez, and Akan Yatsura are the four groups invited to compete in Paradox Live.

Paradox Live is done in a round robin style so every team gets to compete against one another in 1-on-1 battles, which are released as Stage Battle CDs. For each round, there is a one word theme which both competing teams' songs will be about. Once a Stage Battle CD is released, there is a period of time in which fans can vote for which team they’d like to win by contributing “dope points” to them (See Dope Point Voting Guide for the different available methods). The team with the most dope points overall will be the ultimate winner of Paradox Live.

For battle results and the overall winner of Paradox Live, please see Stage Battle.

### Road to Legend

At some point after the final stage battle of the first competition, as revealed in an announcement from Buraikan's Twitter account, Club Paradox actually collapsed suddenly one night, preventing the promised battle between Buraikan and the winning team. With the reconstruction of the club nearly complete, a new competition is being held. This time, any phantom rapper is allowed to participate. Here, we are introduced to four new competing teams: VISTY, AMPRULE, 1Nm8, and Goku Luck.

Road to Legend is done in a knockout-style tournament where only winning teams will progress normally through the competition. However, there will also be a repechage bracket where teams who lost in the first round can compete to re-enter the main competition as a finalist.

For battle results, please see Stage Battle.

## Media

### CDs

Paradox Live’s content is released mainly through CDs, which include group songs and oftentimes voice dramas which explore the lives of the characters inside and outside of the competition. See Discography for a list of these CDs.

Music videos for the songs and the voice dramas can be found on the Paradox Live YouTube channel (Though previews for the Opening Show and Exhibition Show CDs are on avex’s YouTube channel). Most of these music videos and voice dramas are previews, though some are full length. Here are playlists of all MVs and all Voice Drama previews. For full versions of the songs and voice dramas, you can purchase the physical CDs or use streaming services like Spotify.

### Manga

Paradox Live has a serialized manga called Paradox Live Stage Battle "COMIC", illustrated by naru. The manga was announced November 6, 2021 and first published in February 2022. It is updated monthly and can be read on ZeroSum Online for free, though some chapters are released for a limited time before they are archived. There is currently no official translation/localization.

### Anime

There is an anime adaptation of Paradox Live called "Paradox Live THE ANIMATION", which is produced by PINE JAM and premiered October 3, 2023. The anime was first announced on May 28, 2022, and a teaser was posted May 21, 2023.

### Character Twitter Accounts

Additionally, there are also official Twitter accounts roleplaying as each character. The accounts for the original cast were first made around the time of the series’s first anniversary in November 2020, while the accounts for Buraikan and the new teams were made during September and October of 2021. The Twitter accounts do not typically include any important plot events, but showcase characters' personalities and interactions with other characters. There are also instances where characters may interact with and reply back to fans in a certain period of time, or allow fans to DM them.

Below is a list of each character’s Twitter:

BAE

* Allen - @irepmyself
* Hajun - @smileywangja
* Anne - @fxxkdaborder

The Cat’s Whiskers

* Naoakira - @kotonoha0918
* Yohei - @godsummer0828
* Ryu - @ryukunkawaii
* Shiki - @nanashisaboten

cozmez

* Kanata - @czmzknt
* Nayuta - @czmznyt

Akan Yatsura

* Iori - @AKgokigenYR
* Zen - @AKbulkupYR
* Hokusai - @AKyoshiyoshiYR
* Satsuki - @AKsatsukingYR
* Reo - @AKreokunYR

Buraikan

* @\_BURAIKAN\_

VISTY

* Shogo - @sho5gummylife
* Toma - @t0malikes2party
* Aoi - @IOAOI\_VISTY
* Kantaro - @imsweetiecutie, @pppieeeeeen (Possible personal account)

AMPRULE

* Dongha - @lastjeoldaeja
* Chungsung - @battler4dongha

1Nm8

* Kei - @1Nm8\_07
* Itsuki - @1Nm8\_05
* Rokuta - @1Nm8\_06

Goku Luck

* Yuto - @mainichiheiwani
* Ryoga - @orega\_ryouga
* Shion - @smokinwhitedog
* Kenta - @endbringer\_666\_

### Other Content

Other Paradox Live content includes:

* The **Paradox Live Official Fan Book**, which contains team and character profiles as well as mini comics and short stories surrounding each of the original four teams. Comics illustrated by Kokone Nata.
* **Paradox Live Official Fan Book vol. 2,** an upcoming publication featuring all 9 teams with character profiles, compiled illustrations, & mini comics illustrated by Kura Kiyama.
* **Dope Show**, a concert where the characters' voice actors do live performances of the songs.
* **Paradox Live on Stage**, a stageplay
* **Hidden Track "MEMORY"**, a collection of four different stories about the characters.
* Several video/audio streams:
	+ **Paradox Live TV**
	+ **Paradox Live Radio**
	+ **Paradox Live Online Meetings**
* **SWANK**, a unisex fashion line by GCREST and a brand created in-universe by Anne Faulkner
* **Paradox Tribe**, also abbreviated as Paratora or Paratribe, an app where fans can connect with each other, follow posts from the character accounts, and complete quests for dope points.
* **Paradox Live: THE ANIMATION**, a 12-episode 2023 anime adaptation by studio PINE JAM
* An upcoming mobile game

Paradox Live has also been featured in magazines and has had collaborations with different brands/franchises, including OTALAB, PiggPARTY, Merry Closet, etc.

## FAQ

* **Where can I listen to the songs/voice dramas?**
	+ See CDs

## Sources

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/comic\_zerosum/status/1456957532044365835?t=5IFjKG1ksyhOl05YKW6lcQ&s=19
2. ↑ Anime Announcement
3. ↑ [ParaLive Big Announcement] New Stageplay/TV Anime Follow-up/Smartphone Game Decision! (Original announcement during 3rd Year Anniversary Livestream)