Series:

KAIJI

5 total works

Cover of Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 3

Having escaped the Espoir, Kaiji returned home with debts over than six-million yen still hanging over his head. The life-threatening experience has motivated him to change his ways. But real opportunities for advancement in the mid-nineties are hard to come by. Japan’s financial bubble has burst as the country's economy has recently collapsed.

Kaiji, now working part-time at a convenience store, resents society for his lack of prospects. So, when approached with an opportunity to make some big money quick, Kaiji decides he'd rather take his chances than toil away at dead-end job for the next fifteen years.

Cover of Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 4
Having survived the games at the Starside Hotel, Kaiji is invited to join another game for a chance at even more cash! But while the previous game was physically challenging, this game, E-Card, is socially twisted. At its core it is a card game similar to rock-paper-scissors, but like the cards played - slave, citizen, emperor - the power balance is not in the favor of the challenger.

Cover of Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 5
After surviving Tonegawa's dastardly schemes set outside of the hotel tower, Kaiji was let inside the building for what may be one last chance to pay off his debts. But while his last two tests were partially physical and emotional, this new game is a test of wills. E-Card is a simple card game but when played against someone who says he can read minds, it may be an impossible game to win at consistently! Kaiji has gone too far now, so he'll literally put his body on the line as payback!

Cover of Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 1

"If the contestants in The Hunger Games had been forced to kill each other by playing rock-paper-scissors instead of with bows and arrows, they might have earned a place at the gaming tables of (Kaiji)." —The Hollywood Reporter

Ne'er-do-well Kaiji Itou's shiftless existence is suddenly rattled by a visit from the yakuza. Burdened by debt and resentment, Kaiji is coerced into gambling for his worthless life. As the stakes grow higher and the rules become increasingly more bizarre, Kaiji must finally take the future into his own hands! Legendary mangaka Nobuyuki Fukumoto finally makes his English-language debut. The inspiration for the infamous anime by the same name and the Netflix live-action film Animal World takes readers into the dark side of Japan's post-bubble economic society by thrusting them into a world of debt, debauchery, and delusion.

Nobuyuki Fukomoto made his manga debut in 1980 and has penned more than one-hundred and fifty volumes over his illustrious career. In 1998 he was presented the Kodansha Manga Award's Comic of the Year for his work on Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.

Known to incorporate both elements of gambling and finance in his works, Fukumoto's most memorable titles tend to focus on the consequences of Japan's economic culture. Kaiji was recognized by the publishing world for how it rendered a changing social landscape after Japan's economic bubble had burst. Outside of Kaiji, Fukumoto is best known for his other international best-sellers, which include: Akagi (Take Shobo), Gin and Kin (Futabasha) and Kurosawa: The Strongest Man (Shogakukan).

Cover of Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 2

Aboard the illegal gambling ship, the Espoir, Kaiji has now amassed an additional ten-million yen in debt. Taking his total debt before interest to over thirteen-million yen. With few resources left and less than an hour to win back some funds, the young man's options appear to be running out. Knowing that the endgame is near, panic begins to set. In an effort to even earn himself a lifeline, Kaiji decides to go all-in; betting away all his funds and those of his colleagues. The lives of three men hang in the balance in this deathmatch.

Will the final curtain fall on Kaiji, or will he finally find a reason for hope aboard the Espoir?