| What is BATSU!?
BATSU! is a Live
Comedy Show
In Japan, there is a style of comedy known as batsu game (罰ゲーム), where comedians compete in challenges of all kinds with the losers receiving a punishment. BATSU! brings this comedy style to America, with comedians competing to avoid electric shocks, paintballs, a giant egg-smashing chicken, and many more hilarious jaw-dropping punishments!
Audience members enjoy sushi and sake, while the bravest may even sign up for a chance to participate to win free beer and prizes!
Come hungry! Food/drink not included in price of ticket but available; Never a minimum.
| Where is BATSU! Chicago?
Read The FAQs!
POLICIES
- There is absolutely no physical touching of any staff member, on or off stage. Violation of this rule will result in immediate removal from the show without refund.
- No audience member may enter the stage area without being expressly invited by a cast member.
- All audience volunteers who wish to participate must sign a waiver. We reserve the right to revoke your invitation to join the cast on stage at any time for any reason. Reasons may include (but are not limited to) being visibly intoxicated or if our staff determines that you are unable to safely participate in the show for any reason.
- Masks are not required. But if it brings you comfort, please feel free to wear a mask throughout the night.
- Be advised: BATSU! features adult language, adult themes, and partial nudity.
| Do you serve food?
YES! BATSU! takes place in a beautiful lounge theatre within Kamehachi – Chicago’s original sushi bar since 1967 – in the heart of Old Town.
Kamehachi has the best sushi and Japanese food in all of Chicago! Come hungry and eat, drink, BATSU! email [email protected] with menu questions.
Never a minimum. Eat. Drink. BATSU!
| What is your schedule?
Currently showing every:
| Thursday* | Friday | Saturday |
| 7pm | 7:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
*Beginning May 15th
Private buyouts available:
Birthdays, Bachelorettes, Team Outings, Holiday Parties.
Email [email protected] and tell us about your event to get started.
| Do you serve food and drinks? Are they included in the ticket?
Yes! Kamehachi has an awesome food and drinks menu offered throughout the show. Food & drinks are NOT included in your ticket price. There are no minimums of any kind.
Interested in a private performance? Please email us [email protected] for more info on ticket, food and drink packages for 40 or more of your closest friends or colleagues.
SAKE BOMB POLICY – We are very pro Sake Bomb. Please Bomb your Sake prior to the Batsu Game beginning. Sake Bombing during the game is super distracting to the actors on stage, those seated around you, and therefore, not permitted. KANPAI.
| I really want to come on a specific date, but I see you are sold out online….
We always try to maximize our intimate space to accommodate as many people as possible. If you are looking for a few extra seats, go ahead and send us an email at [email protected] to see if it is possible to arrange.
If you are looking for 4 seats or more, it is very unlikely we can accommodate you at a sold out performance.
| My friends all bought tickets, but now it’s sold out! Can I squeeze in and join them?
Maybe. Some tables do allow us to add one or more seats. Some do not. Email us at [email protected] with the party name you want to join and we will take a look to see if we can make it happen for you.
| What about tickets at the door? Is there a wait list?
If there are tickets available online, those same tickets are available at the door. If the show is sold out online, there are no tickets at the door. We do allow for a wait list.
- No guarantee we will get anyone from list in
- List closes at showtime
| Can you accommodate a group of my size?
Generally, the number of tickets offered reflects the total available. If we have 2 for sale and you need 20, we can not. But if you need 8 and there are 7 available, go ahead and email us at [email protected] and ask.
| How do I make a reservation?
You must purchase tickets directly from our website. We can not hold reservations, tickets, or tables; the only way to secure entry/tables is to purchase on our website. Ticket/table availability subject to change without notice.
| How early do I need to buy tickets?
Since every show is different, there is no hard and fast rule. Some shows sell out more than a month in advance. If you are looking on the ticketing page and you see there are only a few tickets left for the performance you are interested in, you should consider that date as being very close to being sold out.
| What is the pricing for a ticket?
We have 2 ticket tiers – VIP and Standard:
VIP Tickets – $70
- Best tables in the house.
- Each ticket comes with 1 hachimaki headband (鉢巻, “helmet-scarf“ worn in Japanese culture as a symbol of effort or courage by the wearer) to take home.
- Those who wear their hachimaki headband with honor will enjoy random visits from our Sake Ninja. (not unlimited sake)
- Each guest will be presented with a warm Oshibori (hand towel) upon arrival to freshen up.
Standard – $40
- Entry into BATSU! (That’s pretty great on its own!)
Upfront, fine print stuff: Tickets do not include food or drinks. Tickets are processed by our ticketing operator, Tock, who includes a non-waivable ticket service fee.
All tickets must be purchased in the same tier in order to be seated together.
| Interested in a private performance?
Please email us [email protected] for more info on ticket, food, and drink packages for 40 or more of your closest friends or colleagues.
| How does seating work?
First purchased, first served. We will automatically seat you together in as few tables as possible, as close together as possible, and in the best seats available within your ticketing tier, at time of purchase. That’s just common sense. Seating is assigned by the BATSU! Customer Care Team, all of whom have graduated with Honors from the Tetris School of Seating. Each double majored in Customer Experience and in Kindness.
| How long is the show?
Every show is different, but you can expect to be out two hours after your showtime.
| What is a “hachimaki” and what happens if I put one on my head?
The hachimaki is a Japanese headband — like in The Karate Kid, only BATSU! style. They are $20 and are available at the show, during the ticket purchase check out as an add-on, or you may pre-purchase by clicking the link in your confirmation email.
Hachimaki headbands (鉢巻, “helmet-scarf“ worn in Japanese culture as a symbol of effort or courage by the wearer) are yours to take home. The hachimaki is not only an awesome and fun souvenir, but for those who wear it with honor, our stealthy Sake Spirt pours random free shots of sake. While this is NOT unlimited free sake (that would be crazy – and we are told, illegal) you will see that sneaky Sake Spirit several times throughout the night. Wear your hachimaki every time you come to BATSU! at any location!
| Can my group purchase their tickets separately?
Sure. If your group buys individually, we do need someone to be the group organizer and send us an email at [email protected] with a list of ticket holder names so we can adjust the seating chart. If you have any group members that tend to wait to the last minute, they may lose their ability to purchase.
| Do you offer group rates?
We do not offer group rates, but will help you coordinate to make sure your group has a wonderful time!
Interested in a private performance? Please email us [email protected] for more info on ticket, food, and drink packages for 40 or more of your closest friends or colleagues.
| Is BATSU! appropriate for my company outing?
Absolutely. We welcome corporate groups and client outings to every performance! If you want to bring your coworkers or clients, head over to batsuchicago.com for tickets or email [email protected] for our Customer Care Team.
BATSU! features adult language, adult themes, and partial nudity.
WARNING: After attending, you will be the office hero, so prepare yourself for multiple back-pats, sincere accolades, and general praise for being the one who recommended and/or organized the company outing to BATSU!
| How old do you have to be to BATSU! ?
You must be 21+ to drink or sign up for a chance to participate in BATSU! We recommend that you be at least 18 years old to attend the show – no one under 16 will be admitted. If your 16 or 17 year old is super mature and you don’t mind exposing them to mature improvised content and a drinking culture, then sure, it’s fine by us. We check IDs, so please have it ready.
| I’m coming for a Birthday BATSU! What’s the deal with that? Can we bring a Birthday Cake?
You are welcome to bring cupcakes; regular cakes are not permitted.
- Step 1 – Email [email protected] and let them know you’d like to bring cupcakes.
- You may bring the cupcakes prior to showtime. You must coordinate with [email protected] to arrange.
- The cupcakes will be kept by Kamehachi in their walk-in cooler during the show – so long as you email [email protected] in advance.
- We will bring out your cupcakes immediately following the show.
- You may bring 1 or 2 candles – This way you can put the birthday person’s age in those cute number candles on one of the cupcakes… if you want – in fact, if they’re turning 100, you can have 3 candles.
- No table decorations or large hats are permitted. I mean, people behind you have to be able to see the show, amiright?!
- Tiaras and sashes, however, are super okay.
- Singing Happy Birthday is of course permitted AFTER the show has ended and never DURING the show – seriously, it has happened.
| Is BATSU! wheelchair accessible?
Unfortunately, no. We regretfully do not have access to a lift. For more information or question about anything accessibility related, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask: [email protected].
We truly would love to find a way share the BATSU! experience with everyone.
| Can I participate in BATSU!?
Maybe. Our staff has the sole right to select anyone they want, as well as to not select anyone they want. They can even unselect someone after they’ve been selected if our staff changes their mind.
This is who they are looking for:
- Guests who are fun, happy, and nice.
- Guests who are not visibly drunk or high.
- Guests who arrive prior to showtime. (this is a good tip)
- Guests who are 21+ and who sign the waiver.
- Guests who arrive PRIOR to showtime.
| Can I have a private BATSU! party?
Absolutely and here is why you should!
- Up to 55 guests
- Flexible start time
- Customized seating chart! (You can choose who sits where!)
- All audience volunteers are your team members!
Interested in a private performance? Please email details about your event and your preferred date(s) to [email protected] for more info on ticket, food, and drink packages for 40 or more of your closest friends or colleagues.
Contact us:
[email protected]
| Is there a super broad rule that covers just about everything?
Yep, it’s the “Just Be Cool” Rule.
The “Just Be Cool” Rule
Any offending guest (and possibly their whole party) who repeatedly becomes a distraction to or inappropriately touches any performer, staff, and/or other audience members, and/or who says or does anything deemed racist, or who is intentionally unkind to any performer, staff member, or any other guest, may be asked to leave.
We have worked very hard to provide a fun and kind environment. We will protect it and our customers’ experience. Just be cool (クールにしていてください) and everything will be wonderful.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (よろしくお願いします).
| About BATSU! Chicago
In the first part of the BATSU! experience you can catch up with friends, family, and co-workers, while enjoying world class international entertainment by some of Chicago’s best dancers and performance artists. Enjoy delicious and authentic Japanese food and drinks from our all new menu created by Chicago’s famed Kamehachi.
VIP ticket holders enjoy the best seats in the house and are greeted by a hostess with a warm oshibori (towel) to freshen up before their meal. Each VIP ticket also comes with a BATSU! branded headband, or hachimaki, traditionally worn by warriors.
The world famous Sake Ninja may be short on words, but for those who wear a hachimaki headband with honor, this sneaky assassin of sobriety will pour random cups of sake. This is NOT unlimited free sake, but the Sake Ninja will be sure to list throughout the night. Hachimaki are also sold separately, and as part of the VIP experience, so everyone can join in on the fun.
The BATSU! Game
Four American comedy warriors face off in challenges to avoid painful, humiliating, and ridiculous punishments! The bravest audience members may also volunteer (upon signing a waiver) to participate in some of the challenges to win honor or suffer punishment.
The performers of BATSU! are members of the acclaimed comedy group Face Off Unlimited, dubbed “Really Funny!” by the New York Times, and also regularly appear on television, film, and stage.
Watch (and maybe even compete alongside them) as they battle for comedic glory and honor as they attempt to avoid hilariously painful and humiliating punishments. In the end, only one Warrior will emerge victorious.
To sum it all up, BATSU! is an interactive, immersive, dining and entertainment experience that fuses the Japanese comedy style of a batsu game and authentic and delicious Japanese food, with the very best improv comics in Chicago.
The BATSU! Mission
BATSU! is committed to promoting positive international fellowship through the fusion of two cultures and styles of comedy.
We are dedicated to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging, specifically in providing performance opportunities for Asian/AAPI artists.
All in the name of hilarity!
The Story of BATSU!
TLDR: The BATSU! experience is an AAPI majority owned business. Started in January, 2011 in NYC; and expanded to Chicago in June of 2016. Closed by the pandemic in March of 2020, and reopened in July of 2022.
Read The Whole Tale
BATSU! begins on a late summer evening in 2010, when Face Off Unlimited’s Jay Painter, Eric Robinson, and Joe Tex found themselves standing in front of Jebon Sushi & Noodle at 15 St. Marks Pl in New York City’s famed East Village. Jay and Eric had met the owner previously having performed at the venue’s lower level lounge for a charity event. The group decided to go in and see if the owner, Joe Yip was in. He was, and the moment he saw Jay and Eric he remembered them. That evening they laughed and joked and enjoyed a lot of premium sake. A few weeks later Joe Yip went to see Joe, Jay, and Eric perform in their signature long form improv show, A Whole ‘Nother Level at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, Queens. Joe Yip so loved the show he called a meeting for that very weekend.
The evening started with dinner and sake. Dish after dish of sushi, noodles, rice, and dumplings arrived at the table, and while copious amounts of sake and beer were gleefully consumed, the foursome of Joe, Jay, and Eric and Joe Yip laughed and laughed. The camaraderie was strong and it was clear they had become fast friends. After dinner Joe Yip got down to business and said he wanted FOU to put on a show downstairs at Jebon. They talked about what kind of show would work, but knew it needed to make sense on why the show was in the basement of a restaurant in the East Village. The guys told Joe Yip they would think on it and get back to him, undeterred, Joe Yip repeatedly raised his sake cup and toasted joyfully, “To the show!” to which Joe, Jay, and Eric protested in mock horror, “No! There is no show!” St. Marks Place is known as “Little Tokyo” in NYC and as Jay walked past izakayas and sushi restaurants, and as a group of Japanese students hurried by, the idea struck him like a paintball to the chest. He knew what the show needed to be. It needed to be a live Japanese game show.
In Japan, there is a wildly popular style of comedy known as batsu game (罰ゲーム), where comedians compete in challenges of all kinds with the losers receiving a punishment. Face Off decided to combine that genre of punishment comedy with what they were experts in, mounting theatrical style shows rooted in improvisation.
The first step was to audition and on the very first day of auditions they met actor (and former college basketball star) Noriko Sato. Noriko was hired on the spot and helped brainstorm ideas on what the show would be. They needed to figure out what punishments they would do and over the next few weeks the team experimented with many, many of them. Most hilariously resulted in various types and levels of pain.
On December 6th, 2010 BATSU! performed to a sold out house of friends, family, invited guests, and Face Off Unlimited company members and received uproarious laughs and a standing ovation. They knew they had something special and over the holidays came up with more characters, more punishments, and refined the show format slightly.
BATSU! opened to the public on Monday, January 10th, 2011 and began it’s open run. The idea was to be THE thing to do on a Monday night in NYC. The show grew and grew, got better and better, and the word of BATSU! finally reached a tipping point in 2014 with sold out crowds most nights of the week, finally giving way to the current schedule of 7 shows a week, 5 nights a week.
Early on in the first year, actor Whit Baldwin joined the cast and later that same year, Brian “Bu-Chan” Walters took over the role of Host. Brian, a TV actor from Japan, along with Noriko and Whit, worked with the FOU team to build what BATSU! is today.
In the spring of 2016, original BATSU! NYC cast original member and veteran FOU performer, Steve Grande, now living and studying improv in Chicago scouted and found the perfect venue to open the show in Chicago. To help lead the expansion, FOU brought on Broadway Producer Heather Shields as General Manager, and in June of that same year, BATSU! Chicago opened at Kamehachi in Old Town, just around the corner from famed Second City. Kamehachi is a 3rd generation, female-owned and operated Japanese restaurant.
The show in NYC moved from St. Marks Place to its current location at Kogame in January of 2019 and was enjoying a successful 2nd year when the Covid-19 pandemic shut the show down. Initially, the team expected a 2-3 shutdown. Their characteristically optimistic expectations were a bit…off the mark.
In the spring of 2021, the Yips retired. After 10 years of friendship and business partnership, the pandemic did what Mr. Chicken could not, it took out the Yips. Joe and his brother Wayne were hanging up their aprons and BATSU! was now without a restaurant partner. To complicate matters further, the Yips also held the lease for WARA and the liquor license.
It was once said of FOU that “When life gives [us] lemons, [we] don’t make lemonade, [we] make lemon souffle.”
While the team searched for a new restaurant partner, a new company was formed. BATSU! Moon, LLC is made up of FOU (Joe, Jay, Eric, and Heather) and the 3 cast members who had contributed immeasurably to the show for so many years, Noriko Sato, Brian Walters, and Whit Baldwin.
Finally, in the fall of 2021, an agreement was made and BATSU! Moon had its new restaurant partners (and its first choice!) for the NY show: Guilia Sindler and Sharon Perazzoli, the mother-daughter dynamic duo and owners and operators of Kamehachi, the home of BATSU! Chicago!
In order to best operate in NYC, Kamehachi formed a new company of its own that consists of Giulia and Sharon, Chef Young Ho Cho and Jin Kim. Kamehachi translates to “eight turtles” in Japanese and both the number 8 and turtles are considered good luck.
Kamehachi and BATSU! Moon together formed a new entity called WARA “笑”.
WARA is an AAPI majority owned business.
BATSU! NYC reopened in February, 2022 and BASTU! Chicago in July 2022. Tickets on sale now! Don’t forget to order the BATSU! Card Game where everyone wins, except the loser. www.getbatsu.com
All of us at WARA and Kamehachi are so thankful for your business and we look forward to entertaining & feeding you, your friends, family, and co-workers very soon.
BATSU! BATSU! BATSU!
| Still Have Questions?
Ready to buy? Awesome – click here!
Ok you’ve read the FAQs and still want to ask us something? Contact us here!