Best Anime and Manga about Gambling

Gambling is an ancient theme of storytelling that is often explored in Japanese culture. The country's modern anime industry has taken up this tradition. Over the years countless stories about gambling are told through the magic of Manga. Culturally, Japan’s history has been greatly impacted by games of chance. In fact, some of the most popular manga and anime tell the stories of people who engage with various games where there is luck of the draw, conniving, and not least, a fair degree of skill. Like any storytelling forms, some of these manga and anime really showcase the theme well. Today we will discuss a few of our favorites that are also considered to be some of the best:

●Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler

●Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

●Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai

Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler

Taking chances is not always frowned upon in Japanese culture and reflects an entirely different mindset regarding games of chance. In fact gambling is part of some of the country's most successful manga and anime. One excellent example is Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler. Set in, what can only be described as, a dystopian world, the main character, Homura Kawamoto joins the infamous Hyakkaou Private Academy. It is at this, seemingly inconspicuous, academy where the world's elite are taught to cheat their way through life or more accurately how to use various ploys to get what they want.

The school is run by a feudal-like system where students learn games of chance and then face each other off in duels. The losing party becomes a "serf" to the other and may only extricate themselves unless they achieve victory against their master. Homura, the protagonist, is a talented and quiet school girl who has entered the academy not on privilege but through a scholarship. She immediately incurs the sneers of her "betters," but you better wait for it because Homura has an outstanding talent that will take her to the very top of the Hyakkoku Private Academy’s pecking order before long!

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

In Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor the main character, Kaiji, does not seem like much at first glance. However, he does have a knack for playing cards. The story follows him as he moves in and out of various gambling parlors. Win or lose, Kaiji is always happy so long as he can have quick swill. However, he is tricked into debt and he has to travel on a cruise where he will play various games of skills to better his situation. The inspirational story is one of the best we have read and watched and you will definitely want to see it for yourself.

Today, many players follow Kaiji's example by visiting some of the best Japanese online casinos to have a shot at great games. You don't have to be as reckless as Kaiji though and can take your gaming in moderation, enjoying every card dealt and moment, and every spin of the slot. And remember, alcohol and gaming never mix well together so remember to be moderate about your hobby, too, and only follow Kaiji insofar as winning goes.

Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai

Japan is recovering from World War II and poverty is rampant. So how does Shigeru Akagi, our protagonist, decide to cope with it all? By playing mahjong poker of course! In the period after the war, mahjong parlours sprung all over the place and people had a chance to better their fortune by challenging rich elites to play against them. Many of those were Yakuza members, who would take on any gamble and, in many cases, try to cheat poor souls out of what little money they had. Well, for Shigeru Akagi the fraudulent practices of Yakuza were no issue at all.

In fact, he turns out to be a prodigy at mahjong which quickly puts him in a great situation – were it not for the fact that the police were after him and that a Yakuza boss has challenged him to a game over the life of a down-on-his-luck gambler, Nangou. This anime is one of the absolute best in the genre and you will not want to skip a beat of it! The show is pretty intense and you will definitely root for Akagi, no matter what his chosen profession in life is.

There are many great examples of fantastic manga and anime that come from Japan and you will be happy to try all of it! We, however, only recommend you to read the best ones and if gambling is your thing, you will find the ones here to be an absolute blast! Netflix already has many of these available so don't hesitate to give it a shot!