Shoubushi Densetsu Tetsuya

Shoubushi Densetsu Tetsuya is a great old school style anime and is highly underrated. The show creator's take on the scenarios during the time in which the story is set are well planned and realistic. The story begins with the titular character tetsuya visiting mahjong parlors and feels he is skilled and lucky enough to win the game. During a game he incidentally meets a player named Boshu, after this the story takes you on a roller coaster ride of blissful experience. The characters are well developed and I rarely felt any character as unncessary, almost all the character had an importance and contribution towards ... the story. The pacing of the story is a great plus point which keeps you hooked in each episode. The music direction was also exceptional which made sure to provide you the right emotional touch at the right time. The OP and ED of this anime is also apt with the tone of the show. Overall, this anime is a great experience and its not just about gambling and mahjong, its much more than that.

Fan of Kaiji? Then here's a treat for you which you probably didn't know even exists.


'Shoubushi Densetsu Tetsuya' AKA 'Legendary Gambler Tetsuya' is a mahjong series. If we compare it to other mahjong series such as 'Akagi', 'Saki' and the world famous 'Tenhou-doori no Kaidanji' -- these shows focused on the technicality of mahjong, but also came with huge asspull level "convinient blackout created a chance to cheat" twists. 'Shoubushi Densetsu Tetsuta' does not do this. Instead, it focuses on creating thriller with player's skills and constantly challenging itself by cornering itself with situations which can only be overcome by surpassing other players.


Our story is ... led by a man who met a great mentor who influenced him with his superior luck, making him belief that there is nothing else to the world of gambling. Just so happens to be, our mc gets into a game with the big boys and loses because they are all cheats who rely on their wicked skills and experience. This introduces us and our main bro to the new world of mahjong, and turns out this world has quite a lot to offer.


During these 20 episodes, we get to see quite variety of different type of games. The skill levels constantly develop, and all the matches come with different approach and introduce different aspects of mahjong. These varie from casual all-vs-all to 1 vs.3 / 2 vs. 2 games. We constantly meet new people and see new mahjong places. Because of this, the show never feels repetitive.


One of the strongest points of the series are the characters who have quite big and admirable personalities. All the best players acknowledge their own superior skills, but never brag about it. The series constantly creates provoking situations were lesser men would lose their temper, but our niggas keep their act together. Only to afterwards explain their philosophies which they have acquired with life experience. Content such as these keep developing our main bro into a manly man.


All in all, Tetsuya is quite a mature and thrilling series which I came to appreciate and enjoy way more than expected. It's not exactly Kaiji in terms of moe faces, but somewhat even surpasses it in terms of realism.

If you're somehow stumbling on this anime, chances are, you're a fan of Kaiji and gambling anime all along. But let me tell you, if you're expecting a real gamble game where people actually outsmarting each other, especially in Mahjong game like Akagi. I'm sorry to disappoint you, it's not.

There are certain type of people who can not live outside the world of gambling and our main protagonist Tetsuya is one of those poor souls. What's saving him is that he's an extremely good gambler, someone who can always cheat his way out of danger. As we follow along the story witnessing the exciting ... life of the legendary gambler Kid Tetsu.

I'm actually very upset with the fact that this show's main appeal in gambling is very lackluster. They made gamblers look like completely cheaters with no honors and love. But most importantly, the thrilling I got while watching something like Kaiji is not there. It's not a true gambling game where lives are put on the line. And most of the time, Mahjong is treated as a side element to embrace the point they tried to achieve since the beginning so watching them playing the game is not anything fun like for examples: Saki.

As this is mostly a plot-driven anime. The characters are developed that much, most of them are treated as plot devices to keep the story progressing. Except for the fact that they're likable, there's really not much to talk about.

The animation is average, both the quality and the art style. The style you would consider something great in the 80s in the likes of Ashita no Joe or Ippo.

If you really wanna watch an gambling anime about Mahjong, watch Akagi. If you want a more modern one, watch Saki. If you want a pure gambling show, watch Kaiji or Kakegurui. Do not watch this anime.