The WORST episodes of Kaiji
Every episode of Kaiji ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Kaiji!
Kaiji Itou is an apathetic loafer who becomes entangled in the very dangerous world of high-stakes gambling.
#2 - Departure
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/3/2007
Kaiji is a heavy gambler that lives in poverty. One day, he meets a loan shark named Yūji Endō, who tells Kaiji that he owes ¥3,850,000 (around $37,500) for co-signing a loan with a former coworker that has disappeared. Endō gives Kaiji the option to try to earn all the money quickly, by participating in an unknown gambling event on a ship called Espoir, which Kaiji agrees to.
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#3 - Cheers and Sighs
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/15/2011
Sakazaki starts to play the Bog, using an initial ¥10 million, dropping balls onto the final holed plate, but they do not have enough momentum. During the game Kaiji successfully passes Sakazaki his pre-prepared magnetized beer can and he prepares to use it to increase the centrifugal force of a ball to make it drop through the winning hole. However the effect is insignificant, but Sakazaki continues, wagering another ¥10 million. Kaiji overhears the security men talk of a device to prevent anyone winning and Kaiji warns Sakazaki's to stop, but he is in a gambling frenzy and continues to play using the money he 'borrowed' from the company safe.
#4 - Unconventional
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/12/2008
Even after his unbelievable feat of beating Tonegawa, Kaiji does feel satisfied unless he beats the chairman. In the restroom Kaiji thinks of some kind of rigged lottery, "Tissue Box Raffle" to beat the one in charge of all this. With all preparations met he heads out to challenge the chairman to one more gamble.
#5 - Messenger
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2007
Against all the odds, Kaiji was able to survive the night on the Espoir but he left with a new debt of ¥6,295,000. It's been 4 months since then and all Kaiji has been doing is living a mundane life, working in a convenience store. It all changes when Endou appears before him, yet again, offering Kaiji a ray of salvation.
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#6 - All-in Bluff
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/20/2011
Sakazaki enters the casino to challenge the Bog again, dressed as a Komusō monk. He plays the machine, quickly losing his stake of ¥6 million, then attacks and damages it. Ichijō is suspicious of his behavior and realizes that it is a distraction and rushes to his office to find Kaiji there. Ichijō has Sakazaki beaten up and Kaiji tortured, then they are thrown out into the street. Days later, the Bog is repaired and operational again. It is Kaiji's final day on the surface and he arrives at the casino to challenge the unbeatable Pachinko machine.
#7 - Path to the Counterattack
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/27/2011
Weeks have passed since Kaiji's crushing loss on gambling night, and he finds himself in a cycle of debt with a group of five others, including Miyoshi. The group is referred to by the other workers as the "45s". With the help of Miyoshi, Kaiji discovers that the foreman's group is cheating. Kaiji rallies the 45s together to come up with a plan.
#8 - Heaven's Fall, Man's Fall
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/22/2011
Sakazaki ignores Kaiji's warning and continues sinking money into the Bog, while the casino manager gives instructions to initiate the 'block' which controls the flippers, stopping the balls descending into the winning zone. Although Sakazaki is close to winning he collapses and the casino manager, Ichijō Seiya, introduces himself and reveals that they are using brass balls today which are not affected by magnetism. They leave with a little more than ¥6 million after losing over ¥43 million in two hours. The next day, Kaiji spends hours back at the casino, staring at the machine, then goes to the staff room to cash in one ball he found, insulting Ichijō but also gathering information about the casino's operations.
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#9 - Trajectory of a Miracle
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 8/17/2011
Kaiji has only ¥20 million left to try and beat the Bog, however he is confident as he is aware of how the three bottom plates are rigged. He explained this to Sakazaki when they were at the racetrack. Slowly Ichijō comes to realize that Kaiji managed to not only tilt the machine to increase his odds of winning, but also create a slightly favorable tilt on the casino building. Unbeknownst to him, Kaiji's group had poured 20 tons of water into plastic tanks in a room on one side of the casino building, causing it to subside slightly on that side.
#10 - Abuse and Endurance
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/4/2011
While Kaiji is on medical duty, he meets the son of Ishida, Hiromitsu, who is also working underground for his debt, but blames his father for not bailing him out. Angrily Kaiji berates him for not accepting his own weaknesses. Later, Kaiji insults Ōtsuki who then makes life a misery for Kaiji and the Forty-fivers, but after three months they all return to full pay. Meanwhile, Kurosaki Yoshihiro, Tonegawa's replacement, observes Kaiji through CCTV. When the gambling night begins, Kaiji proposes no betting limit before he will join in and Ōtsuki accepts.
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#11 - The Storm Arrives
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/11/2011
Kaiji and Ōtsuki prepare to face each other over cee-lo, each thinking they have an edge. For the first few matches, Kaiji does not bet over the old limit of 20,000 perica and everyone gets bored with Kaiji betting so little. On a challenge from Ōtsuki who must deal twice, Kaiji bets his entire 52,000 perica and signals the Forty-fivers who each bet 92,000 perica, for a total of 507,000 perica.
#12 - Shards of Fate
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/20/2011
Kaiji loses his first bet of 3,000 Perica, but strengthens his resolve to fight. He continues to make bets of 3,000 Perica. After 40 minutes of gambling, he ups the ante and bets 5,000 Perica against foreman Otsuki and his lackey. They respond with enormous bets- each betting the house limit of 20,000 Perica.
#13 - Nemesis
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/25/2011
Kaiji shows everyone that Ōtsuki is cheating by using his special dice. He then tricks the foreman into betting again while Kaiji and his group use their own "special dice", with a 1 on each side, and thus Ōtsuki is forced to pay 5 times the amount they bet, losing 2,535,000 perica in total. Just when Ōtsuki was about to give up for the night, Kaiji reminds him that he still has to deal one more time according to the rules. The Forty-fivers then bet all 3,042,000 perica against the dealer.
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#14 - The Magic Dice
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/18/2011
When the foreman sees that the Forty-fivers have bet all their money, he suspects that Kaiji has discovered how he is cheating. A backstory is then shown of when Ōtsuki and his men started cheating after purchasing special dice without the 1, 2 or 3 dots. Back at the game, Ōtsuki is forced to play with normal dice, taking his chances, but then suspects that Kaiji does not know how he cheats, so on the final throw he uses his special dice. Suddenly, Kaiji grabs the dice before they stop rolling.
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#15 - Failure
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/2007
Kaiji managed to win the match, 2 stars better of however the group still needs 4 more stars and only has 14 million in total and no cards. So Kaiji comes up with the plan to monopolize the bored by getting 30 Rock cards, however they are not the only ones who've thought of the strategy.
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#16 - Rise and Fall
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2007
With Kitami's group now falling apart, Kaiji proceeds with his plan of buying out all their 30 Paper cards. Funai later approaches Kaiji with their proposition to trade his star for some of Kaiji cards but Kaiji refuses. Now that no one can trust each other, Funai decides to proclaim that everyone should reshuffle their cards, which is an idea that will completely ruin Kaiji's plan.
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#17 - Condition
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/19/2008
Through Kaiji's persistence, the chairman finally accepts his challenge but Kaiji must find a way to get the chairman to accept the idea of a "Tissue Box Raffle". Kaiji's plan seems to be going smoothly but then the chairman decides to lay out three conditions that must be followed.
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#18 - Money's Influence
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 9/7/2011
Kaiji commences to play with the last ¥10 million he borrowed from Endō for a final assault, unaware that Ichijō has tilted the machine in the same direction that Kaiji's group tilted the building, thus creating an almost insurmountable tilt on the first two plates. When half of the money is gone, Ichijō gloats to Kaiji that he can never win, but Kaiji says that he knows about the tilt. As the crowd watches, Kaiji tapes three ¥10,000 bills to the glass, hiding the three plates. In frustration, Ichijō rips them off to see a number of balls circulating on the plates because the losing holes have become clogged with balls which are unable to exit the machine. This increases Kaiji's probability of winning, however they still do not drop into the winning hole.
#19 - Certain Victory
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/31/2011
Kaiji plays on, but he is on the verge of defeat, having lost all his money. He convinces Endō to lend him his last ¥10 million against his better judgement, but at an exorbitant interest rate, and Kaiji returns to the machine for a final assault.
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#20 - Deadly Decision
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2007
Both having thought of the buyout strategy, Kaiji challenges Kitami to a Rock Paper Scissors death match but Kitami doesn't accept. So they have a different kind of battle. Kaiji and Kitami; their battle over 3 stars finally materializes!
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#21 - Execution
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/5/2008
The final judgement has been met by Tonegawa, as he believes he has discerned Kaiji's plan of purposely splattering the cards with his blood but he was only being lead by Kaiji's true plan. Now all that's left is for certain formalities to be taken care of; for Kaiji to receive is money and for Tonegawa to sincerely apologize.
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#23 - The Difference in Destiny
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/24/2011
Kaiji's improbable idea of tilting the building to tilt the Bog pays off, and he gets closer to winning with more balls dropping onto the third and final plate. Ichijō contemplates the consequences of losing everything he has and tilts the machine again in the same direction to prevent balls reaching the third plate as Kaiji uses his last ¥10 million.
#24 - Open Fire
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/10/2007
The event that will decide the fate of Kaiji and the rest of the debtors, onboard the Espoir, is a game called "Restricted Rock Paper Scissors". Following the explanation, Kaiji is then approached by Funai (the other person who borrowed 10 million) and it turns out that he's a repeater. He wants to team up with Kaiji and Kaiji accepts, not knowing what he just gotten himself into.
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#25 - Revelry
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/12/2007
Kaiji accepts the invitation to the next party at the Starside Hotel and he recognizes a few familiar faces from the dreadful night on the Espoir. Kaiji is really determined this time not to fall for any tricks however the gambling event this time is "Human Derby" which the spectators are gambling on.
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