Overview
Kaiji Itou is a good-for-nothing loiterer who spends his days drinking beer and stealing hubcaps—that is, until he ends up being tricked by his former co-worker. Unable to suddenly repay his friend's huge debt all by himself, Kaiji is offered a shady deal to participate in an illegal underground gamble on a cruise ship. This turns out to be nothing more than the beginning of his new life of hell—thrown headlong into a life-threatening roller coaster of mind games, cheating, and deceit.
Seasons & Episodes
Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
After one of his coworkers fails to repay a debt, apathetic bum Kaiji Itou is pressured by loan sharks to settle the large sum of cash. Since Kaiji has little money and no future prospects of his own, he is unable to return what his colleague borrowed. Faced with massive financial burdens, Kaiji is given an offer to board the illustrious Espoir—it is said that "one night aboard the ship, and all of your debts will be paid." What seems like a simple night of gambling quickly turns into a game of strategy and betrayal. With the losers of the tournament being subjected to a backbreaking life of indebted servitude, Kaiji must choose his actions—and allies—carefully. However, this is only the beginning of a series of gambles that will wager Kaiji's life, testing the full extent of his wits and will to survive.
Kaiji: Against All Rules
Several months after the events of the first season, Kaiji, with his appendages reattached and his debt now run up to 9.5 million yen, is still desperately seeking the elusive big score that will cancel all of his markers. Unbeknownst to him, Hyodo’s company, the Teiai Corporation, is actively searching for Kaiji, and have sent Kaiji’s old “friend” Endoh, who entered him in the high stakes games in the past, to find him. The two meet when Kaiji chances to walk in front of Endoh’s car at a stop light, and thinking that he has found the answer to his prayers, Kaiji gets in the car with him. While Kaiji and Endoh are “happy” to see one another, and both want to see Kaiji’s debt repaid, their means to that goal couldn’t be more different. Instead of leading Kaiji to the big score, Endoh delivers him drugged and docile to the Teiai Corporation’s secret underground labor camp where Kaiji will have an opportunity to repay his debt… with 15 years of hard labor.
Key Information
Cast & Crew
Masato Hagiwara
Kaiji (voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki
Narrator (voice)
Youichi Nishijima
Isawa (voice)
Yukitoshi Tokumoto
No. 7 (voice)
Kunihiro Kawamoto
Murakami (voice)
Nobuaki Kanemitsu
Yokoi (voice)
Masane Tsukayama
Hyodo (voice)
Yuichi Nakamura
No. 10 (voice)
Ichitaro Ai
Hashimoto (voice)
Masato Kaji
Maeda (voice)
Naoya Uchida
Endo (voice)
Koji Yusa
Miyoshi (voice)
Frequently Asked Questions
Kaiji Itou is a good-for-nothing loiterer who spends his days drinking beer and stealing hubcaps—that is, until he ends up being tricked by his former co-worker. Unable to suddenly repay...
Kaiji has 2 seasons with 52 episodes.
Kaiji premiered on October 3, 2007.
No, Kaiji has ended. The final episode aired on October 10, 2011.
Kaiji originally aired on Nippon TV. Check your local streaming services for availability.
Kaiji has a rating of 8.1/10 based on user reviews.
Kaiji is classified as Animation, Drama, Crime.