Poker as a Plot Device in Anime Posted Oct 24, 2023

As an art form, like many others, anime often has conflict at its core. We’re involved with the characters because we want to see the main protagonist emerge victorious over the antagonist, no matter what it takes.

As fans of other drama will know, movies in particular use gambling as a plot device to move the action on, with perhaps the greatest example of all coming in the James Bond movies. Often, we find 007 playing for the highest imaginable stakes – in Casino Royale, for example, it was a matter of life or death and makes for the second-most notorious scene in the movie. It would have been the most notorious one if the excruciating torture scene had been cut as per the producers’ wishes.

The game Bond was playing was poker and this also features prominently in a number of anime stories, again often being used as a device to move the plot onwards. Here are five examples of characters whose destinies are shaped by the game.

Kaiji

First up is the hero of the very popular Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor. In the story he’s a man whose life’s not going well at all. He’s often in trouble because of his behaviour, as well as a love of gambling. Just when it looks like things can’t get any worse, a friend gets him to sign for a joint loan and runs off with the cash. This puts our hero in a desperate situation – especially as the loan has been taken out with a gangsterish figure by the name of Yuji Endo. His only way to pay back the money is to agree to enter a high-stakes game of poker on board a cruise ship – and hope that his gambling skills will see him through.

Sora

Even from the title “No Game No Life” you can guess that some kind of competition is going to be involved in this anime. In it, Sora and his step-sister Shiro aren’t just good at poker, they’re true masters in every kind of game imaginable. This provides them with the skills and expertise to escape from almost any kind of trouble. They are led towards poker first by accepting the challenge of a chess match against the god Tet. The stakes are high, but as a reward for winning, they find themselves transported magically to Disboard, a realm where games dictate life. It’s here that Sora hones his poker skills, quickly becoming an expert – leading to great personal success.

Yumeko Jabami

Another example of gambling playing a big part in anime comes in the story Kakegurai. Its heroine is Yumeko Jabami. To outsiders she presents as a perfect student, polite and hardworking - and the perfect pupil to attend the prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy. But all is not what it seems and the Academy is, in fact, somewhere that being a good gambler can raise a pupil up in the hierarchy. Instead of finding herself somewhere that academic or sporting prowess can help you to get ahead this is exactly what Yumeko’s skill does for her, especially when she takes on other pupils in a special two-card version of Indian poker. In the story this forms part of the Debt-swapping Game, an intricate exercise for four players.

D-Agency Spies

Fans of the Joker Game anime series will already be well-acquainted with the D-Agency Spies. The story harks back to the dark days of the Second World War and tells the tale of a group of espionage experts who have been trained not just to spy, but to be master manipulators as well. Part of this is to engage enemies in a special kind of poker called The Joker Game. This has its own unique set of rules that include encouraging others to cheat to win. At many points in the series, the game is used to drive the story on in some very unexpected ways.

Jojo

Last on our list comes the Stardust Crusaders anime. In one particular story arc a character called Jotaro is set to battle against a mysterious man called D’Arby in a high stakes game of poker. The objective is to win back the souls of every player who has ever come out as second best against D’Arby. The stakes couldn’t be higher and the action couldn’t be more thrilling. As to whether Jojo has the skills and perseverance to emerge victorious, you’ll have to check out episodes 34 and 35 of Stardust Crusaders to discover.

As you can see, poker really does feature heavily in anime. And, in addition to poker, the game of mahjong is also heavily featured in many anime series, again with the objective of plot development. But that, as they say, is a whole other story.