10 Gambling Anime Series With High Stakes and Kitschy Appeal

Where to stream: Netflix

At Hyakkaou Private Academy, where the children of the elite go to school, distinction doesn't come from getting the best grades. Instead, the kids are ranked by their ability to excel in gambling.

Jabami Yumeko, a transfer student with a gambling addiction and a knack for mind games, quickly rises through the ranks of her fellow students.

Yumeko uses her status as a compulsive gambler to her advantage, out-foxing her ruthless opponents at various gambling games through a combination of relentless will and guile. Often regarded as one of the best gambling anime series, "Kakegurui" is a must-see for anyone with interest in the genre.

Where to stream: Crunchyroll

Kaiji Ito is a dissolute gambler and all-around lowlife. He learns that due to co-signing a loan, he's on the hook for a major debt, which he can discharge through either hard labor or coming aboard the mysterious gambling ship Espoir for a night.

He chooses the latter and finds himself drawn into a dark and violent of high stakes games and betting. "Kaiji" is an essential gambling anime because it ticks all the boxes. There's suspense, action, trickery and psychological games, all culminating the highest stakes possible: life and death.

Where to stream: Crunchyroll

Saki Miyanaga is a mahjong prodigy, but because her family forced her to play and punished her for either winning or losing, she's developed an ability to keep her score neutral throughout the game — a nearly impossible feat.

Despite her talents, Saki has no love for mahjong. But when a friend discovers Saki's skills, she convinces her to join the school's mahjong club, where she begins to distinguish herself and compete at increasingly high levels.

"Saki" is a more lighthearted take on gambling anime and has become a fan favorite.

Where to stream: Currently not available for streaming. Check your local library!

"Legendary Gambler Tetsuya" combines its gambling theme with a degree of historical interest. Set in the years just after World War II, it depicts the hardships faced by average Japanese people in the devastated postwar economy.

Tetsuya turns to gambling to survive, honing his mahjong skills and becoming, as the title suggests, legendary in his ability to win.

Where to stream: Crunchyroll, AppleTV

Unlike the numerous manga adaptations, this Japanese anime series was an original production. It takes the idea of high-stakes gambling to a metaphysical extreme: In the afterlife, souls gamble for whether they will be annihilated forever, or be reincarnated.

The series' protagonist is Decim, a ghost-like bartender at one of the afterlife watering holes where this fateful gambling takes place. Tasked with deciding if souls will return or be destroyed, he performs his duties with little interest or enjoyment.

Things begin to change, however, when his boss allows him to begin to develop human emotions.

Where to stream: Prime Video

Rio Rollins is called "The Goddess of Victory" for her ability to improve anyone's luck just by walking by them.

Working at the Howard Resort casino, Rio learns that she's more than just a good luck token; she possesses one of 13 cards known as "Gates." This allows her to compete with the other Gate holders for the title of Most Valuable Casino Dealer.

"Rio: Rainbow Gate" is known for being shamelessly derivative entertainment. The character is based on a mascot for a brand of pachinko games, which should tell you how serious the storytelling is. Still, it's become embraced by some fans as a kitschy classic, comforting in its exploitation-like excess.

Where to stream: Prime Video

This is a title you probably have heard of, even if you don't know much about anime. That's because the original manga series became a sprawling franchise of spin-offs, anime, video games and even a wildly popular trading card game.

The original series tells the story of Yugi Mutou, a timid boy who becomes host to an ancient gambling spirit. The many updates and spin-offs — including "Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters" — are all popular, but the original is known best for its mythology and tense competition.

Where to stream: Apple TV, Hulu

The protagonists of this anime series, Sora and his young stepsister Shiro, are master gamers, undefeated and revered in their online communities. T

hey are also shut-ins, and when they successfully win a challenge from the God of Gaming, they are transported to Disboard, a fantasy realm where any and all conflicts are mediated through games.

Sora and Shiru set about conquering this realm. "No Game No Life" is favored for its vivid, highly stylized artwork and being an example of ecchi anime — a type of anime that's overtly sexualized, often in a playful way.

Where to stream: Apple TV

"C," as it was originally named, puts a sci-fi spin on story with real-world political and economic features. Kimimaro Yoga is a young student who is drawn into a strange parallel world known as the Financial District, where he and others bet their future in gambling games with potentially huge payoffs.

"The Money of Soul and Possibility Control" deals with the pressures and difficulties of modern Japanese life, but through an anime lens with increasingly fantastical details. While the money is tempting, the consequences of loss can be catastrophic — for the gamblers and for their loved ones.

Where to stream: Apple TV, Crunchyroll

Tomodachi Game is a dark and mysterious game that Yūichi Katagiri and his friends are drawn into when the funds for their high school trip are stolen. Like many gambling anime series, it explores the nature of competition and the ruthlessness that can arise when the stakes get high enough.

In "Tomodachi Game," one of the darker gambling anime series on this list, identities aren't what they seem, and everything is on the line. The title itself reveals the name of the game: tomodachi means "friend" or "friends" in Japanese.