Kaiji
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Kaiji  | ||||||
Series information
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Kaiji is a manga series by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. One of the most classic and well-known manga about gambling, it tells the story of Kaiji Itou, an unemployed loser who wastes his days and money on gambling, and vandalizes expensive cars to release his frustration. One day, Kaiji finds out that a friend of his ran away dumping a large debt on his shoulders. To pay off the debt, he is encouraged to board the gambling ship Espoir. This marks the beginning of Kaiji's descent into an insane gambling underworld.
Series
The series consists of the following parts:
- Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji, chapters 1-158 (1996-1999)
- Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji, chapters 1-134 (2000-2004)
- Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji, chapters 1-131 (2004-2008)
- Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: Kazuya-hen, chapters 1-100 (2009-2012)
- Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: One Poker-hen, chapters 101-255 (2013-2017)
- Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: 24 Oku Dasshutsu-hen (2017-present)
The manga is published by the Japanese company Kodansha.
Characters
See also: List of Kaiji characters
- Kaiji Itou (Lead Mastermind): Normally a naive and gullible fool with no motivation, Kaiji comes alive in high-stakes gambles, revealing his talent as a gambling prodigy.
- Yuuji Endou (Specialist): A ruthless loan shark who appears before Kaiji to collect a debt from a loan that Kaiji co-signed for a friend, and who arranges his participation in the gambling match at the Espoir.
The Battle of Wits
See also: List of Tricks in Kaiji
The plot of Kaiji consists mainly of a series of high-stakes gambles that the titular character gets himself involved into. Many of these gambles are designed as variants of popular games, like mahjong or poker, but with unusual twists that give rise to novel strategies. Another major aspect of these gambles is that their stakes are usually incredibly high. Some are for enormous amounts of money, while others involve betting body parts or even one's life.
Related titles
Other manga by Fukumoto
- Akagi: Fukumoto's other famous gambling manga, with similar high stakes but focusing entirely on mahjong rather than switching between different games.
- Gin to Kin: A previous manga that, unlike Kaiji or Akagi, doesn't focus exclusively on gambling, but more generally in a number of different underworld dealings. However, several of the story arcs do involve gambling, including poker and mahjong games.
- Tobaku Haouden Zero: A more recent gambling manga, also featuring a variety of games, some of which also require the protagonist to risk his life. The games are less connected with traditional gambles than the ones in Kaiji.
Manga by other authors
- Liar Game: A manga by Shinobu Kaitani that shares the theme of regular people being forced into high-stakes games by a ruthless organization, risking falling into enormous debt.
- Tomodachi Game: Another manga where people are forced to compete in a series of games with the chance to either win money or fall into debt. It is likely to have taken some inspiration from Kaiji, with a later arc taking place in a gambling ship similar to the Espoir.
