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キッチン絆Story mode: The LedgerClosed beta

Kitchen Kizuna: Anime Pickleball

In Kizuna Ward, every debt is settled on the court.

Hana broke the boss's signed paddle. Kumagai isn't angry. He slides an entry form across the counter: You'll need a partner.

DEBT¥100,000,000HOSHIZORA, H.

Sign the entry form I have a code
  • 4,812 debtors
  • 63 courts
  • 8 districts
  • 13 chaos items
  • Solo or 2P story
  • Plays in your browser
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00絆区条例412 pages · passed 2016

The Kizuna Ordinance

Ten years ago Boss Kumagai found pickleball in hip-replacement rehab. Then he quietly bought every debt in the ward: mortgages, student loans, bar tabs, one bus ticket. Then he passed a law. Everyone plays, because everyone owes.

A pickleball court seen from above. The kitchen zones glow on both sides of the net, two partners at the kitchen line are joined by a red string, and the ball dinks softly back and forth. KITCHENKITCHEN 絆
Article 7, illustrated. Standing in the kitchen is permitted. The Enforcer's back tattoo leaves out that sentence.
  1. Article 1

    All debts in Kizuna Ward are settled on the court.

  2. Article 2

    Call the score. All three numbers. Before every serve. Loud enough for the receivers.

    2(b): …but not louder than Mrs. Fujimoto permits.
  3. Article 3

    Players call the lines on their own side. If you did not see it out, it is in.

  4. Article 4

    Respect the paddle stack. No cutting. No saving a spot. No “my friend is coming.”

  5. Article 5

    Never lie about your rating. Lying about your rating is worse than informing.

    Penalty: the Dock.
  6. Article 7

    No volleying in the kitchen. Standing in the kitchen is permitted.

  7. Article 8

    The word “let” is not spoken in this ward. Call “Ball on!” and replay the rally.

  8. Appendix F

    Approved Courtside Snacks.

    140 pages. Mika has opinions.

01試合の流れ

How it plays

Real pickleball rules, honest physics. Then the yakuza and the anime kick in.

Hana and Ren crouch nose to nose at the net, the ball frozen in the air between them.

The Kitchen Duel

Trade soft dinks at the kitchen line while the tension builds. At its peak, time thins and you hear your player think. Speed up a ball that wasn't attackable and you'll pay for it. In this ward, literally.

  • Dinks
  • Drops
  • Resets
  • Speed-ups
  • Lobs
  • Ernes
  • Around the post
Hana stretches for a ball at the net while Ren, Mika and Kenta wait on the other side.

Call it

Doubles is a conversation, and in Kizuna Ward the score call is the law. Call Mine!, Yours! and Switch!, cover your partner, poach at the right moment, and say the score: all three numbers. Every good call grows your team's Kizuna Link.

Tap a bubble to hear the real voice cast.

Hana and Grandpa Tetsu on the rooftop court bench at sunset.
Hana
Tetsu

The Kizuna gauge

Win rallies together and the gauge fills. Full gauge, full send: each player has a signature special.

Hana and Grandpa Tetsu leap back to back, paddles crossed, wrapped in a ribbon of pink and gold light.

Bond Bursts

Fill the team's Kizuna Link and your pair unleashes a combo shaped by who you are to each other. Rivals forced together get a different move than a grandparent and a grandkid.

  • Synchro Strikebest friends
  • Rival Sparkrivals forced together
  • Lesson Learnedmentor and student
  • Across Generationsgrandparent and grandkid
  • Mirror Imagetwins
  • Kizuna Burstany team

02映像Captured from the game

Real footage. Real specials.

Every player has a signature special, and so does the clan. Kumagai's is called Compound Interest.

      Hana, full-body pose with her paddle.

      03債務者Debtors & the clan

      The roster

      All-AroundAge 15

      Hana

      Hana Hoshizora · The hero

      DEBT¥100,000,000

      New in the ward. On her first night she slipped on Botan's wet floor and snapped the boss's signed championship paddle in half. Her assets at the time: ¥3,140 and a rice cooker.

      Power
      6
      Speed
      6
      Control
      6
      Touch
      7
      Spin
      5
      Stamina
      6
      SpecialShooting Star Dink

      A comet dink that curves into the kitchen corner.

      The hero

      04台帳Story mode

      The Ledger

      Kumagai is retiring. Whoever wins this year's Grand Settlement inherits the Ledger: 4,812 pages, one per debtor, every line in his own brush. Hana owes ¥100,000,000 and has one rice cooker. She'll need a partner.

      Hana slips on the wet floor of a ramen shop and the boss's signed paddle snaps in half, while Kumagai calmly puts down his chopsticks.
      Kizuna Ward. 11:52 p.m. Floor's wet.
      The game's match card: Settle it on court, Hana and Kenta against Sora and Pip.
      In-game: every match is a payment.
      Thirty men in suits stand up in silence as Kenta moves his paddle to the back of the stack.
      Thirty men in suits stood up. Kenta moved his paddle to the back of the stack.
      At dawn on the fish-market dock, a salaryman is lowered toward the water with great ceremony while the underboss waits with a towel.
      Article 5. Tidepool Docks, 4 a.m. Somebody always brings a towel.
      • The city bracket screen: eight stamps, one Ledger, a row for each district.
        01

        The city bracket

        Seven districts, seven hanko seals on your entry form, then the Grand Settlement at the top of Kumagai Tower. Every district runs on its own article of the Ordinance, and every bracket is harder than the last.

      • Night on Ramen Row: Chef Botan's shop, the only light on the street.
        02

        Walk the ward

        Ramen Row is home base: Chef Botan's shop, where every debtor eats. Walk the streets to the courts, talk to the neighbors, pick up sidequests and find out who owes what.

      • The paddle shop: Mended Sakura, Thermal Receipt and Koi Pond Carbon paddles with their stat trade-offs.
        03

        Shops, gear and specials

        Paddles at the clan's licensed pro shop (Would you like to put that on your Ledger?). Quiet shoes at Kazuko's stall. New specials at Jiro's dojo in the back room. And chaos items, for when the rules aren't enough.

      • Fish Market Practice: two paddles, three crates, a fish on the way.
        04

        Street jobs

        Debt Collector Dash: grab gold receipts through the streets while the collector twins chase you. Fish Market Practice: 4 a.m., hit the fish into the right crates. Plus King of the Court, Hot Pickle and the rest as ward side gigs. All of it pays yen.

      • A doubles match on the Sakura Rooftops with Hana and Kenta at the baseline.
        05

        Solo or duo

        Play the whole story alone or with a second player on the couch. Player 2 drops in with their own lines: Should we… run? Is running an option?

      • 06

        Pay it down

        Every win pays a purse. Pay down the debt at Botan's, or spend it on a paddle and pay later. The debt board has opinions: That's a lot of zeros.

      05地区The city bracket

      Seven districts. One Settlement.

      • Sakura Rooftops, the Sakura Academy Rooftop court.

        Sakura Rooftops

        桜屋上

        Article 2. Call the score. All three numbers. Before every serve.

        Spring Gusts Gusts nudge lobs sideways. The only thing on this roof not in debt.

        District 1 · first seal
      • Neon Alley, the Lantern Alley Night Market court.

        Neon Alley

        ネオン横丁

        Article 4. Respect the paddle stack. No cutting. No “my friend is coming.”

        Snack Toss Vendors throw onigiri onto the court.

        District 2 · the 400-paddle stack
      • Yunohana Bathhouse, the Yunohana Hot Spring court.

        Yunohana Bathhouse

        湯の花銭湯

        Article 3. Call your own lines. If you didn't see it out, it's in.

        Steam Clouds Steam hides the ball for a moment. God’s line judge.

        District 3 · the Line Tribunal
      • Tidepool Docks, the Tidepool Beach Festival court.

        Tidepool Docks

        潮だまり埠頭

        Article 5. Never lie about your rating. It is worse than informing.

        Wet Planks Slick planks and ice slush slow your feet. 4 a.m. start.

        District 4 · the Dock
      • Golden Years Garden, the Golden Years Garden court.

        Golden Years Garden

        黄金の庭

        Article 2(b). Not louder than Mrs. Fujimoto permits. Fifty-two decibels.

        Court Cat Chairman sits where he likes. The ball deflects off him.

        District 5 · Granny Ume holds court
      • Sky Shrine, the Floating Shrine of the Sky court.

        Sky Shrine

        天空神社

        Article 6. Tap paddles at the net after every game. It is a blood oath.

        Sky Koi The shrine’s koi spirits swim through the air and deflect the ball.

        District 6 · the original scroll
      • Hangar 07, the Mecha Hangar 07 court.

        Hangar 07

        格納庫07

        The clan's private arena. Article 5, enforced by trial.

        Magnet Floor The floor pulls the ball toward the center line. The floor is loyal.

        District 7 · 311 suits
      • The Moon Room, the Moon Palace Arena court.

        The Moon Room

        月の間

        Article 77. The winners are released from their debts, and from their partner's.

        Low Gravity Higher bounces, floaty lobs, a glass dome on top of Kumagai Tower.

        Grand Settlement · seven seals to enter

      06組の道具Chaos items

      Courtesy of the Kumagai-gumi

      Optional. Never in Ranked.

      • On in Story, Party and the Festival quick match
      • Off in Real Rules
      • Host's call in casual online rooms
      • Always off in Ranked

      • Bribed Line Judge

        Your next landing gets an 8 cm line allowance.

        Counter Return the ball; the bribe covers one landing only.

      • Smoke Bomb

        Smoke hides the final 1.2 m before the receiver.

        Counter Read the approach and landing ring; lob to wait out the smoke.

      • Oil Slick

        A marked oil patch reduces acceleration and braking.

        Counter Step outside the patch; release movement early.

      • Hired Heckler

        Aim sways for three rallies.

        Counter Soft shots halve the sway; aim toward the middle.

      • Rating Audit

        The leading team loses 10% power and spin for 8 s.

        Counter Play soft and make the audit expire.

      • Unsolicited Coach

        A retiree follows one opponent and sways their aim.

        Counter Move 1.8 m away from the coach or play soft.

      • The Apology

        Both parties bow; opponents freeze for 1.2 s.

        Counter Dash during the warning to decline the bow.

      • Boss Hop-In

        Kumagai joins the leaders for this rally and poaches weak lobs.

        Counter Hit away from him, smash his lobs, or dash beside him to take priority.

      • Group Chat

        340 notifications pile up over a marked part of the court.

        Counter Play through the uncovered lane; the landing marker remains visible.

      • Debt Notice

        Collectors drain up to 0.75 Kizuna per opponent.

        Counter Spend your gauge during the warning.

      • Katana Paddle

        Your next three shots gain 35% spin.

        Counter Read the mint spin cue and give the bounce room.

      • Pickle Split

        Your next shot sends two harmless pickle decoys.

        Counter The real ball keeps its landing marker.

      • Kitchen Fog

        A ramen cloud hides low balls inside the kitchen.

        Counter Lob over the low fog or use the landing ring.

      07遊び方Modes

      Ways to play

      Granny Ume cheers with a fist in the air while Professor Pip gapes, both gripping game controllers on a clubhouse sofa.

      1–4 players · one screen

      Couch co-op, no collateral required

      The story is solo or two players on one couch. Free Play, tournaments and party modes take up to four. Kizuna Assist gives anyone a one-button way to play, so a 91-year-old and a ten-year-old litigant can take on anybody.

      • 1–2 players

        The Ledger

        Walk the ward, climb the city bracket and pay off ¥100,000,000. Solo or couch duo.

      • 1–4 players

        Tournaments

        Bracket cups from the town Sakura Cup to the Moon Cup, with medals at every difficulty.

      • 1–4 players

        Free Play

        Any players, any court: singles or doubles, side-out or rally scoring, power-ups and gimmicks on or off.

      • 4–8 players

        Open Play

        The paddle stack, like a real park: friends rotate partners and opponents. Article 4 applies.

      • 1–4 players

        Party and practice

        King of the Court, Hot Pickle, King of the Kitchen, Festival Frenzy, the co-op Lantern Rally and the Challenge Tower.

      2–4 players · online

      Climb the Ki Rating

      Private rooms with a code, Quick Match and Ranked. Bring a couch friend into an online doubles match. Ranked feeds your Ki Rating and the world, country, friends and weekly boards. Ranked is Real Rules only: no chaos items, ever. Never lie about your rating.

      Every ranked result is replayed and checked on the server before it counts. No accounts and no free-text chat: names come from a word picker, and players under 13 are kept off public boards.

      • Kohai
      • Senpai
      • Ace
      • Sensei
      • Shihan
      • Densetsu
      1. 1Lunar Onigiri 7Japan7.812
      2. 2Speedy Plum 91United States7.645
      3. 3Quiet Thunder 17France7.508
      4. 4Sparkle Mango 3Canada7.301
      5. 5Ramen Rally 58United Kingdom6.982
      6. 6Brave Dumpling 42 youAustralia6.771

      Example board. Real ratings appear in the beta.

      08申込書Closed beta

      Sign the entry form

      We're letting debtors in a few at a time. Fill in the form and we'll email an access code when your spot opens. No fees. We're not animals.

      • The full game, in your browser
      • Shape it with your feedback (no interest charged)
      • Free during the beta

      Grand Settlement entry form: beta sign-up

      Where will you play? (optional)

      質問FAQ

      Questions

      Mika, the student council president, adjusting her glasses.
      Every answer is in the Ordinance. Article ___. Look it up.
      What can I play it on?

      The beta runs in a desktop browser: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer with a keyboard or a controller. Downloadable builds for Windows, macOS and Linux are planned and will appear on the access page when they're ready. Phones and tablets aren't supported yet.

      How much does it cost?

      The beta is free. No tax. We're not animals. Pricing for the full release hasn't been decided yet, and we'll tell beta players first.

      Who is it for?

      Teens and up: it's rated for mature humor. It's a yakuza comedy about debt, crime bosses, threats delivered very politely and a man with “31 confirmed” who won't say what. There's no gore and no real violence; the worst thing that happens is the Dock, and somebody always brings a towel. Online there's still no free-text chat, player names come from a word picker, and players under 13 are kept off public leaderboards.

      Is the pickleball real?

      Yes. The two-bounce rule, side-out or rally scoring, all three numbers in the score call. Standing in the kitchen is legal; volleying in it is a fault. Games go to 11, win by 2. And nobody in Kizuna Ward says “let”.

      What are chaos items?

      Thirteen optional clan items, from a Bribed Line Judge to the boss hopping in for a rally. They're on in Story, Party and the Festival quick match, off in Real Rules, the host's call in casual online rooms, and always off in Ranked.

      Can I use a controller?

      Yes. Standard gamepads work in the browser, and so does the keyboard. Kizuna Assist gives anyone a simpler one-button way to play.

      Can we play together on one screen?

      Yes. The story is solo or two-player couch co-op. Free Play, tournaments and party modes take up to four on one screen, and Open Play rotates up to eight people through the paddle stack.

      I have an access code. Where do I use it?

      On the access page. Enter it once and this browser remembers it for about three months.

      What do you do with my email?

      We use it to send your beta invite and launch news, nothing else. We don't sell it or share it.