In fact, Monster Energy Khaos was not so popular in Japan that it was bought by the case and sold out.
「I was told by one of the enthusiasts about an online article claiming that Khaos was so popular that many people were buying it by the case and it sold out, causing rumors about it being discontinued. However, the reality was different, and it actually became a topic of discussion within the fan community (^-^;)」
「So, I thought I’d leave a record of the actual situation of Monster Energy Khaos in Japan back in 2014.」
「Let’s take a look back at the state of the energy drink scene in Japan from 2014 to 2015 and the situation of Monster Energy Khaos, referring to tweets from that time.」
「For those who are familiar with the energy drink scene back then, I hope this brings back memories, and for those who didn’t know, I hope you find it interesting to learn about this little-known event.」
In reality, Khaos was just not being distributed
Unlike Pipeline Punch, which sold out due to overwhelming demand, Khaos was never bought up by the case due to its popularity. In fact, it simply disappeared from store shelves. Starting around April 2014, people began tweeting that they no longer saw it in stores across Japan.
最近、モンスターカオスを見かけなくなりました(エナジーイン
— 羽黒改Ver2.00 (@Haguro_CA) April 29, 2014
モンスターカオスこっちじゃみかけない
— 滅亡ジンオウ.net (@BlueDragonkun) April 25, 2014
そういえば最近モンスターカオスを売っているところを全く見ない
— 公共交通機関を使おう (@yasuand) May 30, 2014
@IKazuki0528swi コンビニではなかなか見かけなくなっちゃいましたよね。お酒の種類たくさん売ってる小規模スーパーみたいなとこだとたまに見かけるんですが・・・
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) June 12, 2014
何でモンスターカオスだけ打ってる店少ないの?!
— にょら (@manyb_nyora) July 28, 2014
モンスターのカオス飲みたいけど売ってへん
— J̥U̥N̥Z̥ḀB̥U̥ (@fictionalbox) July 29, 2014
モンスターカオスは今年になってから見かけませんね >RT
— 加賀 (@kaga_kancolle) July 31, 2014
それはそうと、モンスターカオスが最近どこにも売ってないんだけど
— あつあつあつあつあつあつ (@dappythedrummer) July 30, 2014
今はなかなか沖縄で見かけることがなくなったモンスターカオス。定価より安く売られている自販機があって、これ、たまにここで買って飲んでいる。 pic.twitter.com/1tHLwz2b1w
— けんせー (@kenSE69) October 14, 2014
The Truth Behind the Rumor of Monster Energy Khaos Discontinuation
So, why did the rumor about "Khaos being discontinued" spread? Here's the sequence of events:
- Starting in the spring of 2014, Khaos became less and less visible on store shelves.
- On September 21, 2014, a certain retailer's Twitter account tweeted that there were rumors about "Khaos" being discontinued (original text unchanged).
- This tweet quickly spread, and the rumor gained traction.
So, it wasn't really a case of Khaos being so popular that it sold out everywhere. Instead, it just wasn't appearing on store shelves, and the final nail in the coffin was the "rumor" tweet.
September 14, 2014, The Lack of Khaos Availability
日本でカオスが全然取り扱いないところを見るとM-80とかRIPPERは絶対解禁されないだろうね・・・どっちも果汁多くてめちゃくちゃ美味いんだけど(´・ω・`)
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) September 12, 2014
@greenkerocyan ツイートでも『カオス美味い』ってあまり見ないです(;´∀`)
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) September 12, 2014
そもそも売り場減ってますよね。プレゼントキャンペーンの購入対象から毎回外れてたり、販売元がどんな扱いしてるのか不明な点も・・・。
At that time, I was actively searching Twitter for energy drink-related topics, but I didn't see anyone talking about buying Khaos by the case or drinking it every day. It seemed like it wasn't that popular after all.
September 21, 2014, The Spread of the Rumor About Khaos Discontinuation
「Khaos」がこのまま廃番になるとの噂(原文ママ)
The "this way" part likely refers to the ongoing situation where Khaos was no longer visible on store shelves.
@HienAkasaka @monena_PSO2 明確なソースはないと思いますよ。某ショップの方がなくなるかもってウワサをツイートしたのがきっかけだと思います。
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) November 14, 2014
モンスターとアブゼロは箱も変わって国産表記になってるのにカオスは箱が昔のままでアメリカ産なんですよね。何なんでしょう
カオス販売終了はただのウワサレベルなんですけど、意外にも既に終了したようなイメージもついてしまっていて余程店頭に置いてないんだな、という印象(´・ω・`)
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) December 14, 2014
From April to December 2014, the opportunities to see Khaos gradually decreased. On Twitter, it was often discussed how it was no longer seen in stores, but instead of cases being bought up, it was more accurate to say that by the time people noticed, Khaos had naturally disappeared from store shelves.
The Expansion of Khaos Distribution in June 2015
Although Khaos temporarily disappeared from retail stores in 2014, it began to appear on store shelves again in June 2015.
Khaos Started Making a Comeback in Mid-May 2015
In fact, on April 4, 2015, I received information from someone who seemed to be connected to a convenience store chain on Twitter. Here's a brief quote:
Monster Khaos will be recommended again as a product in mid-May. The sample design hasn't changed at all, but there may be some changes.
This indicated that Khaos would be reintroduced as a recommended product in chain stores that hadn't been carrying it before. By June, Khaos began to be distributed widely across Japan again.
Monster Energy Khaos Made a Strong Comeback in June 2015
Slowly, Khaos began to appear in convenience stores, and by June 2015, it was back on store shelves nationwide. Khaos, which had previously seemed unpopular, was met with great enthusiasm when it reappeared, and I was quite surprised. I even summarized the reactions on Twitter in June 2016 on Togetter. Feel free to check it out.
⇒Monster Energy Khaos is Delicious!! Tweet Summary (June 24, 2015)
Many people tweeted about how they had enjoyed drinking Khaos again after a long time. It was a hot topic in the energy drink community when Khaos was spotted in stores at that time.
September 2015: Khaos's Juice Content Changed to 30%
In September 2015, there was talk on Twitter about the release of Khaos with 30% juice content, even though the design remained the same.商品説明は30%になってるけど商品は50% pic.twitter.com/SiDr1W0xD7
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) September 22, 2015
At that time, there was confusion between 50% and 30% juice, and people speculated that since the U.S. was moving towards lower juice content, Japan would standardize on 30% juice Khaos as well.
Khaos Sold for 69 Yen Per Bottle in a Huge Online Sale
In January 2016, a massive sale started where 50% juice Khaos was sold by the case for as low as 69 yen per bottle. The sale included several thousand cases of Khaos and other Monster Energy products, and many people bought them in bulk because of the low price. This happened more than a year after the rumor about Khaos being discontinued had spread.
For more details on the massive sale of thousands of cases, check out the summary of the sale on the page for "2016 Discount Energy Drink Sale".
From around 2014 to 2016, Twitter's energy drink community was full of information exchange and lively interaction, so looking back, it brings back a lot of memories. I hope this gives you a glimpse into the evolution of Monster Energy Khaos in Japan!
Please take this opportunity to check out related articles as well.
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Author: Energy Drink-kun
In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.