Top Anime Shows About Gambling

Top Anime Shows About Gambling

Photo: DR

Anime is a huge medium watched by almost 3.5% of the world’s entire population, and because of that it is an art form that takes ideas and garners inspiration from a lot of different sources. There is so much variety within anime, and its for this reason that there’s sure to be something for everyone to fall in love with.

For those that are fond of gambling and the glitz and glamour of the casino, you’ll be happy to find out that there is plenty fantastic anime themed on gambling that all tell unique and interesting stories. Here are some of the top anime shows that are about gambling.

Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler

This original Netflix series is perhaps one of the most complete anime about gambling and games of chance as it tells a deep story and deals with its themes in an expertly crafted way. The show spans 12 episodes and centers around a special school where pupils are evaluated not in their academic capabilities but instead on their gambling skills. Students play and battle against each other, betting their own personal finances as they compete to become the top.

The drama begins when a new pupil, Yumeko Jabami, joins the school and ruins the hierarchy due to her gambling addiction, throwing things into disarray and making plenty of enemies who want to shut her down.

It’s by far the best gambling themed show on Netflix, but due to its limited run, it’s over in a flash. To fill the void you can also check out Maple Casino Canada to get your gambling fix.

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

This is a less recent anime, airing between 2007 and 2008, but regardless of its age it holds up as a timeless classic about a protagonist who’s down on his luck and sorts out his life through gambling.

The show is an adaptation of a manga that was created all the way back in 1996 and ran until 2017. With the property being picked up by Madhouse, a 26-episode anime was created and it swiftly drummed up so much fanfare that the anime developed into a franchise with a sequel anime series being produced as well as a live-action film being created too.

What makes this show so endearing and long lasting is it’s really effective and engaging plot, as it’s super rich and full of nuance, while also portraying characters that are both believable and inspirational.

The setup is unique as well, as the main character, Kaiji, is tricked into incurring a huge debt that he needs to pay off by joining an illicit underground gambling ring on a cruise ship of all places.

Legendary Gambler Tetsuya

This anime is the oldest of the list, being almost two decades old now, but it is still a great anime even when judged from today’s perspective. It follows a gifted gambler in post WWII Japan, which itself is an interesting setting. What makes this anime unique from the other offerings is that instead of using plan skill to better opponents, Akagi, the protagonist, likes to employ dirty tactics and cheating to get ahead, making for interesting character development.

What makes this an even better anime to watch is how it’s actually based on a real life person, adding to its aura, but do know that things are romanticized a bit for entertainment value, but it’s still a gritty anime grounded in realism.

Published on 4 December 2020
Last update : 4 December 2020

This article is about...

Leave a comment

*