WBakushō Mondai (爆笑問題) is a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Yūji Tanaka and Hikari Ōta under the entertainment agency, Titan Inc. The comedians first met when they were students in the Department of Fine Arts at Nihon University, and they formed Bakushō Mondai in 1988 after dropping out of school. The name of the duo means literally "burst into/roaring laughter", "problem/question". The tsukkomi of the two, Tanaka, had a testicle removed because of testicular cancer, and this frequently elicits jokes by the group's boke, Ōta, as well as other personalities that they may be performing with. Ōta is generally the higher profile of the two, and frequently dominates shows that they host with his long-winded speeches.
WCunning (カンニング) was a Japanese comedy duo (kombi) from Fukuoka Prefecture. Cunning consisted of the pudgy, short-tempered Takanori Takeyama (竹山隆範), and the rail-thin Tadayuki Nakashima (中島忠幸). Known for his bursts of extreme anger, though said to be much more sedated off-camera, Takeyama is the boke of the unit. The tsukkomi, Nakashima, fell ill with leukemia in 2005 and took indefinite leave from work until his death from pneumonia on December 20, 2006, aged 35.
WHideharu Egashira , better known by his stage name, Egashira2:50 , is a Japanese comedian. He is known for his appearances in many TV shows and his transgressive style.
WRyō Fukawa , also known as ROCKETMAN, is a Japanese comedian and musician. He belongs to Watanabe Entertainment. On television he generally takes minor roles and is characterized by his childlike temperament and boyish looks. He is also a member of the owarai group, No Plan.
WGokuraku Tombo , meaning Heavenly Dragonfly, was a manzai comedy duo consisting of Keiichi Yamamoto and Koji Kato . Members of the Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainment conglomerate, they performed on the Fuji TV variety show Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! Their main act was based on arguing and fighting in public.
WHanawa (はなわ) is a Japanese singer and comedian raised in Saga City. He plays the bass guitar. He rose to fame in Japan for a comical song about Saga Prefecture and its oddities.
WKatsura Bunshi VI is a Japanese TV presenter and rakugo artist. Bunshi Katsura VI is his stage name and his real name is Shizuya Kawamura .
WYoshio Kojima is a Japanese comedian famous for appearing only in a small bathing suit, during both performances and interviews. Among his well-known catchphrases are Sonna no kankei nee and Oppapī (おっぱっぴー), an abbreviation of "Ocean Pacific Peace", (オーシャン・パシフィック・ピース). All of his catchphrases are typically said followed by a signature dance, which has him hunched over, making a punching motion towards the ground while his hind leg is kneed upward simultaneously. A soundbite such as Oppapī, or something similarly random, is commonly used by Japanese comedians as an easy to remember and easy to repeat hook that can help popularise them and their comedy.
WOriental Radio (オリエンタルラジオ), also known as Ori Raji (オリラジ), is a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Atsuhiko Nakata and Shingo Fujimori under the entertainment agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo.
WYūji Tanaka is a Japanese comedian. He is best known as half of the owarai duo Bakusho Mondai along with Hikari Ota. He also played Mike in the Japanese dub of the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., Br'er Fox in the Japanese dub of the Disney movie Song of the South and Shaun in the Japanese dub of Shaun The Sheep Movie and A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon. Tanaka was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2010, but was successfully treated following surgery.
WTetsu and Tomo (Japanese: テツandトモ) are an owarai duo. They have made appearances on variety shows such as Bakushou. Tetsu usually dresses in red and Tomo in blue. Their act has been around since at least 2001, and is generally musical in nature. When not performing to recorded songs, Tomo plays the guitar and both men sing.