1.What is "Downtown Gaki no Tsukai"?

Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで!! Dauntaun no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, lit. "Downtown's 'This is no task for kids!!'") is a Japanese variety show hosted by the popular Japanese owarai duo, Downtown. This TV program began broadcasting on October 3, 1989, and is a popular comedy show in Japan.

2.Cast

-Regular cast

• Downtown Hitoshi Matsumoto (松本人志 Matsumoto Hitoshi) and Masatoshi Hamada (浜田雅功 Hamada Masatoshi))

donwtown picture:

• Hōsei Yamasaki (山崎邦正 Yamasaki Hōsei) - He has been part of the regular cast since 1995.
• Cocorico Naoki Tanaka (田中直樹 Tanaka Naoki) and Shōzō Endō (遠藤章造 Endō Shōzō)) - They have been part of the regular cast since 1997.

-Former Regular Cast

• Jimmy Ōnishi (ジミー 大西) - He left the regular cast in 1996 to pursue a painting career. He has subsequently made several appearances in parody instructional videos that are used in the "No-Laughing" batsu games since 2005 until the latest batsu in 2010. In the videos, he either says or does things that are inane/off-the-wall, usually repeatedly, in an attempt to make the cast laugh.

-Semi-regular Cast

• Kenji Suga (菅 賢治 Suga Kenji) - Chief producer. He often appears in fake posters in the batsu games (see below), and cosplaying.
• Toshihide Saitō (斉藤 敏豪 Saitō Toshihide) - Set design, assistant director. Usually referred to by his nickname, Heipō (ヘイポー). Several sketches and games are based on his inability to stomach scary things (however silly they may be) and his perverted nature.
• Hiroshi Fujiwara (藤原 寛 Fujiwara Hiroshi) - Downtown's former manager. He is often seen cosplaying as a female character during batsu games, where he meets up with the cast and guides them through the game. During those batsu games he often makes them laugh by displaying complete incompetence in serious matters and inability to complete a coherent sentence, speaking with a ton of stuttering.
• Ameagari Kesshitai (Hiroyuki Miyasako (宮迫博之 Miyasako Hiroyuki) and Tōru Hotohara(蛍原徹 Hotohara Tōru)) - A comedy duo that has occasionally joined the regular cast.
• License (Kazuhiro Fujiwara (藤原一裕 Fujiwara Kazuhiro) and Takafumi Inomoto (井本貴史 Inomoto Takafumi)) - A comedy duo that works at the show and has occasionally joined the regular cast. Fujiwara is also known as "Vacuum Fujiwara" because of his eating ability, which is used as a running gag in some skits.
• Itsuji Itao (板尾創路 Itao Itsuji) - A member of the comedy duo 130R and former cast member of Downtown's Gottsu Ee Kanji. Usually appears in batsu games.
• Shōhei Shōfukutei (笑福亭笑瓶 Shōfukutei Shōhei) - A rakugo artist. He is also known for the ショウヘイヘイ!(Shōhei-Hey!) phrase said in the police batsu game.
• Shoji Murakami
• Moriman
• Piccadilly Umeda
• Egashira 2:50

-Other Cast

 

• Obachan Ichigo and Obachan Nigo (おばちゃん一号 and おばちゃん二号, or literally, Old Lady #1 and Old Lady #2) - Two elderly women who often appear in the batsu games, dressed in strange outfits (on one occasion they dressed as t.A.T.u.) or getting the cast into compromising positions. A running gag is that of cast members being forced to French kiss Obachan Ichigo.
• Kon-ya ga Yamada (今夜が山田 or 今夜がやまだ〜 - literally "Tonight Is Yamada!"; Real name: David Hossein) - He is the former manager of Thane Camus. He played a role as a ringside doctor in Dynamite Shikoku's wrestling matches (Dynamite being a character played by Endō). During the "No Laughing" batsu games, he says his name over and over in different variations (sometimes singing it) while the cast try to sleep. ("Kon'ya ga yama da" means "Tonight is crucial" in Japanese, but Yamada intentionally mispronounces, breaks up, or makes strange mutations of the phrase, such as "Hon'ya ga yama da", translated as "The Bookstore is crucial", etc.).
• Africa Chuou TV (アフリカ中央テレビ Director role played by Craig Nine) - A film crew consisting of a director, sound man, & camera man that supposedly comes all the way from Africa to suddenly film the members of the show. While being interviewed the Director shows cue cards for instructions such as "Show your genitals". The Director also has a tendency to cut people off in the middle of speaking, or making them extend their answers for Yes, No questions. Africa Chuou TV has appeared in various Batsu Games, New Year Specials, & Mori Man Yamazaki Wresting match.
• Hosshan (ほっしゃん。) - Another comedian that makes appearances during the batsu games. His signature trick is sticking things up his nose and coughing it out through his mouth. This gag consistently makes the cast laugh.
• Itao's "Wife" - Although not his real wives, Itao has had six different women portraying his wives throughout the series. The most popular of these, is the fourth one, Sherri. Most known in the west for her dancing along to Madonna in the Highschool Batsu. Sherri's popularity has spread beyond the downtown series.
• Ayako Nishikawa (西川史子 Nishikawa Ayako) A former Miss Japan who later became a physician. She makes a guest appearance as Heipō's "date," as the medical examiner in the police batsu game, and as the anesthesiologist in the hospital batsu game. Her roles tend to be sadistic, often used to great humorous effect. She also appeared in an episode where Endō was trying to find a "new" Chiaki through a "Chiaki Audition".
• Chiaki (千秋 Chiaki) - Endō's ex-wife (they divorced in December 2007). Chiaki usually appears in the No-Laughing batsu games, doing something cute and attempting to make the cast laugh. Since the batsu games frequently have the cast stuck in a waiting room or hotel room between skits, another running gag involves Endō being tricked into opening a desk drawer and finding several pictures of his wife in it. (In the No-Laughing High School batsu game, a recording of Endō shouting "Chiaki! I love you!" was played twice while the cast attempted to sleep, and Endō's PE shirt had "Chiaki LOVE" written in pink letters on a pink tag in lieu of his name.) During the Hospital Batsu Game, she appeared as a nurse to give Endō words of encouragement. Endō states that they had talked the night before about whether or not she had any involvement with the game and she lied to him that she didn't.
• Takahiro Matsumoto (松本隆博 Matsumoto Takahiro) - Hitoshi Matsumoto's older brother. He makes occasional appearances in the batsu games, sometimes singing and playing guitar. Not to be mistaken for guitarist Takahiro Matsumoto of the popular rock band B'z. In the Hospital Batsu Game, Hitoshi Matsumoto finds a fake book in his drawer written by his brother, titled "Hitoshi, Do You Remember These?"
• Hanako (山田花子 Yamada Hanako) - A strange girl who often tries to talk to the cast (much to their dismay) during the No-Laughing games. She often lures them into mistakenly talking to her (such as calling them to her bathroom in the No-Laughing High School game or making them open a car, only to find her terribly drunk and lingering in the back seat in the No-Laughing Police Station game) and will latch onto some part of their body when the victim tries to leave. Her years as a comedienne are often used as a running gag whenever she encounters Endō, as she has been in the entertainment business for a longer period of time.

3.Segments

Batsu Games

Perhaps the best known Gaki no Tsukai episodes are those dealing with batsu games, or punishment games, in which one or more of the cast members are subjected to after losing bets, major competition, or physical challenges.
The "No Laughing" Batsu Game itself (broadcast annually during the New Year's Holiday) was first introduced in 2003. The premise of each "No Laughing"-punishment game is, the losing members of the cast have to endure many compromising, absurd, generally ridiculous situations for a long period of time (up to 24-hours, thus far) but must refrain from laughing at any of them. Whenever someone does laugh, and he is caught by A Watcher, the announcer of the game will declare that person as having just become "out" (アウト or a-u-to in Katakana); immediately afterwards, the appropriate number of "hang-men" will come out to mete the rule breaker's punishment. (To date, this has been executed via single strikes on the buttocks {or somewhere in that area} with a weapon — one which does not change mid-game.)
To keep the Gaki no Tsukai Guys on their toes, there have been occasions where other conditions besides laughing had been set that could make them out, if fulfilled; also, the "victors" of the prelim-trial (if there are any) can make appearances during games to wreak further mischief and potentially cause even more discomfort to the losers.

ex:
Jan. 23, 1990: Havoc Maker In The Morning News
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Mar. 26, Apr. 2 & 9, 2000: 24-Hour Tag/Onigokko (鬼ごっこ)
Aug. 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2001: Haunted Hotel
Aug. 4 & 11, 2002: Matsumoto Family Rangers
Nov. 3, 2002: No-Reaction Pie Hell (ノーリアクションパイ地獄)
Jul. 27, Aug. 3, 10 & 17, 2003: No-Laughing Hot Spring Inn
Dec. 14 & 21, 2003: Hama-chan Vladivostok Back Hand
No Laughing in Yugawara (2004)
No-Laughing High School (2005)
No-Laughing Police Station (2006)
No-Laughing Hospital (2007)
No-Laughing Newspaper Agency (2008)
No-Laughing Hotel Employee (2009)
No-Laughing Spy School/Secret Agent (2010)     

the punishment:

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_no_Gaki_no_Tsukai_ya_Arahende!!