The definitive ranking of The Idolmaster Must Songs’ drums

The Idolmaster Must Songs is both an Idolmaster and Taiko Drum Master game, which means one thing – costumes. There are so many costumes in this game, guys. You earn them by playing and performing well. You buy them from Kotoko, after unlocking them through the Live shows. There are so many designs available. Naturally, they’re not created equal.

Which brings us to this. By the power vested in me, as one of the few English-speaking people who’s playing and writing about The Idolmaster Must Songs, I have taken it upon myself to do you a great service. I’m going to rank the drum costumes in the game.

17: Every ordinary drum.

These drums are trash. They’re free unlocks for accomplishments, and basically the worst reward ever. All of the cool drums have at least three different colors or outfits, and these use only two. There’s no personality!

16. Every two-tone drum in a hakama.

You can’t fool us! You’re boring two-tone drums in disguise!

15. Katsu

Graham will fight me on this, but I think Katsu is the inferior drum. Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen aside, where Katsu attempts to befriend animals in the story mode through drumming, he isn’t as endearing.

14. Don

As much as I love Don, this is a The Idolmaster game. He’s a star, but he’s no idol.

13. Yukiho

Flat, brown, lifeless hair.
Hairclip hidden on the side.
Boring, Yukiho!

12. Chihaya

The Chihaya drum is as boring as Yukiho drum in The Idolmaster Must Songs, but she gets points for having longer hair and a more visible hair accessory.

11. Azusa

I think the problem I have with the Azusa drum is the same problem I’ve had with the character throughout The Idolmaster series. It’s like Bandai Namco didn’t put much effort into her character design. Initially, she had long hair that was nearly identical to Chihaya’s. Then, it was cut short so it looked much more like Makoto’s. Her look is too generic. While Chihaya the human has better hair, the Azusa drum wins. The details around the sides are more interesting than Chihaya’s flat locks.

10. Makoto

Makoto is Azusa with black hair and a better looking ahoge/cowlick.

9. Miki

Miki is Makoto is Azusa. I like how her hair frames her face, though, and she has a better color palette.

8. Hibiki

I wish Hibiki’s hairclip was facing the player, but there’s a lot to like about her do. With her having such a high ponytail, you wouldn’t think that would translate to a drum costume. It does! You can clearly see the different layers between the ponytail and bangs. Plus, you can still see the rest of her outfit. It’s great.

7. Ritsuko

Truthfully? Hibiki is probably cuter in The Idolmaster Must Songs. But Ritsuko has glasses. I have glasses. Glasses are great. Meganes, unite!

6. Iori

I hate Iori. I hate her look. I hate the stuffed rabbit she always carries with her. I hate her attitude. Ugh, Iori! But, she’s actually cute in this particular game. Her hair has a fantastic part and all of the pink is perfection. Damn you, The Idolmaster Must Songs, for making me like Iori.

5. Yayoi

I wanted give the Yayoi drum a higher rank, really I did, but it’s that hair. The style is adorable, but it hides too much of her outfit. At the same time, it isn’t detailed enough to show the precious curls the human version of the character possesses. She’s great and you should definitely buy this drum costume, but she’s not the best.

4. Takane

You have got to love the Takane drum. Her hair is on point. We’ve got length, but it isn’t hiding her outfit. There are subtle curls, which flatteringly frame her face. The headband is a nice detail. She’s a lady. Drum. Lady. Next!

3. Mami

OK. Both of the Futami twins are terrible in the normal The Idolmaster games, because they have the worst, most annoying voices. (Mami is probably the most tolerable of the two.) But this isn’t a singing contest. We’re being superficial! The Mami drum is pretty cute. The only reason she isn’t sharing a slot with Ami is due to the positioning of her ponytail. We can’t properly appreciate it, so she had to be docked a few (imaginary) points.

2. Ami

Is it fair that one twin outranks the other? In the case of Ami, yes. The shades of yellow used are great and that little spring of a ponytail is adorable. Plus, she works well as a drum. She honestly makes all of those facial experiences in The Idolmaster games. It’s a perfect likeness.

1. Haruka

Ugh, Haruka. How cliche, right? Except she’s the right choice for best drum in The Idolmaster Must Songs for a reason. The colors are flattering, as is the hairstyle. There’s a nice sense of symmetry, and the bows are clearly visible. She’s such a good drum!

There you have it, the official ranking of all of The Idolmaster Must Songs’ drums. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a moment to myself after realizing I knew the names of all of The Idolmaster idols by heart.