The Top Gambling Anime Posted Apr 6, 2021
Anime (or animēshiyon) is a style of animation known for its colourful graphics and vibrant characters that originated in Japan. Stories and plot lines in anime are often filled with action and suspense.
The Japanese anime industry began to take off in the mid 1980’s and by 2016 it was worth $17.7 billion dollars in revenue, it was first made popular by directors such as Hayao Miyazaki. This style is at the heart of Japanese culture and is enjoyed across the generations.
People across the globe, especially in the West have grown to love this unconventional style, particularly in the form of comic strips, Many have grown up with anime television shows like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball Z and as much as 3.5% of the global popular enjoy watching this style of animation regularly.
Anime and its influence on the global gambling industry...
Anime has even had a significant influence over the global gambling industry in recent years, particularly for games such as online slots. These slots use vibrant colour schemes and anime characters and graphics and can be found on a range of casino sites like 888 Casino Canada.
It is not just the visuals that are influenced by this style, the plots and storylines also follow themes of hope and bravery and action-packed quests to achieve something great.
Pachinko slots have actually helped to increase the popularity of anime in general, this type of game has helped to contribute over 280 billion yen to the total value of the anime industry. The game Pachinko is highly popular in Japan and is played in parlours that look and feel like western casinos.
Gambling for cash is not technically legal in the country, however players of Pachinko often play for special prize tokens. While almost 30 years ago, the Pachinko market was worth 30 trillion yen, which is around 300 billion dollars, it now generates more revenue than the Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau gambling markets combined.
Not only has anime influenced the gambling industry, but anime productions have also been inspired by gambling…
There is a huge amount of gambling anime out there for fans of these industries to watch. Here are just a few popular titles that you are sure to enjoy:
Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
While Kaiji first made an appearance in Japan in the 1990s as manga, in 2007 it was turned into the television series Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor and consisted of 26 episodes. Due to high demand two further series have since aired with the most recent being in January 2020.
In this story, out-of-luck main character Kaiji Itou is badly influenced by a menacing acquaintance who tricks him into getting into a large amount of debt. Kaiji quickly sobers up and joins a gambling operation on a cruise ship to make ends meet.
If you are intrigued by this storyline you can stream episodes from Crunchyroll.
Kakegurui / Compulsive Gambler
This thrilling Netflix series is based on the works of the writer Homura Kawamoto. Set in the high school Hyakkaou Private Academy, the students are coaching into being successful gamblers and must prove they have the skills to succeed in a variety of gambling pursuits.
At the centre of the story is the newly transferred first year student Yumeko Jabami, who plays because of a gambling habit and not to gain social status or money like her peers. Yumeko is a big risk taker and her gameplay threatens the school’s natural hierarchy, the young girl finds herself the enemy of the student council and must first for her place.
Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai / The Genius Who Descended into Darkness
This next gambling anime is a slightly darker tale and is set in the wake of the World War Two Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The main character is 13 year old Shigeru Akagi, a young boy who must face members of the infamous Yakuza gang in a game of mahjong.
Akagi comes to the aid of Nangou, a compulsive gambler with a debt of over three million yen. With Akagi’s gambling skill and wisdom he is able to clear his debt and escape the clutches of the mafia.
This story has featured in both a television series and two live action films between 1995 and 2017. You can watch all 12 episodes of the series on Netflix.
Saki
Lastly, if you enjoyed Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler and Akagi, then Saki is definitely another one to watch. In this show, the school girl Saki reluctantly joins her friend at their school’s mahjong’s club.
It soon becomes apparent that young Saki has a hidden talent for the game as she is able to spot patterns that others fail to notice. Despite previously hating mahjong, she soon makes use of her skill and tries out for national competitions.
All 25 episodes of this entertaining tale can be found on the streaming platform Crunchyroll.
