Kakegurui

Unlike many schools, attending Hyakkaou Private Academy prepares students for their time in the real world. Since many of the students are the children of the richest people in the world, the academy has its quirks that separate it from all the others. By day, it is a normal school, educating its pupils in history, languages, and the like. But at night, it turns into a gambling den, educating them in the art of dealing with money and manipulating people. Money is power; those who come out on top in the games stand at the top of the school.

Yumeko Jabami, a seemingly naive and beautiful transfer student, is ready to try her hand at Hyakkaou's special curriculum. Unlike the rest, she doesn't play to win, but for the thrill of the gamble, and her borderline insane way of gambling might just bring too many new cards to the table.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Jabami, Yumeko Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Saotome, Mary Main

Tanaka, Minami Japanese

Suzui, Ryouta Main

Tokutake, Tatsuya Japanese

Ikishima, Midari Supporting

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Momobami, Kirari Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Yomozuki, Runa Supporting

Udono, Mayu Japanese

Momobami, Ririka Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Yumemite, Yumemi Supporting

Serizawa, Yuu Japanese

Manyuda, Kaede Supporting

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Sumeragi, Itsuki Supporting

Wakai, Yuuki Japanese

Komatsu, Shouta Producer

Nabeiwa, Akiko Producer

Hotta, Shouichi Producer

Murakami, Takashi Producer

Reviews

Jan 2, 2026

Scanerior

Recommended

Kakegurui is a hit for me - an academy where social status is determined by the skill of the player is a bit of a question mark, but I immediately liked it. As in many other series, various (more or less mundane) games are played here and the stakes are often very high, however, of course, it is not just about the games themselves, but also the characters who play them and their story motivations - and this works absolutely great here, the characters are distinctly unique and interesting, the motivation is clearly given and the school environment also works great. I would also like ... to add that I also liked it when it was strongly mentioned that here you simply rely on luck and therefore real gambling, the bets were unprecedented, losses meant major life turning points and the games were fun from start to finish - only sometimes they were not explained in the best way, which you either ignored or understood while playing. I have to say that I would never take such a risk in my life, but I'm excited about this and considering that I watched the series (Season 1+2) in about 4-5 days, it could probably be said that I became a "gambling addict" for a short time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 10, 2025

elumizu

Mixed Feelings

Kakegurui is a show that walks into the room wearing a crown, declares itself the queen of gambling anime, and then proceeds to bet its crown on the first coin toss. The core premise, an elite school where social hierarchy is decided through gambling, sounds like it should be a tense psychological battlefield. Instead, it’s more like an unending parade of increasingly bizarre poker faces, where the stakes are supposedly “life or ruin” but everyone bounces back faster than a cartoon character hit by an anvil. Episodes tend to follow a copy-paste structure: new opponent, insane bet, someone cheats, someone else goes even crazier, the ... match ends, reset, repeat. Our protagonist, Yumeko Jabami, is a chaos gremlin in human form. Fun to watch at first, but she’s essentially the same every time: wide-eyed, dangerously cheerful, and apparently allergic to personal growth. The rest of the cast ranges from “two-dimensional but fun” to “why are you even here?” with the occasional character arc that’s interesting for about five minutes before the next over-the-top monologue eats it alive. This is a high school that runs entirely on money and humiliation, yet somehow still manages to function as an actual educational institution… supposedly. The economy of the school makes no sense; it’s as if Monopoly rules got mixed up with Fight Club rules and nobody questioned it. The political dynamics within the student council are intriguing in theory, but the show rarely digs deeper than surface-level theatrics. Credit where it’s due. The show looks good. The exaggerated facial distortions, the dramatic lighting, the decadent setting… it’s all a feast for the eyes. Mappa’s animation flexes especially in those “insanity close-ups,” where pupils dilate like black holes and smiles stretch into uncanny territory. But when you start noticing the spectacle is more exciting than the outcome, that’s a problem. The soundtrack is appropriately jazzy and sinister, like a casino lounge where someone might stab you over a bad hand. The voice acting sells the absurdity, especially Saori Hayami as Yumeko, who somehow balances cheerful politeness with “I might destroy you for fun.” The overacting fits the show’s theatrical style, though it can feel like everyone’s trying to out-scream each other. On paper, the message might be about the thrill of risk-taking or defying rigged systems. In practice, it’s “being unhinged is cool” and “rich teenagers have way too much free time.” Not exactly life advice you’d frame on your wall. The first watch can be a wild, ridiculous ride, especially if you’re here for the spectacle and not the substance. But once the novelty of “Oh wow, she’s crazy-crazy” wears off, the formula becomes painfully obvious. As for rewatching? Let’s just say the replays hit differently when you already know the bets are more about dramatic moaning than actual strategy. In the end, Kakegurui is like eating an entire cake made of fondant. Gorgeous, sweet, addictive for the first few bites… but after a while, you’re just chewing on colorful sugar wondering why you thought this was a good idea.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 26, 2025

RemanTheArchean

Not Recommended

Funny

Was this supposed to be a satire of something? If it was, I didn't get it.

Japan seems to think poker is some hardcore crazy game. To me, poker is a game for people like Nate Silver, i.e. it's a hobby for geeks and nerds to check if they paid attention during stats class. Seeing overexaggerated anime monologues saying things like "PREPARE TO DIE, LOSER!!! I'LL SPLATTER YOUR BLOOD ALL OVER THIS TABLE" in regards to poker is just bizarrely goofy.

The games of chance aren't actually really the focus of the show though. The show is much more interested in showing weirdly overexaggerated expressions ... that are sometimes sexual. I could pause at nearly any point and I'd often be left with something that could be screenshotted and used as a silly anime reaction picture on 4chan, if I wanted. There's a big emphasis on girls creaming themselves over coinflips. What exactly is the point of all of this? I was left scratching my head.

The psycho-thriller part is that everyone is a cheater, and the protagonist girl has to try to figure out how. Seeing these revealed was somewhat entertaining. However, the games get less scrutable as the series progresses, and eventually several games are won by pure dumb luck. What focus this show does have shifts to many of the characters having big development arcs as they gambled in strange ways. Again, this all seemed like it was a satire of something that went way over my head.

I gave this a fair shake at the start, but sped it up to 1.5x a little under halfway through, and I was still very bored by the end of just 12 episodes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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