Characters / Hypnosis Mic: Buster Bros!!!

Hypnosis Mic Main Characters Index
Buster Bros!!! | MAD TRIGGER CREW | Fling Posse | Matenro | Dotsuitare Honpo | Bad Ass Temple
Party of Words | Rule the Stage | Other Characters

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Buster Bros!!!

The Ikebukuro Division representitives. Led by former The Dirty Dawg member Ichiro Yamada, the team consists of him and his little brothers, Jiro and Saburo.

Their Color Motif is red.

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• Animal Motifs: Owls. "Ikebukuro" rhymes with the word for "owl", fukuro. There is also an owl statue in Ikebukuro which is used as a meeting spot, much like Shibuya's Hachiko.
• Big Brother Worship: Jiro and Saburo worships Ichiro. Especially Jiro. However, The Dirty Dawg manga, it's revealed they used to hate Ichiro in the past and considered him an embarrassment to their family. In their defense, Ichiro was a different person as well, having bad blood with their Parental Substitute and unnknowingly working with the gangster who extorted their orphanage. Their admiration for him is rebuilt when he rescues them from a kidnapping.
• Family Business: The Yamada brothers run the Odd Jobs Yamada, handling various requests, ranging from gathering information to finding missing pets.
• Foil: To MAD TRIGGER CREW.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Jiro is a Foolish Sibling, Saburo is a Responsible Sibling.
• Image Song:
  • "IKEBUKURO WEST GAME PARK" from Buster Bros!!! VS MAD TRIGGER CREW.
  • "Ohayo Ikebukuro" from Enter the Hypnosis Microphone.
  • "RUN THIS CITY" and "3 Seconds Killer" from Straight Outta Rhyme Anima.
  • "Re:start!!!" from Dotsuitare Honpo VS Buster Bros!!!.
  • "Counterfeit Busters" from Turn Up the Stage.
  • "IKEBUKURO WEST BLOCK PARTY" from CROSS A LINE.

• Motifs: In addition to their heterochromia, all Buster Bros!!! members wear hoodies/shirts with zippers on both the top and the bottom. They also wear matching badges with B, M, and L on them. Ichiro wears only the B badge, Jiro wears B and M, and Saburo wears all three.
• Nice, Mean, and In-Between: Ichiro is Nice (a Nice Guy and an All-Loving Hero), Saburo is Mean (a Jerkass and a DeadpanSnarker), while Jiro is In-Between, which befits him being a middle brother.
• Numerical Theme Naming: Their names contain kanji of numbers (1, 2, 3) based on the order of their births. This doubles as Family Theme Naming, especially considering Rei, whose name is the kanji for "zero".
• Primary-Color Champion: All together, the three represent the traditional primary colors: Ichiro is red, Jiro is blue, Saburo is yellow.
• Radio Song: "Ohayo Ikebukuro" is styled as a radio program hosted by the Yamada brothers.
• Red Is Heroic: Their Color Motif is red, accenting their Kid Hero motif.
• Shared Unusual Trait: All of them share heterochromia in their designs. One eye is green for all of them, but the other eye is typically of their motif color. Ichiro's is red, Jiro's is yellow, and Saburo's is blue. They also share it with Rei, whose other eye is grey.
• Sibling Rivalry: Happens between Jiro and Saburo a lot, often to compete for Ichiro's attention and outsmarting each other.
• Sibling Team: As indicated by the team name, all three of them are brothers.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: Jiro is a Book Dumb delinquent, while Saburo is an Insufferable Genius.

Ichiro Yamada (MC.B.B)

Ichiro Yamada

Voiced by: Subaru Kimura
Portrayed by: Ryoga Ishikawa (2024), Akira Takano (2019-2023)

You'll never find a rainbow if you're looking down.

^{Click here to see him during TDD era} 

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2024)} 

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2019-2023)} 

MC Name: MC B.B (MC Big Bro)

Age: 19

Birthday: July 26 (Leo)

Height: 185 cm^note  6’1

Rap Ability: Critical Blow

Likes: His brothers, cola, anime, manga, light novels

Dislikes: People who pick on the weak, betrayal

Trademark Favorite Food: Miso-stewed mackerel

Least Favorite Food: Shiitake mushrooms

The Leader of the Buster Bros!!!. A former member of Naughty Busters and The Dirty Dawg, and the manager of the Odd Jobs Yamada.

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• Affectionate Nickname: "Nii-chan" by Jiro (until he changed it to "aniki"), "Ichi-nii" by Saburo and "Icchan" by Kazusato.
• All-Loving Hero: The character who is closest to this trope in the franchise. He's a Former Delinquent who has reformed his ways and now dedicates himself to help people around him.
• Amazon Chaser: In "Ohayo Ikebukuro", when being asked what type of girls he likes, Ichiro answers that he likes strong girls. He even clarifies that by "strong" he means "can fight", prompting a shocked reaction from his brothers.
• Big Brother Instinct: Being the eldest brother, he's very caring and protective of his younger brothers (often assumed because of an implied Parental Abandonment). At first, Ichiro was hesitant on accepting Jiro and Saburo in his team, afraid that it could be too dangerous for them, but eventually agreed after witnessing their determination.
• The Baby of the Bunch: He was 17 during his days with The Dirty Dawg, being considerably younger than his teammates.
• Berserk Button: Do not insult his brothers in his face, ever. Sasara even exploits it once to make Ichiro fight seriously, so he could see how strong he had become since the last time Sasara saw him.
• Broken Pedestal: Used to look up to Samatoki a lot, but after Chuohku forced them to fight by threatening their siblings, Ichiro witnessed Samatoki's lack of empathy. As a result, his admiration turned into burning hatred.
• Cool Big Bro: How his younger brothers see him. Considering he's a young man running his own business to provide financial support to his family and is also a parental figure to both of them, it's hard not to see him as such.
• Critical Hit: His Rap Ability "Critical Blow" releases a critical hit more powerful than standard attacks.
• Fighting Your Friend:
  • Had a fistfight with Kuko, unaware that he was brainwashed into attacking him, which ended up with Naughty Busters disbanded.
  • Was forced to fight Samatoki by the Party of Words, believing that they kidnapped Jiro and Saburo and threatened them if he refuses.
  • Fights his Childhood Friend Kazusato Doan in Rule the Stage -track.1-.
• Former Delinquent: He used to be an infamous delinquent whose name was known throughout all of Ikebukuro, and an Evil Debt Collector for the Stairway to Heaven. In the present day, he’s had a change of heart and now runs an odd-jobs business dedicated to helping people out.
• Hates Their Parent: He is very resentful of Rei, to the point of lying to Jiro and Saburo that their father is dead.
• The Hero: Buster Bros!!! as a whole fit this, but Ichiro is the most prominent, being the character usually front and center. They're even stated by cast members to be the "heroes" of the project.
• Hidden Buxom: It's not obvious at first glance due to his baggy clothes, but the side B.B & M.T.C manga has a tendency to accentuate his chest.

• "I Am" Song: His solo song "Ore ga Ichiro" ("I am Ichiro").
• Iconic Item: His headphones.
• Image Song:
  • "Ore ga Ichiro" from Buster Bros!!! Generation.
  • "Break the wall" from Buster Bros!!! -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
  • "HIPHOPPIA" from The Block Party -HOMIEs-.
• Large and in Charge: Ichiro is the tallest of the Yamada brothers and is rather tall in general, in comparison to the rest of the main cast.
• The Leader: Is the leader of Buster Bros!!!.
• Nice Guy: A friendly and compassionate guy who runs a business revolving around helping the people of Ikebukuro, along with being a doting elder sibling who unconditionally loves and cares for his little brothers.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Has it with Samatoki. Lampshaded in one of the bonus manga drama tracks by both of them, but neither admit it.
• Otaku:
  • Is an avid enjoyer of anime, manga and light novels. In the "Fight For Your Right" drama track, he delivers a passionate and overemotional speech about the necessity to buy Blu-rays with Jiro and getting emotional about all the anime that don't get a second season due to low sales. He also owned various Bland-Name Product video game consoles, which are visible in his room.
  • ARB reveals two of his favorite light novels: Sword Destruction World, an isekai psychological battle royale series, and his favorite, Boogiesquare Doesn't Let You Laugh of the Sekaikei Genre.
• Promotion to Parent: In place of their absent parents, he becomes somewhat of a parental figure to Jiro and Saburo.
• Protest Song: In "Break the wall", he makes it clear that he wants to, well, break the wall. Namely, The Great Wall of Chuohku, which is considered a symbol of the Party of Words' regime.
• Real Men Hate Sugar:
  • In "Ohayo Ikebukuro" Jiro and Saburo both agree that he’d never ask for someone to buy him macarons, and one of his April Fools (2022) lines in ARB has him considering asking for macarons as a joke.
  • In Rhyme Anima, a client treats him to a wide array of sweets as a thank-you for helping him, to which Ichiro grimaces and thinks to himself, “There’s no way I can eat this crap…”
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers it in the form of rap to Kazusato Doan in Rule the Stage -track 1-, claiming that as Kazusato despised the power inequality that claimed the life of his father, he himself became a part of that by cheating his way to the victory and trampling over those weaker than him.
• Series Mascot: He is arguably a poster boy of Hypnosis Mic, usually being used prominently in the promotional materials.
• Skipping School: Back in his delinquent days, he would usually ditch school to make money for his brothers.
• Shout-Out: Being the resident Otaku of the series, he makes a few Neon Genesis Evangelion references in Ore ga Ichiro:

  "This is the Neon Rap Genesis, a new generation
  Blowing minds with my flow and skill is my job".

• This Cannot Be!: Has this reaction in Rhyme Anima, when Samatoki withstands his most finishing blow, even though everyone were certain that he was supposed to go down.
• Took a Level in Kindness: As seen in The Dirty Dawg manga, Ichiro had a rather jaded personality, being an infamous delinquent and an Evil Debt Collector, being even hated by his own brothers. As the story progresses, he shapes to be the Nice Guy he is in the present.
• Token Adult: Of the Buster Bros; he's 19 while his two younger brothers are minors at 17 and 14.
• Trademark Favorite Drink: Cola, courtesy of being voiced by Subaru Kimura, who is also a big cola enjoyer.

Jiro Yamada (MC.M.B)

Jiro Yamada

Voiced by: Haruki Ishiya
Portrayed by: Kennosuke Matsuoka (2024), Shota Matsuda (2019-2023)

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2024)} 

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2019-2023)} 

MC Name: MC M.B (MC Middle Bro)

Age: 17

Birthday: February 6 (Aquarius)

Height: 180 cm^note 5’9

Rap Ability: Rally

Likes: Ichiro, soccer, anime, manga, light novels

Dislikes: Studying, horror films

Trademark Favorite Food: Curry

Least Favorite Food: Picked plums

The middle child of the Yamada siblings. A second year in high school.

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• Animal Motifs: Dogs. Proclaims himself "the guard dog of Ikebukuro" in "Sensenfukoku", and in Rhyme Anima, his rap features some dog imagery.
• Big Brother Instinct: Despite his constant bickering with his younger brother, he immediately gets riled up when Jyuto starts to belittle Saburo, even going against two older rival team members for him while knowing he's obviously outnumbered. In the manga, he also offers to give advice to Saburo and calms his nerves before their battle with MAD TRIGGER CREW.
• Broken Pedestal: Zigzagged. When Ichiro revealed that he was lying and their father was alive all this time, Jiro took it much worse than Saburo due to his Big Brother Worship. As they resolved the situation eventually, he went back to respecting Ichiro, although not as selflessly as before.
• Book Dumb: He has a habit of procrastinating and doesn't seem to be academically bright, but he makes up for it by being Street Smart.
• Bullying a Dragon: In the "Louder Than a Bomb" drama track, he jumps in to defend Saburo against Jyuto and Rio. But as admirable as it is, Jiro goes overboard with insulting them, which puts him in a tight spot when he challenges both of them.
• Clueless Chick-Magnet: He is very popular among the girls in school, as they even bring bentos for him. But he generally does not pay too much attention to it, being too Oblivious to Love.
• The Ditz: Is not entirely there in the smarts department, but makes up for it in street smarts and socialization.
• Dumb Jock: He plays soccer and is prone to picking fights, but he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to school.
• Embarrassing Ringtone: Episode 2 of Rhyme Anima reveals his phone has one of these: it’s an instrumental version of “Mary had a little lamb” accompanied by bleating noises. To make matters worse, it goes off in the middle of a confrontation with a rival group. He has another one for Saburo in episode 6, and it’s just as bad: it’s accompanied by what sounds like a duck or a baby.
• Hot-Blooded: Prominent in his Image Song "Sensenfukoku" ("This Means War"), almost straying into Blood Knight territory.
• Image Song:
  • "Sensenfukoku" from Buster Bros!!! Generation.
  • "School of IKB" from Buster Bros!!! -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
• It Only Works Once: His Rap Ability "Rally" is a powerful one-time attack that uses the power of his teammates.
• Japanese Delinquents: While his eldest brother used to be one, he is currently one. Even so, he makes it clear that he also has Ichiro's strong sense of justice and dislike of bullying.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Brash and hot-tempered he may be, he has a strong sense of justice and a hatred for those who bully the weak. And while he may fight with Saburo often, he's been shown to care about him on plenty of occasions as detailed above.
• Lighter and Softer: While "Sensenfukoku" is a rock song with aggressive lyrics emphasizing his Blood Knight nature, "School of IKB" is significantly more mellow in tone.
• Lovable Coward: According to the official guidebook, he dislikes horror films.
• Lovable Jock: In The Dirty Dawg manga, he was shown to be a winner of a national soccer championship.
• Oblivious to Love: As mentioned in "Ohayo Ikebukuro", he doesn't think about girls in that way much, usually prefering to hang out with his friends. Lampshaded by his classmates in the "Fight For Your Right" drama track, but Jiro still doesn't pay much attention to it.
• Obsessive Sports Fan: He is a very passionate fan of soccer.
• Oh, Crap!: Has this moment in the side B.B & M.T.C manga, when he was searching for Hifumi's stalker and found himself in the same hotel room with her.
• Otaku: Picked up a taste for anime from Ichiro. He delivers a passionate speech about Blu-rays together with Ichiro, leaving Saburo dumbfounded.
• Real Men Hate Affection: Usually frowns when Urumi teases him.
• Signature Headgear: Is rarely seen without his snapback in official artwork. In cases where he isn't seen with it, he's usually wearing a different hat instead (for example the birthday 2020 outfit, which has a bucket hat).
• Street Smart: Has a lot of connections on the streets; most notably, a Knowledge Broker Urumi.

Saburo Yamada (MC.L.B)

Saburo Yamada

Voiced by: Kōhei Amasaki
Portrayed by: Yukia Takano (2024), Ryunosuke Nagashima (2022-2023), Ryota Akishima (2019-2021)

Everything that rises sets, and everything that grows, grows old.

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2024)} 

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2022-2023)} 

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2019-2021)} 

MC Name: MC L.B (MC Little Bro)

Age: 14

Birthday: December 16 (Sagittarius)

Height: 173 cm^note 5’6.5

Rap Ability: Delete

Likes: Ichiro, board games, card games, intellectual strategy

Dislikes: Thoughtless people, big dogs

Trademark Favorite Food: Pasta Pescatore

Least Favorite Food: Celery

The youngest of the Yamada siblings. A third year in middle school.

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• Annoying Younger Sibling: Jiro definitely sees him as this, as Saburo frequently belittles him, teases him, or makes rude comments at his expense.
• The Baby of the Bunch: To his team and to the main cast as a whole, being the youngest at age 14.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Zig-zagged. Normally, Saburo doesn’t bother to hide his Jerkass attitude. That being said, his verse in “RUN THIS CITY” seems to be built around this trope: he starts off singing in a high voice, complete with a line about “making friends and holding hands while walking” accompanied by a cute visual of the brothers holding hands before promptly switching to a deeper voice and rapping.
• Classical Music: His solos "New star" and "Requiem" sample "Air on the G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach and "Dies irae" by Giuseppe Verdi, respectively.
• Darker and Edgier: "New star" is a fairly calm and light song, while "Requiem" is significantly more intense, with lyrics treading on the A God Am I territory.
• Deadpan Snarker: He has a big snippy streak.
• Genius Bonus: The teal lights on his speakers spell out his quote, "Everything that rises sets, and everything that grows, grows old", in Morse code.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: According to his profile, he has no friends his age, yet he just wants someone he can always be together with.
• Image Song:
  • "New star" from Buster Bros!!! Generation.
  • "Requiem" from Buster Bros!!! -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
• Insufferable Genius: A studious and book-smart kid with a penchant for hacking and a condescending attitude.
• It's All My Fault: He blames himself for the loss against MAD TRIGGER CREW in the first Division Rap Battle. Fortunately, it doesn’t let him down for long as Ichiro reassures him for his performance in the battle.
• Jerkass: While he does have redeeming qualities, at worst, Saburo is an insufferable brat who looks down on just about everyone who isn't Ichiro, and his rude comments often incite Jiro to start fights with him.
• Leet Lingo: In the Funimation subtitles of Rhyme Anima, he has this line in the rap battle with Rio:

  "Y to the A-M-A-D-A
  To sum it up, our DNA is l33t"

• Narcissist: Downplayed; he tends to prioritize Ichiro over himself, but his generally bratty attitude and the mirror on his speakers suggest he’s one.
• No Social Skills: Because of his insufferable and smug personality, he has a hard time socializing with people his age and has no friends aside from his brothers as a result.
• Not So Above It All: Despite his haughty personality, he still has a childish streak. In the "Helter Skelter" drama track, he refers to a dog as "doggy", which Jiro immediately proceeds to make fun of him for.
• Playful Hacker: He is a very proficient hacker, being able to hack into the government database, security cameras, and even use the military satellite network (with Rio's help).
• Power Nullifier: His Rap Ability "Delete" dissolves an opponent's attack during a rap battle.
• Shorter Means Smarter: While he's very tall for his age, he is still both the shortest one in Buster Bros!!! and the smartest.
• Smart People Play Chess: Enjoys playing board games and card games a lot.
• Sore Loser: Took the loss in the 1st Division Rap Battle the worst among the team, crying all night long.
• Teen Genius: He is very knowledgeble, has good grades, with board and/or card games being his favorite pastime hobbies. He's also a very proficient hacker. He also doubles as Child Prodigy, as he had become a champion in the math olympics at age 12.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As lamented by Jiro, he used to be The Cutie during his early childhood. Saburo himself only finds it embarrassing.
• Wire Dilemma: Where Does the Secret Code Lead? in ARB leads to this for Saburo. The event's subtitle is Yellow or Blue?, referring to the wires he has to cut. Saburo cut the blue wire because Jiro had mentioned earlier in the event he had lady luck on his side.
• Younger Than They Look: For a 14-year-old middle schooler, he is very tall (as per average height for Japanese teenagers) and mature-looking.