Kaiji

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine since February 1996. The story centers on Kaiji Itō, a consummate gambler, and his misadventures around gambling. The Kaiji manga consists of six series; the current series, Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: 24 Oku Dasshutsu-hen, started in 2017. The first two manga series were adapted into two anime television series of 26 episodes each, produced by Madhouse and broadcast on Nippon TV; Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor aired from October 2007 to April 2008, and Kaiji: Against All Rules aired from April to September 2011. Kaiji was also adapted into a live-action film trilogy, directed by Toya Sato and starring Tatsuya Fujiwara as the titular protagonist. Kaiji premiered in October 2009; Kaiji 2 premiered in November 2011; and Kaiji: Final Game premiered in January 2020. A more loosely adapted Chinese live-action film, titled Animal World, starring Li Yifeng and Michael Douglas, premiered in June 2018. In North America, the first manga series was licensed for English release by Denpa, being released in a six-volume omnibus edition, with the first volume published in November 2019. Sentai Filmworks licensed both seasons of the anime television series in 2020. By October 2023, the Kaiji manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 1998, the manga received the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award for the general category. Plot