Kakegurui is a famous school anime about gambling that became very successful, even spawning a television dorama. In this article, we will talk about all the characters of Kakegurui, its story, curiosities, possible continuations, and seasons.
Table of Contents
The Story of Kakegurui
Shiritsu Hyakaou Gakuen – It is a prestigious Private School that is over 122 years old, attended by students from high-class backgrounds and the political and business world. Famous athletes, skilled individuals, and others who stand out in society.
In this school, there is a great war and hierarchy based on gambling, where the winners live like kings and the losers are put in the grinder. The story shows a newcomer named Yumeko Jabami who demonstrates how to truly play.
The young protagonist has a huge desire to gamble against the members of the Student Council, as they use strict methods that also put the gambler’s life at risk, making Yumeko Jabami excited, as she loves to take risks and face danger.
Why Watch Kakegurui?
The highlight of the anime is the drama of the characters who are addicted to always gambling, addressing real themes such as gambling and casinos, with psychological suspense present. Each character that appears in the anime imposes peculiar penalties.
The anime shows competitiveness, coldness, luck, psyche, victory, social psychology, game theory, and emotions, diminishing others, madness, cheating, and deception. These are the main values of the controversial Kakegurui.
Its theme shows viewers the reality that our society has been living for years, especially for people who are compulsive and addicted to gambling, gaming, among other vices. Wild characters that interact with brute force.
All Kakegurui Mangas
Kakegurui is a shounen manga series written by Homura Kawamoto and initially illustrated by Toru Naomura, published in Gangan Joker since 2014. Since then, the work has had several mangas and some spin-offs, see below:
Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>
| Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler | 2014 |
| Kakegurui Twin | 2015 |
| Kakegurui Midari | 2017 |
| Kakegurui Yorozu | 2017 |
| Kakegurui Kakkokari | 2016 |
| Kakegurui Joker (Light Novel) | 2019 |
| Kakegurui Trip (Light Novel) | 2017 |
Here’s a brief overview of what each of these Kakegurui mangas is about:
- Kakegurui Twin – Focuses on the life of Mary Saotome before the main story of the anime;
- Kakegurui Midari – The manga focuses on the character Midari Ikishima;
- Kakegurui Yorozu – An anthology of the Kakegurui manga by various mangakas;
- Kakegurui Kakkokari – A spin-off that shows the daily life of Kakegurui characters;
All Kakegurui Characters
Now let’s take a look at each character from Kakegurui:
Ryouta Suzui
Ryota Suzui is initially a “pochi“, a title given to boys who fall below average and are almost always mistreated, especially by Mary, who made him her slave. However, after Jabami arrives at the institution, the young man’s life changes.
Ryota has immense gratitude for Yumeko. Suzui always shows concern for Jabami, as the girl loves to take risks in gambling, and he fears the worst. Early on, they become friends, but it is always the young woman who is gambling.
Yumeko Jabami
Yumeko Jabami [夢子 蛇喰] is the protagonist who has a great talent for discovering cheating in gambling. At the beginning of the story, the girl meets Suzui, who becomes the character’s best friend throughout the plot.
She possesses immense courage, always finds herself betting high amounts and does not care about losing money, considering it merely a detail compared to the thrill she feels when taking risks in games — which is, for her, the most important thing.
Moreover, Yumeko, during the first season, faced the members of the Student Council, who are the best gamblers in the school, as they use strict methods during their bets. Of course, she is not an invincible character.
Yumeko has pale skin, long black hair with a brownish style, and brown eyes. Her eyes are sometimes seen turning red in the anime and manga when she gets excited. She appears to be around 17 to 20 years old.
The name “Yumeko” [夢子] can mean “daughter of dreams,” and “Jabami” [蛇喰] means “snake.”
Mary Saotome
Mary Saotome started as an antagonist who lost a bet to the protagonist and became a “mike” (a type of slave). In an attempt to regain her reputation, she bet against a member of the Student Council but lost.
Yumeko Jabami and Mary Saotome become friends. The girl is explosive and proud, but on some occasions, she shows a cuter and more delicate side, typical of tsundere characters.
Kirari Momobami
Kirari Momobami is the head of the student council, creator of several school rules, including the Mike Dog system. She is adored by many students and members of the Student Council, some see her as a “deity.”
Kirari Momobami has great influence in the school as part of the “Bami Clan”; in addition to being president of the Student Council, she manages its financial income, thus, the clan leader has privileges and obedience from other members of the school system.
The council president has a twin sister named Ririka Momobami, who serves as vice-president of the system. She is her right-hand woman regarding the clan and the school council, and she wears a mask to hide her face.
List of Kakegurui Characters
Below we have a complete list of Kakegurui characters from the First and Second seasons. The acronym [CE] indicates that the character was or is a member of the student council of Hyakkaou Academy.
- Ryouta Suzui
- Yumeko Jabami
- Kirari Momobami [CE]
- Mary Saotome
- Itsuki Sumeragi [CE]
- Jun Kiwatari
- Kaede Manyuda [CE]
- Kumagusu
- Midari Ikishima [CE]
- Nanami Tsubomi
- Ririka Momobami [CE]
- Runa Yomozuki [CE]
- Saori
- Sayaka Igarashi [CE]
- Shinnouji
- Yumemi Yumemite [CE]
- Yuriko Nishinotouin [CE]
- Rei Batsubami
- Erimi Mushibami
- Girl
- Horo Jomaru
- Ibara Obami
- Inaho Yamato
- Itsuki Sumeragi [CE]
- Miri Youbami
- Miroslava Honebami
- Miyo Inbami
- Rin Obami
- Rumia Uru
- Yumi Totobami
Who Makes Up the Kakegurui Student Council?
The student council is made up of elite members who have never lost their bets in games, thus gaining reputation at the expense of others. The student council primarily obeys the “Bami Families.”
This system is above everyone in the school, especially the middle and lower classes, not to mention that all “pets” must obey the student council. However, the system is under the absolute control of the council president.
The council is formed by Kirari Momobami, president, Ririka Momobami, vice-president, Sayaka Igarashi, Runa Yomozuki, Kaede Manyuda, Yumemi Yumemite, Midari Ikishima, Yurika Nishinotouin, and Itsuki Sumeragi.
All those mentioned form the student council. [Spoiler] All were defeated by the newcomer Yumeko Jabami, but the president declared a tie with the newcomer.
My Opinion on Kakegurui
Honestly, I didn’t like it much… Its success was probably due to the great exposure on Netflix, as I personally find the anime to be a big exaggeration, and I prefer works like Liar Game and Kaiji that have the same style, without elevated madness and exaggeration.
When this anime was announced, I created a lot of hype, imagining it would be similar to Liar Game and Kaiji, but I was quite disappointed; a lot of things were confusing in the first episodes, and after some exaggeration and fanservice, I decided to drop it.
Of course, after giving it a second chance and watching the dorama, I managed to gain some affection for the work. It really adheres to the conventional clichés of shounen school anime, unlike the works I mentioned that are seinen. Perhaps this affected my judgment.
I love the gambling genre, or even trivial games, but taking them and placing them in a school full of lunatics with lust makes absolutely no sense. I’m tired of animes that repeat the Ecchi + school formula.
Still, many loved the anime, even my father, so here’s the recommendation. The work has very beautiful art, they manage to express the characters’ reactions well to all the events in the anime. Only a few episodes falter the entire work due to the plot.
Will There Be a Third Season of Kakegurui XXX?
Kakegurui XX, the second season of the anime series, ended without a true conclusion to the story, leaving fans of the series in suspense. Let’s analyze to see if there is a chance for a third season of the anime.
Kakegurui received a score of around 7.5 on MAL, an average score, but enough to earn new seasons. Netflix has taken hold of the streaming, and the marketing for Kakegurui is also huge, even investing in casinos.
For now, the anime does not have enough material for a new season; it is believed that after volume 15 this may happen. Perhaps Kakegurui season 3 will be released in early 2021 to late 2021.
The average sales of the manga are quite high, surpassing 100,000 units. The author is simultaneously writing other versions and spin-offs of the manga, which may further delay the main story. Patience, thanks to its success, we will see a third season of Kakegurui.
What Does the Word Kakegurui Mean?
The term Kakegurui can convey the idea of a compulsive gambler. I have a small notion of the origin of the word; I believe that kakegurui [賭ケグルイ] is actually [賭家狂い] written with Japanese ideograms.
The first ideogram [賭] literally means to bet. There is a noun called kake [賭け] that means bet or gamble. We also have the verb kakeru [賭ける] which means to risk, bet, or play. Both expressions can create kakegurui.
I personally believe that the ideogram [家] can fit with the meaning of something professional and specialized, but it could simply be the noun kake followed by gurui [狂い]. It is impossible to know because the name of the anime is in katakana.
I personally think that if it were kake [賭け], we wouldn’t have just [賭] in kanji followed by a word in katakana. It was difficult to grasp the official meaning of this term; I found a lot of jokes like “Excited children discover gambling.”
Now the highlight of the title is gurui [狂い] which means madness, insanity, irregularity, deviation, and confusion. Referring to the lunatic and crazy characters of the anime. In other words, Kakegurui literally means mad gambling.
Glossary of Kakegurui Terms
Below we will share some terms and words that we found in the Kakegurui anime:
Kachiku [家畜] – Livestock
The common name for a student who is considered by the student body as a “non-cooperative tendency student.” There is no veto power, and if they disobey, they will be retaliated against by the student council.
When students accumulate a lot of debt, they are forced to wear a tag with a rating around their neck saying “Potty” for boys and “Mike” for girls, both are treated discriminately in school.
Students can end their “livestock” status by paying a “special deposit” of 1 million yen to the Student Council.
Life Plan – Jinsei keikaku-hyō
The life plan is called Jinsei keikaku-hyō [人生計画表] and is a penalty for debtors who cannot pay their debts. Thus, the student council chooses their school after graduation, who they will marry, and even their children.
Furthermore, the student council will not collect the debt unless the “Life Plan Letter” is withdrawn. The plan is set to be paid after graduation from school, so if the money is reimbursed before that, it will not be executed.
In other words, if you gamble and lose, you have until the end of school to pay your debt; otherwise, your future will be predetermined, and you may be forced to marry someone older or work in something you don’t like.
Other Terms
Gyanburu [ギャンブル] – Means Bet, the main pivot of the story. There is a whole hierarchy and money betting system among the students of the school created by the anime’s student council.
Momobami Clan – The Momokuro family, led by Kirari Momokuro, is the head of the Momokuro family, which has many branches, and many of them have reached high positions in society. There is always a “0” in the surname; the Snake Bugger family of Snake Bugger Yumeko is also a branch of the family.
Better Animes than Kakegurui
As I mentioned, I prefer animes like Liar Game and Kaiji, but perhaps many do not know these works, so let’s talk about them now. Maybe by watching these works, you can understand why I didn’t like Kakegurui that much.
Kaiji – The Gambling Anime
In this anime, the protagonist Kaiji is in debt to the Mafia; in order to pay it off, he boards a ship where gambling games test his mental skills. The game has a very large psychological plot, and the bets become increasingly deadly.
This takes the first position in gambling games, but many stopped watching due to the traits that may be uncharismatic at first. I ignored it for years because of that, but when I gave it a chance, I loved the anime!
In Kakegurui, they practically repeat Kaiji, only without strategy and without real tension in the games. If you really want to feel what Kakegurui tried to convey in its work, watch Kaiji without fail. There are two seasons!
Liar Game
Unfortunately, there is no anime of Liar Game, but we have a manga and dorama, both are good. The premise is similar to Kaiji, the difference is that it involves money and debts instead of life itself.
The games are designed to win based on lies, but the innocent protagonist cannot lie, distorting the entire objective of the game, but in the end, everything works out because of the genius of another protagonist. It is truly a very good dorama.
The manga has a very dark atmosphere, the games are well elaborated and intelligent, it even makes you want to play these games in real life. The work is full of mystery and keeps you hooked from start to finish. Make an effort to watch the dorama or read Liar Game.
No Game no Life
This anime manages to use clichés, ecchi, and fan service without being appealing and while maintaining the intelligence of the characters. This work of art made by a Brazilian shows two siblings entering a world where everything is resolved with trivial games.
A very successful anime and Light Novel worldwide that also got a very emotional movie, is also available on Netflix and shows how to make an anime about games and gambling. You have probably already watched it; if not, I recommend it!
I don’t want to give too much spoiler of this work of art, but let’s just say the protagonists need to lead the simple and weak human race to win against other races that have powers, strength, and superhuman abilities in territorial disputes.
Other Gambling Animes
There is another anime and work by the same author of Kaiji called Akagi, with a similar premise, but concerning the game Mahjong. We also have an OVA of the manga Usogui, and various Mahjong works like Shoubushi Densetsu Tetsuya.
Below I will leave a list of Animes and Mangas about Gambling similar to Kakegurui:
- Rio: Rainbow Gate!
- Tobaku Haouden Rei
- Gamble Fish;
- Dongwa Gwolleyok;
- Mardock Scramble;
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