Gambling in Anime: Exploring Luck and Strategy in Japanese Animation

Japanese anime accounts for over 60% of the world’s animated TV shows, and it is a hugely diverse production genre. There are anime shows that have been running for decades, and series that go into all kinds of deep topics. You wouldn’t think Japanese animations really touch on gambling, but there are plenty of intersections between the two. Anime has a long tradition of pushing boundaries and going into thought provoking themes. And gambling is one of them.

The game of risk and reward has cropped up in the realm of Anime quite a bit. Not just as games of chance or to revel in the thrill of risk. They can also show the power, mind games, survival and obsessive nature that these games can perpetuate.

Deep Psychological Themes in Anime

There are Anime series for people of all ages, including kids’ shows, those that appeal to younger women and men and more diverse genres for an adult audience. The latter generally have more complex plots and themes. More often than not, there will be underlying messages and morals, which can explore overcoming adversity, the bonds of friendship, human emotions or relationships and even social issues.

Characters may be faced with moral dilemmas, reveal repressed trauma, or even become overwhelmed by chaos. Gambling games, in the right context, can be perfect metaphors to help build these narratives and weave key elements in the plot. Whether it is glorifying the games of chance, and showing the highs they can produce on people. Or, and most commonly, they showcase the worst of human behavior. Our obsession, addiction, and falling into psychological traps of our own making, created by greed and fed by hope.

Gambling in Japanese Culture

Japan is, of course, no stranger to gambling. The country has a history with games of chance, and while most forms of gambling are banned by law, there are underground betting circles and black market games of chance throughout the country. Fan Tan and Sic Bo are classic Asian games that, while originating in China, are not lost on a Japanese audience. But arguably the biggest Japanese gambling game is Pachinko. These machines first hit the market back in the 1920s, and were originally designed as a children’s game.

Fast forward a hundred years later, and they are one of the most popular adult pastimes in the country. Pachinko, a game that falls somewhere between slots and pinball, is a highly mainstream gambling game, and something quintessentially Japanese. It is no wonder this game appears frequently in film, television, video games, manga (books) and of course, anime. Some of the popular Pachinko themes (like slots, you can get themed games with special characters and backstories), have even been adapted into anime TV series. Such as  Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman or Yoshimune.

Anime with Gambling References

The extent to which gambling is shown in anime can be contentious. For instance, there are series that have themes of gambling and risk taking ventures, but they may not specifically fall under a Gambling theme. It is like in music that references gambling, or when gambling is enacted on the silver screen. Some songs may just have a passing lyric that refers to the gambles of life. It doesn’t really describe any specifics for any games. The portrayal of gambling in films can vary drastically. They may show quick snippets of a game taking place, perhaps even a few seconds just showing a game in place.

Anime can also expose audiences to a few seconds of Pachinko, or card-based games of chance, here and there. The examples collected here don’t just feature gambling as a background filling element. No, gambling is central to the plot and is key to the narrative.

Kaiji

This anime series revolves around high stakes gambling,and it has also been adapted into a live action film series. It explores very dark themes, such as money lending sharks, gambling addiction, and the underground gambling empires. Kaiji, the main character, is an avid gambler who lives in constant poverty. He builds up a massive debt, and finds an option to play against the Espoir in a game of cards. Beating the Espoir, and he can pay all of his gambling debts in one go. The anime adaptation of the Kaiji manga books was released in 2011. There have been numerous spin offs of this gambling anime, including Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues, and 1-nichi Gaishutsuroku Hancho.

The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya

This show is about a gambler called Tetsuya, who is a wizard at mahjong. It is set in post war Japan, where poverty is rife, the economy is slow, and gambling is very much a part of life. Testuya is a masterful Mahjong player, and the 15-year old builds a life for himself playing these games for money. However, after a brush with Boushu-san, who beats Tetsuya after cheating, Tetsuya is forced to become a master gambler to win back his money. This was also originally a manga series, before it was serialised in 1997, and the show run until 2004.

Death Parade

This psychological thriller was released in 2013 and is a short Anime with a highly interesting theme. It explores the idea of gambling in the afterlife, as players must complete the Death Games to determine their fate. The concept was perhaps inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, where it was thought people had to play to ascend to the afterlife. Death Parade also inspired a film, Death Billiards, and was voted one of the best anime series of the 2010s.

No Game No Life

This Japanese light novel was adapted into a manga series and has an anime adaptation, which was released in 2014. No Game No Life revolves around two young siblings, Sora and Shiro, who are well known in the world of online gaming. One day, they beat a god from another reality called Tet, who offers them a life in a reality known as Disboard. They accept, and are sent to this world, where literally everything is a gamble. Gambling is the law of the land, and people gamble on everything, using anything from coin flips to chess.

Other good anime with gambling themes to watch include:

• Akagi
• Usogui
• Kakegurui
• Tomodachi Game
• Rio: Rainbow Gate!

Psychology and the Allure of Gambling

Anime is known for diving into complex themes and creating compelling narratives with highly realistic characters. The morals of these shows can vary dramatically, and most often look into our human nature and question our own ethics. Risk taking is a part of that nature, but so to are the darker consequences of gambling.

We are drawn to games of chance, especially when money or other goods are on the line. It gives more incentive for players to keep going and test Lady Luck. But there are psychological and biological reasons why we continue to enjoy these games.

They are designed to trigger our brains to release dopamine. Whether we win or not, the anticipation of the risk and the potential win is enough to captivate. If you lose, your cortisol levels will increase, and thus you will feel stressed. But wins can bring more dopamine, countering this stress and egging you on to keep playing. Ultimately, the games can tire out the players quickly, and this can in turn affect their judgment or decision making.

Anime brings this to the forefront, and shows how damaging addiction can be. Whether it is shows like Kaiji and The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya, which are set in real world scenarios. Or anime series that add an element of sci-fi, with the alternate reality of Disboard in No Game No Life, or the afterlife games in Death Parade.

Gambling in Other Media

Anime does one-up films and music in that aspect. It is more abstract than the other two, and can dive more into the primal instincts and realities of the psychological effects that gambling has on us. It has, arguably, a more emotional storytelling medium than most films do. We don’t see as much of the glorification of high stakes gaming or strategic gambling prowess. Instead, these are games of manipulation, ego building, and survival. Anime doesn’t just use gambling as a theme for its stories. It can go into the defining aspects of why we like these games, and summarise it with a resounding morale, designed to make you think.