Anime has grown to become one of the most popular forms of entertainment around the world. There are so many great anime shows you can watch right now, from fan-favourites like Naruto to darker shows like Death Note. In this article, though, we are going to focus on the best casino-themed anime.
Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
As with many of the best anime, Kaiji was first introduced as a manga before it was picked up by Madhouse and turned into a 26-episode anime series. After its original run, the show was aired as a series sequel called Kaiji:Against All rules and later adapted into two movies. The final entrance into this list was the last movie, Kaiji:Final Game.
The franchise follows Kaiji Itou who is forced to get into the illicit world of underground gambling after incurring a huge debt. One of the franchise’s central themes is gambling, with the main protagonist forced to do whatever it takes to survive in the world he has been thrust into.
The franchise was able to air for so long and be adapted into so many formats because of the engaging and rich storyline of all the formats. Kaiji is also inspirational and believable as a character as he embodies the spirit of wanting to better one’s life, no matter what form that takes.
Kakegurui
Kakegurui is a show all about gambling and is adapted from a manga series written by Homura Kawamoto. The story revolved around a high school where the pupils’ abilities are gauged on how good their gambling skills are.
The Hyakkaou Private Academy’s goal is to nurture future professionals and leaders and to be the best, the students have to compete against each other and beat their peers in different games. Students have to bring money to school and play against their peers. Because of this, the school functions a lot like a casino. If they are successful, they are hailed, and if they are not, they are shunned.
Yumeko Jabami is the main character who has not joined the school to rise the ranks but instead to gamble. She threatens the established hierarchy in the school and has to be shut down. The tricks she keeps coming up with to avoid being shut down are what makes the anime so immersing.
Saki
Saki Is very similar to Kakegurui as it features a protagonist who is not well-liked due to her gambling skills. Saki, our main protagonist, has been affected by mahjong in the past. However, she is really talented at the game and when she is introduced to the game at school, she ends up dominating.
This is because Saki has a talent for patterns, which makes her great at the game. The protagonist is Nodoka Haramura, a talented Mahjong player who does not like the new player outshining them.
While there aren’t as many casino-themed anime as some of us would like, the shows available provide a great mix of intrigue, rivalry, sportsmanship, comradery, and friendship. Although the casino theme is part of these anime shows, you can still enjoy them if these themes do not dictate their full plots.