Completed Anime
Kaiji: Against All Rules

“Kaiji, deep in debt, is enslaved in an underground labor camp, forced to gamble for freedom.”

Kaiji: Against All Rules

8.24
375 rank · 212,750 viewers · 3,011 favorites
Suspense Adult Cast High Stakes Game Psychological Strategy Game Seinen
26 episodes · 24 min per ep min · Spring 2011 · Madhouse · R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
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Episodes · 26 2/26 aired
EP 01 EP 26

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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...

However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...

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Synopsis

Kaiji, deep in debt, is enslaved in an underground labor camp, forced to gamble for freedom.

Owing to an increasing debt, Kaiji Itou ends up resuming his old lifestyle. One day, while walking on the street, he stumbles upon Yuuji Endou, who is hunting Kaiji due to the money he owes to the Teiai Group. Unaware of this, Kaiji eagerly follows Endou, hoping for a chance to participate in another gamble, but soon finds out the loan shark's real intentions when he is kidnapped. Given that Kaiji is unable to pay off his huge debt, the Teiai Group instead sends him to work in an underground labor camp. He is told that he will have to live in this hell for 15 years, alongside other debtors, until he can earn his freedom. His only hope to put an early end to this nightmare is by saving enough money to be able to go back to the surface for a single day. Once he is there, he plans to obtain the remaining money needed to settle his account by making a high-stakes wager. However, as many temptations threaten his scarce income, Kaiji may have to resort to gambling sooner than he had expected.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

What people say

Community consensus

Derived from 58 sampled reviews

7.3 /10

What 58 viewers settled on.

82% recommend
Score distribution
median 8 mode 9 σ 2.21
1510
Agreement

Polarized

σ 2.21 · split reception

split
The polarity gap

4.9 pts

Recommenders 8.7 · others 3.9

Yes
No
Score over time

↓ 2.69

Running avg · May 2011 → Apr 2026

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Production slate

A Tv Production · Spring 2011

Madhouse.
in association with

VAP · Nippon Television Network

  • Format 26 × 24′ eps × min
  • Total runtime 10h 24m all episodes
  • Aired Apr 2011 – Sep 2011 Spring 2011
  • Source Tv media type
  • Rated R 17+ (violence & profanity)
  • Ref. BS-6121 catalog

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