is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tōru Naomura. It began serialization in

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

's '' Gangan Joker'' in March 2014, with its chapters additionally collected into eighteen volumes as of July 2024. In North America, the manga has been licensed for English-language release by

Yen Press Yen Press is an American manga, graphic novel and light novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, ...

. The series has also inspired numerous

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

manga, including a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

titled '' Kakegurui Twin''. The story of ''Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler'' takes place at Hyakkaou Private Academy, a prestigious school with a student hierarchy developed through

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

. Yumeko Jabami is a transfer student with a

gambling addiction Problem gambling, ludopathy, or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to DSM-5 if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological ga ...

. By counteracting the

cheating Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert or disobey rules in order to obtain unfair advantages without being noticed. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given pr ...

methods of other gamblers, Yumeko disrupts the students' success and status. An anime television series adaptation by

MAPPA is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo (formerly in Suginami, Tokyo). Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including '' Terror in Resonance'', '' Yuri!!! on I ...

aired in Japan from July to September 2017. A second season, titled ''Kakegurui ××'', aired from January to March 2019. The

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series has been licensed and streamed by

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outside of Japan. Two

light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...

s based on the manga have been released by Square Enix in August 2017 and March 2019, respectively. A live-action drama adaptation aired in Japan from January to March 2018, while a second season aired in April 2019. A

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

adaptation was released in November 2018, but it became inaccessible after its servers were closed down in March 2020. A

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

featuring the same actors from the drama premiered in May 2019. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the film premiered in June 2021.

Synopsis

Setting

''Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler'' is set at a high-class elite school housing the children of Japan's wealthiest and most influential people, with many future leaders and professionals among the student body. However, the student hierarchy in this school is not determined by

academic performance Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's deg ...

or athletic ability, but rather by

. Students are ranked by their monetary contributions to the

Student Council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...

, which fuels an intricate gambling system where students freely bet their fortunes against one another after class. Those who win earn popularity, prestige and connections, while those who lose and fall into debt become

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

to the whims of the remainder of the student body known as Pets, nicknamed "Fido" or "Mittens" ("Pochi" or "Mike" in the original) depending on gender and identified with a collar-like tag around their necks. Pets who are unable to clear their debts by the graduation receive "Life Schedules" which dictate their futures as they work to pay off their debts.

Premise

Second-year student Yumeko Jabami is, at first glance, a beautiful, cheerful and intelligent high school girl who recently transferred to Hyakkaou Private Academy, but deep inside she is a compulsive gambler who simply gambles for the thrill of it, unlike the rest of the students from Hyakkaou who do so for financial or social gain. Unrestrained by rules or logic, and with an exceptional observation ability to see through gambling scams, she quickly disrupts the hierarchy of the school, drawing the attention of the Student Council, especially its president, Kirari Momobami, who takes interest in Yumeko.

Media

Manga

Written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tōru Naomura, the

series ''Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler'' began its serialization in

's '' Gangan Joker'' anthology magazine on March 22, 2014. Square Enix has compiled and published its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was published on October 22, 2014. As of July 22, 2024, eighteen volumes have been released. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

2015,

announced that they had licensed the manga for English-language release in North America.

Spin-offs

series, titled '' Kakegurui Twin'', focused on Mary Saotome prior to the main story, is written by Kawamoto and illustrated by Kei Saiki. It began serialization in Square Enix's ''Gangan Joker'' on September 21, 2015. It ended on May 22, 2023. The manga has been licensed by Yen Press. A 4-panel comedy spin-off written by Kawamoto and illustrated by Taku Kawamura, titled , was serialized in ''Gangan Joker'' from December 22, 2016, to September 22, 2022. Its chapters are collected and published by Square Enix into individual volumes. The first volume was published on June 22, 2017, and ten volumes have been released as of July 22, 2023. Another spin-off, titled , which focuses on Midari Ikishima, was written by Kawamoto and illustrated by Yūichi Hiiragi. It was serialized on Square Enix app '' Manga Up!'' from February 21, 2017, to May 19, 2020. Square Enix compiled its chapters into four volumes.

Anime

television series animated by

aired from July 1 to September 23, 2017, on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

MBS MBS may refer for: People * Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile * Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia * Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...

and other channels. Yuichiro Hayashi directed the series, Yasuko Kobayashi handled the scripts, and Manabu Akita handled the character designs. TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND composed the music for the series. The opening theme, "Deal with the Devil", is performed by Tia. D-Selections performed the ending theme "LAYon-theLINE". The series ran for 12 episodes. The series is licensed and streamed outside of Japan by

, while

Anime Limited Anime Limited, also known as All the Anime, is a British anime distribution company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It releases anime for British, Irish, French and other European audiences. The company was established in 2012 by Andrew Partridge, ...

acquired the series for release on home video in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sentai Filmworks released the anime on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

on November 30, 2021, with a new English dub. A second season, titled ''Kakegurui ××'', aired from January 8 to March 26, 2019, on

TV Aichi Aichi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (TVA; ), also referred to as , with the callsigns JOCI-DTV (channel 10) is a Japanese television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity ...

, and other channels. The cast reprised their roles, and the staff returned for the second season. Kiyoshi Matsuda joined Yuichiro Hayashi as director for the second season. The second season's opening theme song is performed by JUNNA, and the ending theme song "AlegriA" is performed by D-selections. The second season ran for 12 episodes. Netflix released season 2 outside of Japan on June 13, 2019.

Light novels

titled , written by Hikaru Muno (Kawamoto's younger brother) and illustrated by Naomura, was published on August 22, 2017, by Square Enix. A second light novel titled also written by Muno and illustrated by Naomura, was published on March 22, 2019, by Square Enix.

Drama

Japanese series

Japanese television drama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...

adaptation was first announced on November 21, 2017. The drama, directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa, was first broadcast on

on January 14, 2018, and TBS' slot ''Dramaism'' on January 16, 2018. The opening theme is , performed by Re:versed, while the ending theme song is "Strawberry Feels", performed by Bigmama. After the live-action series premiered in Japan on January 14, 2018, it became available for streaming on Netflix in the United States and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in early May, 2018. It became available in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on February 1, 2020, and Netflix Japan on July 2, 2018. The drama was streamed on Netflix in Japanese with subtitles including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Thai in May 2018. In January 2019, the theme song "Mummy Mummy" for the second live-action season was released, by the rock band Bigmama. Passcode performed the opening song "Ichi ka Bachi ka" ("All or Nothing"). The second season premiered on April 1, 2019, on MBS and TBS, and ran for five episodes. The second season streamed on Netflix in July 2019.

English-language series

In May 2024, it was announced that a live-action English-language drama series adaptation, titled '' Bet'', was in production. Produced in Canada, Simon Barry will be the showrunner for the series, which will star Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, Eve Edwards, Clara Alexandrova, Hunter Cardinal, Anwen O'Driscoll, Aviva Mongillo and Ryan Sutherland. It debuted on Netflix on May 15, 2025.

Theatrical films

In August 2018, it was announced that a live-action film adaptation of ''Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler'' would premiere in 2019. It features the same actors from the television drama, and stars Minami Hamabe as the protagonist Yumeko Jabami, along with Mahiro Takasugi, Aoi Morikawa and

Elaiza Ikeda is a Philippine-born Japanese actress, fashion model and singer. She began modeling in 2009 after winning the "Grand Priz Nicola Model Audition 2009". Personal life Elaiza Ikeda was born on April 16, 1996, in the Philippines and was raised i ...

as Ryota Suzui, Mary Saotome and Kirari Momobami, respectively. The film, directed by Hanabusa Tsutomu and distributed by GAGA Pictures, was officially released in Japan on May 3, 2019. On August 29, 2020, a sequel to the first movie was announced to be released in 2021, with Hanabusa as the film's director, and also co-wrote the screenplay along with Minato Takano. The sequel features a returning cast set to reprise their roles from the first film. It premiered on June 1, 2021.

Video game

On July 14, 2017, registration started on the official website for a

adaptation entitled , which was developed by Wizcorp and Crossover for the

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and Android systems. On December 28, 2017, it was revealed on the official

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account for the game that its original release was delayed to November 20, 2018, in order to make improvements to the gameplay, which features a gambling system similar to that shown in the manga. On March 27, 2020, the servers were officially closed down and the game became inaccessible.

Reception

By February 2019, the manga had over 5 million copies in circulation; it had over 6.2 million copies in circulation by July 2021; and over 6.8 million copies in circulation by June 2022.

References

External links

* * {{Monthly Gangan Joker Anime and manga about gambling Anime and manga set in schools Gangan Comics manga Manga adapted into films Manga adapted into television series Manga series Psychological thriller anime and manga Shōnen manga Square Enix franchises Yen Press titles