Series synopsis
Kaiji, also known as 逆境無頼カイジ is a Japanese animation drama television series that premiered on Nippon TV on October 3, 2007. It ended on October 10, 2011. It stars Masato Hagiwara and Fumihiko Tachiki.
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.
Premise
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.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Masato Hagiwara as Kaiji (voice)
- Fumihiko Tachiki as Narrator (voice)
Guest cast
- Hakuryu as Tonegawa (voice)
- Naoya Uchida as Endo (voice)
- Hideo Ishikawa as Funai (voice)
- Hiroshi Yanaka as Ishida (voice)
- Yasunori Matsumoto as Furuhata (voice)
- Toshiharu Sakurai as Ando (voice)
- Takayuki Okada as Man B (voice)
- Kazuki Yao as Kitami (voice)
- Toshitsugu Takashina as Takada (voice)
- Youichi Nishijima as Isawa (voice)
- Tomohiro Nishimura as Okabayashi (voice)
- Yuichi Nakamura as No. 10 (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 52 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | October 3, 2007 | April 2, 2008 |
| Season 2 | 26 | April 6, 2011 | October 10, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Departure Kaiji Itou is a bum who's been living in Tokyo for 3 years and gambling his life away, then one day a shady man named Endou Yuuji comes to his home asking for Takeshi Furuhata. It turns out that his friend Furuhata disappeared and left Kaiji with the debt of ¥3,850,000, which will take him 11 years to pay off. But Endou has a proposition for him; he wants Kaiji to participate in the gambling event on the Harumi Wharf. |
October 3, 2007 |
| 2 |
Open Fire The event that will decide the fate of Kaiji and the rest of the debtors, onboard the Espoir, is a game called "Restricted Rock Paper Scissors". Following the explanation, Kaiji is then approached by Funai (the other person who borrowed 10 million) and it turns out that he's a repeater. He wants to team up with Kaiji and Kaiji accepts, not knowing what he just gotten himself into. |
October 10, 2007 |
| 3 |
Game Trapped in the depths of despair, Kaiji teams up with Furuhata and Andou but their group is already in a shambles, when Andou decides to backstab them. Kaiji doesn't let this affect him and he comes up with a plan to win, yet they first need some stars and someone to take the bait. |
October 17, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hell on Earth Months after the events at the Starside Hotel, Kaiji runs into loan shark Endoh in a chance encounter. Kaiji is forced into labor in the Teiai Group's underground mines to pay his enormous debts. Workers are paid a slave's wage in scrip called Perica, making what amounts to ¥350 a day. Those who save up enough Perica are allowed a one-day furlough above ground. Kaiji resolves to do so, but is soon tempted by the foreman Otsuki. |
April 6, 2011 |
| 2 |
The Rules of the Game Kaiji agrees to play Chinchirorin with the other workers and foreman Otsuki. Kaiji spends several rounds making small wagers to get a feel for the game. Dissatisfied with the small payout, Kaiji bets big- 3,000 Perica against the timid man Miyoshi. |
April 13, 2011 |
| 3 |
Shards of Fate Kaiji loses his first bet of 3,000 Perica, but strengthens his resolve to fight. He continues to make bets of 3,000 Perica. After 40 minutes of gambling, he ups the ante and bets 5,000 Perica against foreman Otsuki and his lackey. They respond with enormous bets- each betting the house limit of 20,000 Perica. |
April 20, 2011 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Nippon TV |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 3, 2007 |
| Last aired | October 10, 2011 |
| Runtime | 23 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 00:59:00 |