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RAPSTAR 2026

RAPSTAR 2026 is ABEMA's rapper audition, with applications closed and the season premiering October 10 on ABEMA. The finals will be held December 29, 2026 at Ariake Arena as part of STARZ 2026, which pairs a hip-hop live show with the deciding stage.

Synthesized from 3 Yomimono stories · updated Oct 16

RAPSTAR 2026 is ABEMA's next-generation rapper audition. The season premieres October 10 on ABEMA. The winner's prize is 10 million yen, the highest in the program's history, up from 3 million yen in the previous season. Applications opened June 1 and ran through June 12. Seven producers provided beats for the application videos, among them Chaki Zulu and D3adStock.

The audition drew 12,953 applicants, the highest ever and nearly double last year's 6,780. That applicant pool was set before the season's broadcast began. The finals will be held December 29 as part of STARZ 2026, a hip-hop live show at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Doors are at 13:00 and the event starts at 14:00. The fastest advance ticket lottery ran October 10 to 19 on Lawson Ticket.

The coverage traces a single arc from announcement to a scheduled final stage. The prize increase and the applicant count came first, the premiere date and finals venue followed, and the ticket lottery closed the loop. The finals being folded into a paying arena event with a full live bill is the one change in format the stories establish.

Key facts

Program
ABEMA's rapper discovery audition RAPSTAR 2026 ↗
Winner's prize
10 million yen, the highest in the program's history and up from 3 million yen ↗
Applicants
12,953, the highest ever and nearly double last year's 6,780 ↗
Application window
June 1 through June 12 ↗
Beat makers for application videos
Seven producers, including Chaki Zulu and D3adStock ↗
Season premiere
October 10 on ABEMA ↗
Finals
December 29, 2026 as part of STARZ 2026 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo ↗
Event schedule
Doors at 13:00, start at 14:00 ↗
Advance ticket lottery
October 10 to 19 on Lawson Ticket ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced
FINALS held as part of STARZ 2026 (STARZ 2026) · 2026-10-10
Announced
winner's prize of 10 million yen, highest in program history · 2026-06-01
Noted
drawn 12,953 applicants · 2026-08-21
Noted
premieres October 10 on ABEMA · 2026-08-21
Noted
10 million yen prize, up from 3 million · 2026-08-21

Connections

Produces of
abema

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/rapstar-2026. CC BY 4.0.

All coverage

Oct 10

STARZ 2026 Sets December 29 Date At Ariake Arena

STARZ 2026 will be held on December 29, 2026 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, with doors at 13:00 and a 14:00 start. The event combines a hip-hop live show with the RAPSTAR 2026 FINALS, the deciding stage of ABEMA's rapper audition. The fastest advance ticket lottery runs October 10 to 19 on Lawson Ticket.

Aug 21

RAPSTAR2026 Draws 12,953 Applicants, Highest Ever

ABEMA's rapper discovery audition RAPSTAR2026 has drawn 12,953 applicants, the highest ever, nearly double last year's 6,780. The 2026 season premieres October 10 on ABEMA, with a 10 million yen prize, up from 3 million. Seven producers provided beats for application videos.

Jun 1

RAPSTAR 2026 Raises Winner Prize to 10 Million Yen, Highest Ever

The next-generation rapper audition project RAPSTAR 2026 has been announced with a winner's prize of 10 million yen, the highest in the program's history. Applications open June 1 through June 12. The finals will be held December 29 as part of the STARZ 2026 event. Beat makers for the audition videos include Chaki Zulu, D3adStock, and others.