Characters / Hypnosis Mic: Matenro

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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Matenro

The Shinjuku Division representatives. Led by former The Dirty Dawg member and doctor Jakurai Jinguji, the team consists of him, host Hifumi Izanami, and office worker Doppo Kannonzaka.

Their representative color is gray.

Matenro are the winners of the 1st Division Rap Battle.

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• Animal Motifs: Wolves. Their logo is a wolf and "Matenro" contains the kanji character for wolf. In the songs, they frequently compare themselves (or are compared) to wolves.
• Beach Episode: Their song "Papillon" is about Matenro taking a vacation and driving off for fishing together. The music video appropriately features a lot of beach imagery.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Hifumi is blonde, Jakurai is brunette (well, dark purple-haired), and Doppo is a redhead.
• Dub Name Change: Averted. In the promo material for Rhyme Anima, "Matenro" has been dubbed as "Matten Wolf" by Funimation. However, it was discarded and when the anime released, "Matenro" was used instead.
• Foil: To Fling Posse.
• Heroes Gone Fishing: Played straight. Jakurai fishes on the regular and often takes Hifumi as a companion (and Doppo, when his job allows). "Papillon" is pretty much about that.
• Image Song:
  • "Shinjuku Style ~Warawasu na~" from Fling Posse VS Matenro.
  • "The Champion''
  • "Papillon" from Enter the Hypnosis Microphone.
  • "WELCOME U" and "Fallin'" from Straight Outta Rhyme Anima.
  • "TOMOSHIBI" from Bad Ass Temple VS Matenro.
  • "Blast Wolf" from Turn Up the Stage.
  • "Synchro City" from CROSS A LINE.
• Inconsistent Spelling: "Matenro" is the official and most used romanization, however, it is written as "Matenrou" in the songs' descriptions in Spotify.
• Lighter and Softer: In comparison to the dark and aggressive "Shinjuku Style ~Warawasu na~", "Papillon" is presented in a signifcantly more gentle and very upbeat tone.
• Motifs: Silver crosses, which can be found as the buttons of Jakurai's shirt, on Hifumi's belt, and on Doppo's tie clip. It goes along with their Religious and Mythological Theme Naming.
• Odd Couple: Hifumi and Doppo are pretty much the total opposites to each other, but despite that, they are a good friends and even share an apartment.
• Punny Name: "Matenro" is a homonym of the Japanese word for "skyscraper", and also contains a kanji character for "wolf", both of which are reflected in their logo.
• Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: The Matenro members' surnames all contain motifs associated with religion and mythological goddesses from Japanese mythology.
  • Jinguji means "heavenly temple/shrine".
  • Izanami is the name of a Japanese Shinto goddess of creation.
  • Kannon (Guan Yin in Chinese) is a Bodhisattva goddess associated with Mahayana Buddhism in East Asia.
  • The name "Matenro" itself contains the character for "heaven".
  • Their animal motif also counts. Wolf in Japanese is “ōkami”. This may be a pun to “kami”, the Japanese word for god.
• Skyscraper City: Nishi-Shinjuku, the area west of Shinjuku Station, has the largest concentration of skyscrapers in Tokyo, which is reflected in the Matenro's logo.

Jakurai Jinguji (ill-DOC)

Jakurai Jinguji

Voiced by: Sho Hayami
Portrayed by: Allen Kohatsu (2024), Taiyo Ayukawa (2020-2023)

The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.

^{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 (2020-2023)} 

MC Name: ill-DOC

Age: 35

Birthday: January 9 (Capricorn)

Height: 195 cm^note 6’4

Rap Ability: Medication

Likes: People, fishing, reading

Dislikes: Crimes against humanity, neglecting one’s health

Trademark Favorite Food: Natto

Least Favorite Food: Donuts

The Leader of Matenro. A former member of Kujaku Posse, The Dirty Dawg, and a renowned doctor.

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• Alliterative Name: Jakurai Jinguji.
• Always Someone Better: As stated by Hitoya, Jakurai was able to beat him in everything, including sports and studies.
• The Atoner: It is heavily implied that he abandoned being an assassin due to his Turn to Religion.
• Badass Pacifist: Usually prefers a non-confrontational approach and uses his rap for support of his teammates. That doesn't make him any less dangerous, though.
• Big Good: A majority of the cast seems to respect him and his work, even Samatoki. The sole exception is Ramuda, of course.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Even a drop of alcohol (or a piece of liquor chocolate) can turn him into an aggressive drunk. Usually comes with Alcoholic Hics and a rougher speech.
  • It gets to the point that in ARB's event Fantasy Soul Trade, Ramuda proves to Doppo and Hifumi he's been swapped into Jakurai's body by being a normal kind of drunk.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: As lampshaded by his quote, he strives to help anyone and everyone in need. It actually puts him in a dilemma when Chuohku offer him to assist with the True Hypnosis Mic, he's torn apart between a chance to save Yotsutsuji with their help, and saving many innocent lives by not siding with Chuohku.
• Combat Medic: In terms of the Hypnosis Mic world. His rapping heals and defends himself and others instead of attacking.
  • Also used to be one in the traditional sense, on the frontlines of World War III.
• Dark Is Not Evil: His raps tend to have a sombre or eerie tone, with lyrics featuring unsettling imagery, but he is a calm, polite, and good-natured person in his day-to-day life.
• Deadly Doctor: Doesn't seem to actually be one in his everyday life, but he sometimes plays one in his raps. It's most notable in "Division Rap Battle" and "BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE". But if you consider his Professional Killer past, it might be played straight.
• Doctor von Turncoat: Played with and averted. He gets approached by the Party of Words and is offered a key to Yotsutsuji's recovery, in exchange for helping with the True Hypnosis Mic. He pretty much accepts it, but in the "Nobody lives forever" drama track, Otome gets her hands on Rei's resources and declares that Jakurai is no longer needed for her plans.
• Elegant Classical Musician: Mentions in the side D.H & B.A.T manga that when he's upset, he plays piano to calm himself.
• Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: Although being very kind towards just about anyone, Ramuda irritates him a lot, so Jakurai treats him differently. Even lampshaded by Gentaro:
  Gentaro: They say Jakurai Jinguji is so saintly he wouldn’t hurt a fly. But for him to suddenly lunge at Ramuda…
• Fighting Your Friend:
  • Fights Ramuda after discovering his true colors and witnessing what he did to Yotsutsuji. Later, fights him in the Division Rap Battle.
  • Fights Samatoki in the 1st Division Rap Battle finale, although both are still on relatively good terms.
  • Fights Hitoya prior and during the 2nd Division Rap Battle.
  • Fights Ichiro in the 2nd Division Rap Battle finale.
• Freaky Is Cool: People with some unusual quirk to their personality tend to catch his interest, which led to him first partnering with Ramuda and later picking Doppo and Hifumi for his crew.
• Friend to All Children: As depicted in ARB and Rhyme Anima, he has a soft spot for his younger patients.
• Friendless Background: Discussed and subverted. In the "Mixed Up" drama track, Saburo guesses that Jakurai didn't have any friends as a child, to which he says that although he may seem that way, he actually had a lot of friends.
• Gentle Giant: The tallest of the main cast, but also one of the kindest.
• Gratuitous English: "Good morning" in "Papillon" and "mercy" in "Alternative Rap Battle".
• Healing Hands: His Rap Ability "Medication" can heal its targets and put them back in shape.
• Image Song:
  • "Meikyuu Heki" from Matenro -On'in Rinshō.
  • "Kimi Ari Yue Ni Ga Ari" from Matenro -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Medicine, in his case.
• Large and in Charge: He is the tallest member of Matenro and The Leader.
• The Leader: Is the leader of Matenro.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Has very long hair that reaches his legs.
• The Medic
• Meditating Under a Waterfall: Does it during Ramuda's "rap training".
• Nice Guy: He might come off as aloof and somewhat eerie at first glance (not helped by the somewhat dark tone of his verses), but he’s of the most unconditionally kindhearted characters in the series.
• Parental Substitute: To his assistant, Yotsutsuji, who he took under his wing following a car crash that killed the latter's mother and father.
• Precision F-Strike: "Motherfucker" in "Division Rap Battle". It was initially censored, but later uncensored in "Division Rap Battle +''.
• Professional Killer: He used to be a professional assassin, who was contracted to take down terrorists. Eventually, Jakurai quit being an assassin, atoning for the murders he commited, by fully dedicating himself to being a doctor once again.
• Red Baron: ill-DOC was his nickname during his Professional Killer days.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome
• We Used to Be Friends: With Ramuda.

Hifumi Izanami (GIGOLO)

Hifumi Izanami

Voiced by: Ryuichi Kijima
Portrayed by: Yuto Ando (2024), Hirofumi Araki (2020-2023)

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

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

^{Click here to see him in the stage play (2020-2023)} 

MC Name: GIGOLO

Age: 29

Birthday: June 22 (Cancer)

Height: 179 cm^note 5’9

Rap Ability: Enchant

Likes: Women, himself, his cooking, outdoor activites

Dislikes: Women, classical music, people who don’t put effort in things

Trademark Favorite Food: His own cooking

Least Favorite Food: Frozen food

A host with an extreme fear of women.

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• The Alcoholic: Discussed and played with. It comes with being a host, but Hifumi raps a lot about champagne. In "Hoodstar", Doppo even asks Hifumi to take care of his liver properly.
• Bishōnen: Although it's a given in the series with the Cast Full of Pretty Boys, Hifumi is an exceptional example, being the No.1 host in Shinjuku and a certified Chick Magnet. He puts much more care in his appearance and skin routine than any other character from the main cast.
• Break Them by Talking: Although unintentionally, he did it to Gentaro by making fun of his old-fashioned attire.
• Charm Person: His Rap Ability "Enchant" gives him temporary control over his opponent, making them use their attacks against their own allies.
• Chick Magnet: He very much is one, which can be quite unfortunate due to his fear of women. Not to mention that not all women he attracts are well-intentioned.
• Childhood Friends: With Doppo.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Can be rather airheaded and slightly tactless, usually having Doppo to be his minder. It also applies to his host persona, in which he does get more level-headed, but as Doppo laments, he is still hard to talk to.
• Dissonant Serenity: In Rhyme Anima, his reaction to the dead body in their apartment, strangled with Doppo's tie, is way too laidback. When Doppo calls him and tells him about the body, the host-mode Hifumi only laughs it off, but even seeing the body up close doesn't scare him as much.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Shinjuku's most famous host and a certified Chick Magnet.
• Expository Pronoun: Normally uses "orecchi" (a more casual and playful spin on "ore"), but in the host-mode uses "boku".
• Flower Motifs: Yellow roses. He has one on his lapel, his ear piercings are shaped as those and his speakers have two big yellow roses.
• Gratuitous English: His solo songs have quite a lot of it.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Is blonde and also a Nice Guy who patiently takes care of his perpetually depressed childhood friend. There's also the fact that he goes to Jakurai to help his troubled stalker.
• Host Club: Works at the Fragrance host club in an attempt to overcome his fear of women, and became the No.1 host in Shinjuku.
• House Husband: Does all the cooking, cleaning, and sewing in the apartment he shares with Doppo.
• Image Song:
  • "Champagne Gold" from Matenro -On'in Rinshō.
  • "Party wo Tomenaide" from Matenro -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
  • "Positive in my life" from The Block Party -HOODs-.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: In the official guidebook, "women" is listed in both likes and dislikes section.
• Innocently Insensitive: Him making fun of Gentaro's old-fashioned clothing, despite not meaning any malice behind it. Gentaro took it quite badly.
• In-Series Nickname: When not in his host mode, he insists on being called "Hifumin".
• Keet: Very enthusiastic, outspoken and outgoing, mostly in his usual persona whenever there's no women around.
• Narcissist: Invoked in "Party wo Tomenaide" lyrics, in which he "apologizes" for being so amazing and flawless. In the official guidebook, Hifumi has "himself" in his likes section and has his own cooking as his Trademark Favorite Food.
• Punny Name: "Hifumi" means "1-2-3". "Gigolo" in Japanese is pronounced similarly to "shigoro", would could be translated to "4-5-6". So "Hifumi Gigolo" could also mean "1-2-3 4-5-6".
• Security Blanket: His jacket. Before applying to the host club, Hifumi managed to convince himself that when he puts on a suit, he becomes a charismatic womanizer. It worked...and resulted in him developing a Split Personality.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: To fit his job as a host. His jacket also doubles as a Security Blanket.
• Split Personality: When he puts on a suit jacket, he becomes practically a different person, becoming The Casanova, free of his fear of women. Jakurai theorized that it could be not a personality disorder, but rather a case of extreme self-suggestion, as Hifumi forced himself to think that when he dons a jacket, he becomes someone different.
• Supreme Chef: Often cooks for him and Doppo. Jakurai noted that Hifumi is a very talented chef.
• Trauma Button: Freaks out big time every time he's close to a woman and without his jacket. It's even worse with Honobono, the reason for his gynophobia, whose presence causes him to have a panic attack, even with his jacket.
• Vocal Dissonance: While Hifumi's "host" voice is velvety and smooth, his real voice is quite high and nasally. Some fans were therefore shocked to listen to drama tracks and hear his voice, which is very different from the one he uses in the songs.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Has a rather severe case of gynophobia, due to his traumatic experience with Honobono Keitoin. This isn't helped by the fact that he manages to attract at least two romantically insane stalkers, or that he lives in a setting where the entire central government is made up of women.

Doppo Kannonzaka (DOPPO)

Doppo Kannonzaka

Voiced by: Kent Itou
Portrayed by: Yuki Nakashita (2024), Takuya Ide (2022-2023), Kodai Miyagi (2020-2021)

The real world is much smaller than the imaginary.

^{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 (2020-2021)} 

MC Name: DOPPO

Age: 29

Birthday: May 15 (Taurus)

Height: 175 cm^note 5’7.5

Rap Ability: Berserker

Likes: Sleep, house plants

Dislikes: His boss, exercise, standing out, drawing attention to himself

Trademark Favorite Food: Omelette rice

Least Favorite Food: Cilantro

An exhausted Salaryman at E.L. Medical Co., Ltd^note a medical equipment manufacturer, and a perpetual pessimist.

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• Affectionate Nickname: "Doppochin" and "Chan-Doppo" by Hifumi.
  • In Rhyme Anima, it's translated as "Doppomine".
• Apologises a Lot: Due to the stress of his job, he developed a habit to apologize a lot and for everything, such as Hifumi's actions.
  • Played with in "BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE", where he starts his verse by saying he's had enough of saying sorry.
• Character Catchphrase: "It's All My Fault".
• Childhood Friends: With Hifumi.
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: For Hifumi.
• Crazy-Prepared: When Jakurai and Hifumi went to speak with Hifumi's stalker, he put down a mattress by the building, which saved both Hifumi and the stalker.
• Dragged into Drag: Mentions that he was once forced to crossdress for a New Year's party at work. Also invoked in one of the ARB events.
• Driven to Madness: Invoked in the "When Six Colors Combine, [] Begins:" drama track, when his manager sends Doppo a mocking message, after Matenro lost the Division Rap Battle.
  Doppo: Hahaha! Don’t worry, I’m fine! I’m being positive here! I’m going to positively kill that bald fucker of a boss! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
  Jakurai: A-ahaha...
  Hifumi: I'm kinda worried about Doppo's sanity...
• Beware the Quiet Ones: His meek and anxious attitude can be quite deceptive. When he is pushed to the limits, his pent-up rage can be quite dangerous, and even lead to him becoming Ax-Crazy.
• Born Unlucky: Things very rarely go well for him. Among the examples are: being abused and overworked at his company, being mocked by other rappers and overlooked by the in-universe audience in favor of his teammates, losing his Division Rap Battle money on the train, being framed for murder by one of Hifumi's fans, and the list goes on and on...
• Boss's Unfavorite Employee: Considers himself to be that, as his manager frequently dumps more work on him, having Doppo to work overtime.
• The Eeyore: To wit: his official artworks features Doppo miming choking himself.
• Everyone Has Standards: He absolutely loathes his manager, but in Rhyme Anima, Doppo is genuinely horrified when he gets pushed down the stairs and ends up in a hospital.
• Fishing for Sole: Played straight in the "Chaser from the Past" drama track. Lampshaded by Hifumi, who laughs that it looks too much like a manga cliché.
• Flower Motifs: A more subtle example, in comparison to Hifumi's yellow roses, but his first Image Song led to him being associated with Tigridia pavonia, commonly known as the tiger flower.
• Image Song:
  • "Tigridia" from Matenro -On'in Rinshō.
  • "BLACK OR WHITE" from Matenro -Before The 2nd D.R.B-.
• In-Universe Catharsis: Since his Hypnosis Mic takes a form of a cellphone, the ability to rap harsh lyrics into it may just be him blowing off steam at either his boss or his co-workers.
• It's All My Fault: Has a habit to blame himself for virtually everything, when he devolves into negativity. Even for things that are obviously beyond his control, like raining weather or his brother failing an exam. Doubles as a Madness Mantra.
• Nervous Wreck: A Perpetual Frowner with Exhausted Eye Bags, who responds to being pushed around very badly.
• Nietzsche Wannabe: Invoked, as his character quote belongs to the man himself.
• Noodle Incident: Jyuto mentions that he met Doppo prior to the Division Rap Battle, when he was brought to the police precinct for questioning. He doesn't go into details, like was Doppo a witness or a suspect.
• Only Friend: Prior to Matenro being formed, Hifumi was his only friend.
• Perpetual Frowner: He is very negative and pessimistic, very rarely smiling. In the rare instances when he does, he looks adorable. As the series progresses, the artwork of him smiling becomes more frequent.
• Rage Breaking Point: It can be dangerous to push him too much, since he can get absolutely mad when he snaps. A poor thug who tried to mug him experiences it on his own skin when Doppo unleashes his rage at him.
• Real Name as an Alias: Unlike the rest of the case, his MC name is just his name (written in English).
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After being fired due to Honobono's scheming and getting his job back, Doppo delivers one of those to his boss, calling him out for his terrible management skills and shitty attitude towards his employees.
• Ridiculously Average Guy: As stated in his official profile, Doppo's most notable characteristic is that he has no notable characteristics.
• Salaryman: He works as a sales represantatives at the medical equipment manufacturer, being constantly abused by his manager and forced to work overtime. It negatively affected his mental health and had him develop habits to apologize for every little thing and take a blame for what he obviously can't be blamed.
• Soul-Crushing Desk Job: His life as a salaryman did such a number on him, perpetual gloom and exhaust is his default expression. Discussed in his Image Song "BLACK OR WHITE", which is pretty much dedicated to the Japanese corporate workstyle culture.
• Took a Level in Badass: Initially presented as a meek and shy pushover, he grows quite a spine throughout the series. By the time of the 2nd Division Rap Battle, he is able to stand up to his manager, which he could only dream of before that.
• Unstoppable Rage: His Rap Ability "Berserker" involves Doppo unleashing all his pent-up anger into an obliterating attack which can take out his opponents in one go, although it usually results in a Power-Strain Blackout.
• Workaholic: Not by choice. As discussed in "BLACK OR WHITE", he doesn't want to work, but he has to if he wants to keep living.