Janken Tournament

The Janken Tournament (じゃんけん大会 Janken Taikai ) is an AKB48 event that consists of a large-scale rock-paper-scissors tournament where up to 16 winner(s) receive a prize. Prizes have varied throughout the tournaments, ranging from entry into the next single's Senbatsu to making a solo single debut. The event was first announced during the 3rd day of the AKB48 Surprise wa Arimasen concert by Togasaki Tomonobu, where he explained that the Senbatsu Members for AKB48's 19th Single would be selected by a Janken Tournament at Nippon Budoukan. All AKB48 Members and 4 previously-selected Kenkyuusei were randomly shuffled during the concert to decide the order of the matches. The winner of the Tournament would become the center of the single.

In subsequent tournaments, the order of the matches was established by lottery or by random shuffling. Members of sister groups became eligible as well.

JKT48 has their own Janken Tournament. BNK48 also has their own Janken Tournament.

Members

• 19th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (2010 Janken Tournament) - All promoted AKB48 members and 4 Kenkyuusei
• 24th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (2011 Janken Tournament) - All promoted AKB48 members, 4 Kenkyuusei, 5 SKE48 members, 5 NMB48 members
• 29th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (2012 Janken Tournament) - All promoted AKB48 members, 1 Kenkyuusei, 8 SKE48 members, 6 NMB48 members, 3 HKT48 members
• 34th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (2013 Janken Tournament) - All promoted AKB48 members, 4 Kenkyuusei, 8 SKE48 members, 8 NMB48 members, 3 HKT48 members
• 2014 Janken Tournament - All promoted AKB48 members, 1 Kenkyuusei, 3 AKB48 Team 8 members, 8 SKE48 members, 7 NMB48 members, 5 HKT48 members
• 2015 Janken Tournament - All promoted AKB48 members, 1 Kenkyuusei, 6 AKB48 Team 8 members, 7 SKE48 members, 7 NMB48 members, 5 HKT48 members, 1 NGT48 member
• 2016 Janken Tournament - All promoted AKB48 members, 1 Kenkyuusei, 7 AKB48 Team 8 members, 7 SKE48 members, 7 NMB48 members, 6 HKT48 members, 2 NGT48 members, 1 JKT48 member
• AKB48 Group Unit Janken Tournament 2017 - 45 AKB48 members, 32 SKE48 members, 30 NMB48 members, 20 HKT48 members, 12 NGT48 members, 18 STU48 members

Results and Prizes

• 19th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (Top 16 would form Senbatsu for new AKB48 single with the winner being the center)
  • 52 participating members
  • Winner (Center for Chance no Junban): Uchida Mayumi
  • First senbatsu of Sato Sumire, Maeda Ami, Uchida Mayumi, Tanabe Miku, Nakatsuka Tomomi, Matsui Sakiko, Ishida Haruka and Chikano Rina
  • First AKB48 senbatsu without Takahashi Minami and Itano Tomomi
• 24th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (Top 16 would form Senbatsu for new AKB48 single with the winner being the center)
  • 68 participating members
  • Winner (Center for Ue Kara Mariko): Shinoda Mariko
  • First senbatsu of Oya Shizuka, Yamauchi Suzuran, Kobayashi Marina, Kuwabara Mizuki, Yamaguchi Yuki and Hikawa Ayame
  • First AKB48 senbatsu without Maeda Atsuko
• 29th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (Top 16 would form Senbatsu for new AKB48 single with the winner being the center)
  • 86 participating members
  • Winner (Center for Eien Pressure): Shimazaki Haruka
  • First senbatsu of Nakata Chisato, Nakamura Mariko and Ueno Kasumi
  • First AKB48 senbatsu without Kojima Haruna
• 34th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament (Top 16 would form Senbatsu for new AKB48 single with the winner being the center)
  • 86 participating members
  • Winner (Center for Kimi no Hohoemi wo Yume ni Miru): Matsui Jurina
  • First AKB48 senbatsu of Sasaki Yukari, Tano Yuka, Hirata Rina, Oba Mina, Natori Wakana, Tsuchiyasu Mizuki, Yumoto Ami, Furuhata Nao, Uno Mizuki and Kamieda Emika
• 2014 Janken Tournament (Winner would earn a solo debut with members ranked #2 through #16 appearing on the coupling song + MV)
  • 113 participating members
  • Winner (Opportunity for a solo debut): Watanabe Miyuki
• 2015 Janken Tournament (Winner would earn a solo debut with members ranked #2 through #16 appearing on the coupling song + MV)
  • 111 members participating
  • Winner (Opportunity for a solo debut): Fujita Nana
• 2016 Janken Tournament (Top 7 would form a new subunit with members ranked #8 through #14 appearing on the coupling song + MV)
  • 97 participating members
  • Winner (Center for new unit): Tanabe Miku
  • Additional unit members: Komiyama Haruka, Shibuya Nagisa, Takeuchi Saki, Nozawa Rena, Fukuoka Seina, Yumoto Ami
• AKB48 Group Unit Janken Tournament 2017 (Winning unit would earn a solo debut with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ranked units each having a coupling song + MV)
  • 157 participating members (48 units)
  • Winner (Opportunity for a solo debut): fairy w!nk (Aramaki Misaki, Unjo Hirona)
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th ranked units (B-sides of the winner unit solo debut single): FuuSae, Kiss no Tenpura, Shirai Kotono
• AKB48 Group Unit Janken Tournament 2018 (Winning unit would earn a solo debut with the 2nd ranked unit having a coupling song)
  • 139 participating members (48 units)
  • Winner (Opportunity for a solo debut): Fortune cherry (Tada Kyoka, Matsuda Yumi)
  • 2nd ranked units (B-side of the winner unit solo debut single): 2ki

Costumes

Members are permitted to wear any costume or outfit they want during the tournament. As the years went on, costumes became an important part of the event, with several TV shows and magazines specials focusing solely on the members' costumes. Costumes vary from clothes used on theater performances to regular clothing and cosplay.

Mini-Live Concert

During the first Janken Tournament (19th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament), a mini-live concert was performed after the event, featuring the first live performance and PV exhibition of Beginner and performances of five other songs byAKB48 and SDN48. A mini-live concert also occurred at the second Janken tournament (24th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament), this time before the beginning of the event, featuring the first live performance of Kaze wa Fuiteiru.

At the 29th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament, UZA was performed for the first time. At the 34th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament, Heart Ereki was performed for the first time.