Anime is a popular kind of entertainment, with an estimated 3.5 percent of the global population watching it on a regular basis. There are hundreds of great series to watch, ranging from Bleach to Naruto to Death Note. Today, we’ll discuss the finest gambling anime available and why we enjoy it. Whether you enjoy taking risks or not, this selection of the best five anime about gambling will appeal to you.
Kakegurui — Gambling Addict
Title: Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler
Aired: Jul 1, 2017 – Sep 23, 2017
Episodes: 12
Theme: Shounen, Gambling School, Compulsive Gambling, Game, Mystery, Psychological, Drama, School, Shounen
Available to Watch On: Netflix
Kakegurui, out of all the anime about gambling you can come across, nails the nail on the head. The whole Netflix series is based on Homura Kawamoto’s gambling manga series. The narrative takes place in Hyakkaou Private Academy, a high school where students are only judged on their gambling abilities.
The academy’s purpose, as strange as it may seem, is to create future leaders and professionals entirely based on their ability to outperform their colleagues in various gambling games. Students bring their own money to school and are either successful or fail and become enslaved by others.
In an even worse twist of destiny, every student who fails to rise through the Kakegurui hierarchy is labeled a “house pet.” Yumeko Jabami, a lovely first-year transfer student with a terrible secret, enters the picture. She didn’t join Hyakkaou for the money or the prestige. She is a compulsive gambler who derives real pleasure from it.
It doesn’t matter what form it takes or how large a risk she’s taking. Yumeko simply wants to keep playing, and it is this desire to play games of chance that have put her in a position where she is threatening the school’s established hierarchy. The student council will try to shut Yumeko down since she is an adversary, but Yumeko has far too many tricks up her sleeve.
This is without a doubt the finest gambling anime on Netflix right now, and the program has already generated two excellent seasons.
Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
Title: Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor AKA Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji
Aired: Oct 3, 2007 – Apr 2, 2008
Episodes: 26
Theme: Game, Psychological, Thriller, Seinen, Gambling, Gambling Debt
Available to Watch On: Crunchyroll
Kaiji was initially published in 1996 as a manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto and remained in publication until 2017. Meanwhile, Madhouse bought up the brand and turned it into the 26-episode anime television series Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, though the developers originally planned to title it Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji.
Following the show’s positive response, Nippon TV chose to telecast a sequel, Kaiji: Against All Rules, which was equally well-received by fans. The property was adapted into a live-action film trilogy to fulfill the fan base, with the first film, Kaiji, being released in October 2009.
Kaiji 2 was released in November 2009, and it would take another nine years for Kaiji: Final Game to be released in January 2020. But why has the program lasted for over two decades? The storyline holds the key.
The protagonist, Kaiji Itou, is a down-on-his-luck thug who spends much of his days intoxicated. Kaiji is forced to sober up and join an illegal, underground gambling ring aboard a cruise ship after being duped by an ill-intentioned acquaintance.
There’s a lot of gambling going on, and there aren’t a few violent clashes that force Kaiji to adjust to his new life, which is full of hazards. The narrative is deep and intriguing, and Kaiji’s character is both believable and motivating to everyone who wants to clean up their act.
Legendary Gambler Tetsuya
Title: Legendary Gambler Tetsuya AKA The Legends of Gambler: Tetsuya
Aired: Oct 7, 2000 – Mar 24, 2001
Episodes: 20
Theme: Game, Historical, Shounen, Gambling, Cheating
Available to Watch On: N/A
Originally released as a manga series called The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya from 1997 to 2005, and then aired as Legendary Gambler Tetsuya from October 2000 to March 2001. Tetsuya follows a traditional master-disciple relationship in which the pupil outperforms the teacher.
Tetsuya, a talented gambler in post-World War II Japan who plays mahjong in Shinjuku City, is the protagonist of the anime series. Despite his brilliance, Tetsuya isn’t averse to using all of his abilities to win. Other gambling animes, such as Akagi, employ cunning mind tricks to overcome opponents, whereas Tetsuya wants to cheat whenever the opportunity arises. “It’s only cheating when you get caught,” he says. It’s a winning plan till then.”
To add even more spice to the drama, Tetsuya is based on the true story of gambler Takehiro Irokawa, who earned the moniker Hourouki Mahjong. Naturally, the anime romanticizes a little, so don’t accept everything at face value, but the gritty reality imbued in the anime is one of the reasons Legendary Gambler Tetsuya works.
With unlicensed mahjong parlors delivering illusory succor to a destroyed country, Japan is presented in all of its postwar reality. Nonetheless, the program conjures both optimism and sadness, the characters are genuine, and the animation has a distinct feel to it.
Legendary Gambler Tetsuya’s professional gamblers aren’t afraid to cheat. In fact, cheating was seen as a definite talent attribute in those days, and pros would race against each other to find out the other’s approach since the other party had already done so. All of this combines to create Legendary Gambler Tetsuya one of the most engrossing gambling animes available today.
Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai
Title: Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai AKA Akagi AKA Akagi: The Genius Who Descended into Darkness
Aired: Oct 5, 2005 – Mar 29, 2006
Episodes: 12
Theme: Gambling, Mahjong, Game, Psychological, Gambling Strategy
Available to Watch On: Netflix
Another anime involving gambling is Akagi, which takes place after WWII. With Japan still reeling from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Akagi centers on the narrative of Shigeru Akagi, a young kid who plays mahjong with Yakuza members and defeats them at the tender age of 13.
Akagi swiftly demonstrates his abilities by rescuing Nangou, a compulsive gambler who has amassed a debt of three million dollars. In a last-ditch effort to redeem his identity, he stakes his life on defeating the mafia in one final game that swiftly develops into a race to the brink.
However, Akagi comes just in time to give Nangou some somewhat bizarre counsel that pays off, and he is no longer in debt. After that, Akagi sits down to play himself, and everyone quickly sees that the young man is a prodigy on his way to becoming one of the country’s most recognized gamblers.
But Akagi has his own issues: he’s on the run from the cops. We feel this is one of the greatest gambling animes available today, since it tells the narrative of a street urchin who gets a better life via his aptitude at mahjong, a goal for many in post-World War II Japan.
Before the show debuted in 2005, the character of young Akagi was featured in two live-action films in 1995 and 1997, and later in a live TV drama between 2015 and 2017.
Saki
Title: Saki
Aired: Apr 6, 2009 – Sep 28, 2009
Episodes: 25
Theme: Gambling, Gambling Strategy, Mahjong, Gambling School, School Girl Gambling, Psychological
Available to Watch On: Crunchyroll
Saki is a fantastic gambling anime that incorporates elements from Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler and Akagi. Saki Miyanaga is a high school student who despises mahjong, a game that has had a terrible impact on her life in the past. However, her friend Kyoutarou Suga introduces her to the school’s mahjong club, and young Saki unwittingly demonstrates her knack for detecting patterns and excelling at the game.
Despite Saki’s best efforts, the club’s president, Hisa Takei, notices Saki’s promise. Saki’s strength is her unique playing style, which offers her an advantage. That inadvertently earns her the enmity of Nodoka Haramura, a skilled club member and the previous year’s champion.
Saki gradually overcomes her apprehensions about mahjong during the program and chooses to create a new aim for herself: to win national tournaments. Saki’s newfound enthusiasm for the game is fueled by her relationship with Haramura, with whom she makes up.
Saki says that it’s not so much about gambling. It’s all about recognizing patterns. True, Saki has its serious moments, but the anime is a lighthearted and enjoyable spectacle that has earned a reputation as one of the finest gambling animes of all time, and for good reason.
As a continuation of the original work, the manga series written and drawn by Ritz Kobayashi, the program was televised by Gonzo and shown on TV Tokyo in 2009.
The Origins of Anime and Why Is It So Popular?
Anime is one of the most well-known cultural phenomena that Japan has ever produced. Whether or not you are interested in Japanese culture, anime will captivate you from the first minute you see a show you enjoy, whether it is Naruto or Full Metal Alchemist. The history of the business can be traced all the way back to the 19th century, when Utushi-e or magic lanterns were used to create the appearance of moving pictures.
However, the first anime film was Momotar: Umi no Shinpei, which was released in 1945 during World War II. With the foundation of Toei Animation and Mushi Production, one of the country’s oldest animation companies, things began to take up, paving the door for many more to follow.
The genre’s adaptability has allowed anime to appeal to a wide range of tastes, from horror to epic sagas, fighting to high school animes. The anime business in Japan was valued $19 billion per year in 2019.
There have been approximately 11,000 distinct series cataloged since the industry began televising programs in the mid-20th century, with some reaching hundreds of episodes, such as Bleach and Naruto.
More Animes Where Gambling Is Touched Upon
While there aren’t as many anime gambling episodes as you might expect, there are plenty of other series where gambling and chance play a factor in the storyline. Gambling does not have to be a part of the storyline in order to appreciate a well-made anime series. Let’s take a look at a few of these programs that you won’t want to miss.
Naruto
Title: Naruto
Aired: Oct 3, 2002 – Feb 8, 2007
Episodes: 220
Theme: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Super Power, Martial Arts, Shounen
Available to Watch On: Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Funimation
So much can be said about Naruto. The anime premiered on October 3, 2020, and quickly became a hit, with 220 episodes chronicling the exploits of the titular protagonist, his allies, and foes. Naruto, a small infant who was used as a human container to confine the fearsome Nine-Tails Fox that invaded his native town of Konoha, is the focus of the show’s narrative.
Naruto will meet several new characters during the series, including Tsunade, the haughty granddaughter of Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki. Tsunade also knows of a rare technique called as the Rasengan, which Naruto sets out to perfect rapidly despite his lack of aptitude.
Tsunade also has another interesting side: she’s a compulsive gambler, but this isn’t depicted in the anime in broad strokes.
Death Note
Title: Death Note
Aired: Oct 4, 2006 – Jun 27, 2007
Episodes: 37
Theme: Mystery, Police, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller, Shounen
Available to Watch On: Netflix, Hulu, HBO
Death Note is a dramatic and scary anime in which good and evil battle it out, but the borders between them blur swiftly. Light Yagami, a bright young high school student, stumbles into a “Death Note” after wishing to have the ability to correct the wrongs committed by criminals.
Ryuk, an undead ghost that can only be seen by people who have come into touch with the book, drops the “Death Note.” After seeing a news story on criminals, Light decides to add their names to the Death Note. The detainees die of a heart attack very immediately, because there is a catch.
The individual whose name is signed into the Death Note will die of a heart attack unless the reason for death is indicated. While Light is first unaware of his newfound power, Ryuk appears and explains the significance of the object he has discovered.
Young Light goes on a killing rampage, and the Japanese start calling him “Kira,” which is the transliterated term for “killer.”
But not everyone believes he’s a hero. Light has been tracked down by the mystery investigator identified only by the letter L. (L. Lawliet).
L. wants young Light to assist with the inquiry because he suspects him, and so the big bet starts. So, which will come first? Will Light use the “Death Note” to finish off L., or will detective Lawliet discover the proof he needs to put an end to Light’s insidious murdering spree?
Keep an eye on “Death Note” to see if this risk turns out.
One Outs
Title: One Outs
Aired: Oct 8, 2008 – Apr 1, 2009
Episodes: 25
Theme: Sports, Psychological, Seinen, Compulsive Gambling
Available to Watch On: N/A
One Outs has brilliantly conveyed Japan’s deep-rooted affection for baseball, a game from the other side of the Pacific that has permeated the country’s culture. Toua Tokuchi, the protagonist of this gambling anime, is one of these gifted individuals who have taken it upon themselves to cultivate the finest baseball talent.
Tokuchi, a professional athlete by trade but a reckless gambler by nature, was recruited by Hiromichi Kojima’s Saikyou Saitama Lycaons. Tokuchi, who excels at the game of One Outs, has the ability to lead the slamming squad to the top.
Tsuneo Saikawa, the team’s owner, however, does not want his squad to be too successful since he is trying to make money. When presented with the request to lose on purpose, Tokuchi responds by offering Saikawa a unique deal. Toua will earn five million dollars for each “out,” but every run he allows will cost him fifty million dollars.
This anime about baseball gambling may appear predestined, but there are plenty of story surprises to keep you on your toes, so don’t miss out.
Gambling Animes: It’s Never about the Gambling
While gambling is a prevalent theme or at least a pattern in anime, it is more of a cultural issue than the anime concentrating on gambling on purpose. Mahjong was a significant aspect of Japan’s postwar reality, and many individuals went to illicit gambling parlors in a desperate attempt to improve their fortunes. Many have fallen short.
Thankfully, the harsh reality of animes about gambling only goes so far, and the heroes are always victorious, which serves as a useful reminder that we owe it to everyone around us not to be the cause of such stupidity ever again.
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