Tickets & Tier System
From A to H, Explained.

The Ticket Itself

An Ichiban Kuji ticket is a small, folded paper rectangle, typically 7×3cm, printed with the kuji series name, lot identifier, and a tier letter. The tier letter is the only piece of information that determines your prize — everything else is shop-management metadata.

Tickets are stored unshuffled in a small drawer or box at the cashier counter. You select one without seeing the tier letter (the ticket is folded with the letter inside). The cashier verifies the ticket, marks it as spent in the shop's tally system, and walks you to the prize bin matching your tier.

Used tickets are typically retained by the cashier — not given to the customer — except in lots running active Double Chance campaigns, where collected used tickets can be mailed to Bandai Spirits for a separate prize drawing. We cover Double Chance below.

Every Tier, Explained

Tier A — The Showpiece

One Tier A figure per lot. Always the largest and highest-quality sculpt in the lot, typically 18–25cm tall, often using the "Masterlise" or comparable premium sculpt designation. The Tier A figure is the kuji's marketing centerpiece — the reason buyers initially commit to the series.

Comparable retail products would price Tier A figures at ¥6,000–¥10,000+ as standalone releases. Tier A statues are a serious sculptural product, not a token premium tier.

Tier B — The Strong Secondary

Two Tier B figures per lot. 15–18cm sculpts featuring secondary characters or alternate poses of the protagonist. Tier B is often the best per-dollar value in the lot — substantial sculpts at ¥4,000–¥7,000 retail-equivalent quality, with double the chance of Tier A.

Tier C — Character Variety

Three Tier C figures per lot, typically featuring a third or fourth character from the IP at slightly smaller scale (12–16cm). Tier C completes the "main cast" coverage of a kuji series.

Tier D — The Quality Floor

Five to eight Tier D prizes per lot. This is the inflection point — Tier D is typically still a figure (chibi or stylized form), not an accessory. ¥2,000–¥3,000 retail-equivalent. Tier D is the largest tier where most collectors are satisfied with their pull.

Tier E — Smaller Figures

8–12 Tier E prizes. Either smaller chibi figures (8–10cm) or premium accessory items (display ceramics, character lanterns). Below this tier, you start seeing items that are more "kuji exclusive accessory" than "figure."

Tier F — Soft Goods & Print Items

12–16 prizes. Towels, mirror cases, art prints, ceramic mugs, illustration boards. ¥800–¥1,500 retail-equivalent. Tier F is where serious figure collectors typically feel disappointment, but the items are still useful collectibles.

Tier G — Accessories

16–20 prizes. Rubber straps, metal pin-back charms, sticker sets, can badges, key chains. ¥400–¥800 retail-equivalent. Tier G is the "consolation prize" tier — a real item, but not the reason anyone buys kuji tickets.

Tier H — Bottom Tier (When Present)

When present, 20+ prizes. Smaller versions of Tier G items: bookmarks, paper clips, small pin badges. Many kuji series omit Tier H entirely, ending at Tier G.

Last One Prize — Final Ticket Reward

One Last One Prize per lot, awarded to whoever pulls the final ticket. Always an exclusive variant of the Tier A figure (alternate colour, alternate pose, or with bonus effect parts). Read the complete Last One Prize guide for hunting strategies and resale values.

Typical Lot Distribution

A standard Bandai Spirits kuji lot is built to a target of approximately 60 to 80 tickets, with prize counts engineered so that the most desirable prizes (A, B, C) make up under 10% of pulls. A representative distribution:

This breakdown is illustrative — exact counts vary per series. What's consistent: Tier A always sits at 1, Tier B at 2, Tier C at 3, with successive tiers increasing in count. The combined probability of pulling any "figure" tier (A through E) hovers around 30%, while soft goods and accessories (F, G, H) make up the remaining 70%.

Double Chance Campaigns

Major Bandai Spirits kuji series often run a parallel Double Chance campaign. Double Chance is a separate sweepstakes layered on top of the regular kuji draw:

• Customers retain their used tickets after a kuji pull (when permitted by the campaign)
• Used tickets can be mailed to Bandai Spirits within a defined campaign window (usually 30–60 days)
• Mailed tickets enter a national drawing for an additional exclusive prize
• Double Chance prizes are typically a unique sculpt or color variant separate from both the standard tiers and the Last One Prize

Two key features distinguish Double Chance from the in-shop pull:

• Random national drawing. Unlike the Last One Prize (one per shop), Double Chance prizes are drawn from a national pool. There may be only 50–200 winners across all of Japan.
• No guaranteed return. Double Chance is a true lottery — most mailed tickets win nothing. The expected value is heavily skewed toward the few winners.

Double Chance prizes routinely sell at ¥40,000–¥100,000+ on the secondary market because of their hard rarity cap. They are the rarest kuji-system prizes available.

Reading the Shop Counter

Every active kuji lot has a counter display at the cashier showing remaining tickets per tier. A typical mid-cycle display might look like:

• A: 0 (already won)
• B: 1
• C: 2
• D: 4
• E: 8
• F: 11
• G: 15
• H: 12
• Total: 53 remaining

From this you can compute exact remaining odds: 1/53 ≈ 1.9% chance for Tier B, 4/53 ≈ 7.5% for Tier D. The counter tells you whether the lot still has the desirable tiers you'd consider buying for. If A, B, and C are all gone, casual buyers should walk away — only Last One Prize hunters or completists keep buying after the premium tiers are depleted.