History Manga / Kaiji

* LuckBasedMission: A rare non-game example. DoubleSubverted. Kaiji decides to take on "The Bog" a notorious pachinko machine. There is no luck involved in playing the Bog, because [[RiggedContest it's rigged to be impossible]]. [[spoiler: Kaiji must use his wits to create artificial circumstances that will LEAD to his victory. But because he Didn'tSeeThatComing so much, the game goes back to simply being a LuckBasedMission.]]

* BadBoss - Hyoudou. If you work for him and if you do anything he doesn't like, he'll do various bad things to you. He also puts his bare feet in a tub filled with wine and makes his workers drink out of it. Once, a worker started speaking during this, but Hyoudou said he didn't appreciate his tone of voice, and had him taken away. [[CompleteMonster It's anyone's guess as to what happened to him, but it was without a doubt very bad.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Everytime Kaiji wins. Witnessing them is particularly satisfying since he's generally up against arrogant bastards or [[CompleteMonster Complete Monsters]]

* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist: Miyoshi and Maeda did not betray Kaiji just because they could; due to a misunderstanding, they thought ''he'' had betrayed ''them''.]]

''Zawa Zawa Zawa''

* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome]]: Kaiji goes up against a pimped-out pachinko machine in the second series.

And that's just how the first series begins. ''Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji'' is probably the most famous work of Nobuyuki Fukumoto, a {{seinen}} {{mangaka}}. Starting in 1996, it has since then received critical acclaim for its [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome ridiculous yet brilliant]] gambles as well as the complex psychological analyses of the characters. There are currently four series, the first two of which have gotten anime adaptations by Creator/{{Madhouse}} (much like ''Manga/{{Akagi}}'' before it), and eventually LiveActionAdaptation films and pachinko games. Kaiji also makes an appearance in ''Girls RPG Cinderellife'', a dating sim by {{Level 5}}, for Nintendo3DS. As of 2012, the fourth series has been put on hiatus and will resume in a year.

[[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaiji.jpg
''[[EarWorm The Future is in Our Hands!]]''

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaiji.jpg

And that's just how the first series begins. ''Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji'' is probably the most famous work of Nobuyuki Fukumoto, a {{seinen}} {{mangaka}}. Starting in 1996, it has since then received critical acclaim for its [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome ridiculous yet brilliant]] gambles as well as the complex psychological analyses of the characters. There are currently four series, the first two of which have gotten anime adaptations by {{Madhouse}} (much like ''{{Akagi}}'' before it), and eventually LiveActionAdaptation films and pachinko games. Kaiji also makes an appearance in ''Girls RPG Cinderellife'', a dating sim by {{Level 5}}, for Nintendo3DS. As of 2012, the fourth series has been put on hiatus and will resume in a year.

* InASingleBound: Sahara's leap in episode 14 is at least presented this way, whether it is or not is [[YourMileageMayVary debatable]].

* LuckBasedMission: A rare non-game example. DoubleSubverted. Kaiji decides to take on "The Bog" a notorious pachinko machine. There is no luck involved in playing the Bog, because [[RiggedContest it's rigged to be impossible]]. [[spoiler: Kaiji must use his wits to create artificial circumstances that will LEAD to his victory in a XanatosGambit. But because he Didn'tSeeThatComing so much, the game goes back to simply being a LuckBasedMission.]]

* XanatosRoulette - Kaiji's plan to beat the bog at the end of Season 2 relies on a series of convoluted XanatosGambit(s). But Kaiji and Ichijo both DidntSeeThatComing so many times, it turns into a Roulette that would ''almost'' look like XanatosSpeedChess if it weren't for the fact that Kaiji can't change '''anything''' after he starts playing.

It turns out that Endou has been searching for Kaiji for a while, ever since he co-signed a contract for his friend Furuhata, which left him with a large debt. Endou also wants Kaiji to compensate for the car's damages. Kaiji is left with a choice; he must either spend 10 years [[WorkOffTheDebt working off the debt]], or board a gambling cruise called "Espoir" (French for "hope") where he will be able to pay off the debt in one night... If he wins.

The year is 1995. After graduating from high school, the young [[ButtMonkey Kaiji Itou]] has moved to Tokyo in hopes of finding a steady job. Two years later, he's still [[{{NEET}} unemployed]] and in a state of depression. Kaiji wastes what little money he has on cheap gambles, alcohol and cigarettes on a daily basis. To feel better about himself, he sabotages expensive cars and collects their emblems. One of these cars belongs Yuuji Endou, a {{yakuza}} with ties to the financial empire Teiai Corporation.

The year is 1995. After graduating from high school, the young [[ButtMonkey Kaiji Itou]] has moved to Tokyo in hopes of finding a steady job. Two years later, he's still [[{{NEET}} unemployed]] and in a state of depression. Kaiji wastes what little money he has on cheap gambles, alcohol and cigarettes on a daily basis. To feel better about himself, he sabotages expensive cars and collects their emblems. One of these cars belongs to the {{yakuza}} Yuuji Endou, who has ties to a financial empire called Teiai Corporation.

And that's just how the first series begins. ''Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji'' is probably the most popular manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. Starting in 1996, it's one of his three ongoing works (the other two being ''{{Akagi}}'' and ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero'') and it has received critical acclaim for its [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome ridiculous yet brilliant]] gambles as well as the complex psychological analyses of the characters. There are currently four series, the first two of which have gotten anime adaptations by {{Madhouse}}, and eventually LiveActionAdaptation films.

It turns out that Endou has been searching for Kaiji for a while, ever since he co-signed a contract for his friend Furuhata, which left him with a large debt. Endou also wants Kaiji to compensate for the car's damages. Kaiji is left with a choice; he must either spend 10 years [[WorkOffTheDebt working off the debt]], or board a gambling cruise called "Espoir" (French for "hope"). He hesitatingly chooses the latter option and that's how this [[LongRunner long-running]] story begins.

''Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji'' is probably the most popular manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. Starting in 1996, it's one of his three ongoing works (the other two being ''{{Akagi}}'' and ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero'') and it has received critical acclaim for its [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome ridiculous yet brilliant]] gambles as well as the complex psychological analyses of the characters. There are currently four series, the first two of which have gotten anime adaptations by {{Madhouse}}, and eventually LiveActionAdaptation films.

''The Future is in our Hands''

''Kaiji'' is by the same creator as ''{{Akagi}}'', Fukumoto Nobuyuki. However, instead of complicated {{Mahjong}} , ''Kaiji'' focuses on simple games of chance, but is able to make them almost as complicated while maintaining the same psychological feelings. In fact, it may be able to make more feelings because the main character is often at risk of losing big and actually '''has to care about losing'''. [[spoiler: The third manga series, which has yet to see an anime adaptation but is currently being scanlated, features only {{Mahjong}}, though a two-player variation.]]

The story takes place in 1996. Itou Kaiji, two years after he graduated from high school, is broke and unable to get a job due to the recession. He spends most of his time goofing off, gambling (and losing), and engaging in petty vandalism. However, he is shown that, because he co-signed a loan, he now has to pay off a debt of ¥3.85 million (about US$42,000 or about €31,500). But of course, it takes place in Japan, so this has more significance. Kaiji is given two options: Pay off the debt normally, or go on a cruise and play a gamble on the boat with others like himself. He takes the latter option.

The manga is separated into 4 series; so far the first two have gotten anime adaptations. There are also two LiveActionAdaptation films featuring alumni from the ''Manga/DeathNote'' LAA. See also ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero''.

The manga is separated into 4 series; so far the first two have gotten anime adaptations. There are also two LiveActionAdaptation films featuring alumni from the ''DeathNote'' LAA. See also ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero''.

* BeyondTheImpossible: Sahara's leap in episode 14 is at least presented this way, whether it is or not is [[YourMileageMayVary debatable]].

* GenderBender: Endou and Ishida's son are both women in the movies.

* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:In series 2, the Bog payed out 700 million yen, and Kaiji split it with Sakazaki and Endou. When Muraoka tells Miyoshi and Maeda about this, he tells them to "test" Kaiji by asking for his help and seeing how he responds after they add that he can profit from it. Because Kaiji denied their request at first and accepted it only when they offered money, they thought Kaiji was using and holding out on them and the other 45'ers. As such, they decided to scam him out of money. Had Kaiji not been too proud to admit that he didn't beat the Bog alone, none of this would have happened.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:In series 2, the Bog payed out 700 million yen, and Kaiji split it with Sakazaki and Endou. When Muraoka told Miyoshi and Maeda about this, he told them to "test" Kaiji by asking for his help and seeing how he responds when they say he can make a profit out of it himself. Because Kaiji denied their request at first and accepted it only when they offered money, they thought Kaiji was using and holding out on them and the other 45'ers. As such, they decided to scam him out of money. Had Kaiji not been too proud to admit that he didn't beat the Bog alone, none of this would have happened.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:In series 2, the Bog payed out 700 million yen, and Kaiji split it with Sakazaki and Endou. When Muraoka told Miyoshi and Maeda about this, they thought Kaiji was holding out on them and the other 45'ers. As such, they decided to scam him out of money. Had Kaiji not been too proud to admit that he didn't beat the Bog alone, none of this would have happened.]]

The manga is separated into 4 series; so far the first two have gotten anime adaptations. There are also two LiveActionAdaptation films featuring alumni from the ''DeathNote'' LAA. See also ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero'', which has a lot in common with Kaiji's first series.

!!This show provides examples of:

* {{Beergasm}}
* BeyondTheImpossible: Sahara's leap in episode 14 is at least presented this way, whether it is or not is [[YourMileageMayVary debatable]].
* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Kaiji hopes that the {{Yakuza}} don't [[spoiler:come to collect on his debt after the first arc. [[CaptainObvious They do]], and he's forced to gamble again]].
* TheCameo - Your eyes are not deceiving you, troper, that is indeed [[StrongestLegendKurosawa Kurosawa]] in [[http://youtu.be/r8II9h_Ifao the opening video to season 2.]] He can be seen sitting next to Kaiji at 0:10 - 0:12 with his "thinking" pose. In the last episode, what appears to be [[GamblingEmperorLegendZero Zero]] can be seen, albeit only from behind.
** CreatorCameo - In the movie, Fukumoto himself appears as a black suit. He also appears (as himself) in the ''Proverbs of Kaiji''[[hottip:*:[[{{Narrator}} REETURRNS!]]]] segments of season 2.

* ChekhovsSkill: Kaiji's reactionary gambling style is referred to by Kaguya as a tsunami. Kaiji dismisses the notion at first but invokes the metaphor again when in doubt.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Andou betrays Kaiji twice, and he's in the story for fewer than four hours in-universe. Tonegawa has something more along the lines of Chronic Frontstabbing Disorder]].

* ConspicuousCG: The ship and its main hall.
* CoolBoat: Espoir.
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Tonegawa...okay, he doesn't die, but there was a lot of irony in how he loses the e-card game.]]
* DownerEnding: At the end of the anime's first season, [[spoiler:Kaiji bets four of his fingers and all of the money he got in the E-card game in one final gamble. He loses.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:The end of the second season.]]
* EvilRedhead: [[http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/113/kaijis2.jpg Ichijou will have red hair in the second season of the anime]]. There's also Kitami from the Espoir arc. Kazuya's hair is something between red and brown.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:In the E-Card game, Kaiji gets to choose between putting his ear or eye on the line. Averted when he picks his ear, but we are still treated to some nice {{Imagine Spot}}s with the mini-drill moving closer to his eyeball.]]

* FootFocus: In the Underground Chinchiro Arc, workers are barefoot when off-duty--the FootFocus itself most notably coming into play at the end of episode 5, when there's a dramatic closeup of Kaiji's feet as he accepts the chief's challenge. Then there's the Pachinko Arc, where it's a requirement for the participant to be barefoot.

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow - [[spoiler:Arguably how Tonegawa is defeated; by being too careful.]]
* JumpedAtTheCall: Kaiji at the start of series 2 - to the point where it could almost be said that [[InvertedTrope he knows]] [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive where the Call lives]].
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Hyoudou escapes unscathed at the end of series 1.]]

* LockedIntoStrangeness - [[spoiler:Kaiji's hair appears to turn white once he's out of money at the end of episode 24. It might be a StockVisualMetaphor.]]
* LostHimInACardGame: A good reason to avoid being sent to the Other Room on the ''Espoir''.
* LuckBasedMission: A rare non-game example. DoubleSubverted. Kaiji decides to take on "The Bog" a notorious pachinko machine. There is no luck involved in playing the Bog, because [[RiggedContest it's rigged to be impossible]]. [[spoiler: Kaiji must use his wits to create artificial circumstances that will LEAD to his victory in a XanatosGambit. But because he Didn'tSeeThatComing so much, the game goes back to simply being a LuckBasedMission.]]
* {{Mahjong}}: The entire 3rd manga series focuses on (Restricted) Minefield Mahjong. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome And it is AWESOME.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: Hyoudou (whose name isn't even revealed until the very last episode) is the man behind Tonegawa.

* MeaningfulName: The ship at the beginning of the series is called ''Espoir'', which is the French word for hope.

* MetalScream: The second season OP.
* MoodWhiplash: In episode 10, when Sakazaki is talking about his daughter, Mikoko, the initially serious atmosphere prevalent throughout the series suddenly (and briefly) shifts to a comedic one. Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
** "''[[MemeticMutation Mikoko, you're so pretty!]]''"

* PetTheDog: At the end of season 2, one of the black suits gives a broke Kaiji a few thousand yen to meet his fellow 45ers. Mind you, this was after [[spoiler: Kaiji blew what was left of his pachinko earnings on ''pachinko'']].
* PoorPredictableRock: [[PlayingWithATrope Somethingverted]] in the first arc; it could be described as anything from PlayedStraight to [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: During the second half of the Human Derby arc, [[TheDragon Tonegawa]] delivers these at least OnceAnEpisode.

* RockPaperScissors - With cards.

* ShaggyDogStory: After each gambling arc, Kaiji's situation hasn't improved but has actually worsened. [[spoiler: And yes, this even applies for the first season's final arc. His problems are more or less fixed after season 2.]]
* ShoutOut: At one point in the second season, Kaiji stays with Sakazaki and [[spoiler:Endou]] for a night at Hotel {{Akagi}}. There are also cameos of [[StrongestLegendKurosawa Kurosawa]] and [[GamblingEmperorLegendZero Zero]].

* SpiritualSuccessor - ''GamblingEmperorLegendZero'', also by Fukumoto.

* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome]]: Kaiji goes up against a pimped-out pachinko machine in the second series.
** Don't forget [[spoiler: betting his fingers on a ''tissue box raffle''.]]
* WhamEpisode - The end of the second season isn't just '''a''' wham episode. It's a ''series'' of wham episodes! Episode 14 of the first season also qualifies.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse - [[spoiler:Tonegawa's]] fate is unclear at this point. Seeing as how [[spoiler:Kurosaki]] has replaced him by series 2, it's probably safe to assume that, at the very least, he was demoted to a lower rank in Teiai.
* WorkOffTheDebt - The underground labour camp is made for this reason.

* XanatosRoulette - Kaiji's plan to beat the bog at the end of Season 2 relies on a series of convoluted XanatosGambit(s). But Kaiji and Ichijo both DidntSeeThatComing so many times, it turns into a Roulette that would ''almost'' look like XanatosSpeedChess if it weren't for the fact that Kaiji can't change '''anything''' after he starts playing.
* YankTheDogsChain - Series 1 plays this brutally with [[spoiler:Sahara's death. After making his way across the bridge of death, he finally prepares to open the door to cash in on the price money... Only to be blown off the building by the air compression blast from the window towards a certain death.]] The anime itself is ripe with these moments, but this one moment has to be the worst.

* ManlyTears

* PoorPredictableRock: [[PlayingWithATrope Somethingverted]] in the first arc; it could be described as anything from PlayedStraight to [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]].

** CreatorCameo - In the movie, Fukumoto himself appears as a black suit.