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.
#1 - Afterglow
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/2/2008
The final scene of the night of lunacy begins. The name of the game is "Tissue Box Raffle" and Kaiji's plan, to win on the first draw seems to have run into a dead end. Will Kaiji's desperate prayers reach the heavens?
#2 - Dying Spirit
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/9/2008
At the Starside Hotel 8 people now remain on the 74m bridge-crossing of death. Faced with imminent death, they all want to give up but Yukio Tonegawa ignores their pleas of mercy and in a mere 3 minutes only Kaiji, Sahara and Ishida remain.
#3 - Heavens
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/2008
With only 2 people remaining, Sahara is the first to survive the bridge-crossing of death however there is something sinister behind the window, before him. With all options out of the question, Kaiji is at a loss of what to do but he eventually finds a loophole that is potentially a path to salvation.
#4 - Fury
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/23/2008
Now that the ticket he had from the bridge-crossing is void, Kaiji cannot leave empty handed, so the mastermind of this offers him a chance to gain up to ¥100million. The game is "E-Card" and there are 3 types of cards (Citizen, Emperor & Slave). The rules may be simple but there's a lot more to this psychological battle, especially since Kaiji will be facing Yukio Tonegawa.
#5 - Adversity
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/30/2008
The game of E-Card has just begun and Kaiji is feeling pretty confident after winning his first 2 matches. However the true psychological battle has just begun, where Kaiji struggles to figure out his opponent's mindset.
#6 - Trifled
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/6/2008
The game of E-Card that Kaiji put his hearing on the line continues into the 2nd Round and even though Kaiji has come up with a plan, it still doesn't stop him from losing the next match. Confident now that he has found a way to win, Kaiji bets 10mm for the next match but it may end up causing an upset for the rest of the game.
#7 - Limit
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/13/2008
Onto the 9th match, this is the most crucial point for Kaiji who only has 4 more matches and 4mm till destruction. His mind is full of so many conflicting thoughts and even without the confidence in his choice he somehow managed to win to ensure his safety. Yet something feels off about the whole turn of events and through his deductive skills Kaiji realizes that they are cheating.
#8 - Departed Souls
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/20/2008
Kaiji has figured out Tonegawa's method of cheating and decides to use this to his advantage by recklessly wagering the maximum remaining length available (18mm). But this isn't completely reckless, since he's thought of an idea to win the 2 remaining Slave rounds.
#9 - Heart and Soul
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/27/2008
Onto the final match of E-Card and Kaiji decides to go for another life or death gamble, as he has come up with a way to take advantage of this disadvantaged situation. Kaiji is determined not to leave without ¥20million but how far will that determination take him?
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - Pallid
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/26/2008
The night of lunacy continues; with Kaiji putting his ¥20million and 4 fingers on the line, for a ¥100million gamble. The game is Tissue Box Raffle and something unexpected occurs, which completely throws away Kaiji's sure-fire way to win.
#13 - 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.
#14 - Monster
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/26/2007
10 people including Kaiji have volunteered for the Human Derby on the final bridge, 22 stories high, which spells instant death if they fall. After deciding which order they will go in, the pathway to salvation opens but it may not take much for the monster they've all kept hidden away within themselves to awaken.
#15 - Applause, and Then...
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/1/2011
Kurosaki intervenes and tells Ōtsuki that he has no choice but to play, and in the end, he loses 18,252,000 perica which Kaiji splits equally between the Forty-fivers. Kaiji then asks Kurosaki to approve their requests for the one-day outside pass and he agrees. The Forty-fivers insist that Kaiji should keep the money and twenty one-day outside passes, leaving him with ¥800,000 (around US$7,800) to gamble for the team and pay off their debts. Now back in society above ground, Kaiji meets Sakazaki Kōtarō who is looking for a partner to win big in the illegal casinos. Kaiji accepts his offer, and is taken to an illegal casino where he sees a huge Pachinko machine called "The Bog". Each ball is worth 1,000 times more than normal and the jackpot is worth ¥550 million, more than enough to free Kaiji from debt.
#16 - Last Gamble
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/8/2011
When Kaiji is told there have only been two winners of the Bog, Hyōdō and Tonegawa, he realizes that the game must be rigged. He then agrees to work with Sakazaki for 10% of the possible ¥600 million payout from the Bog, however Sakazaki is secretive about the details of his plan which includes the machine's maintenance schedule. A day before their attempt to beat the Bog, Sakazaki appears with ¥50 million he 'borrowed' from the company president's safe where he works as a security guard. At the appointed day, Sakazaki commences to play the Bog.
#17 - The Clue to Beat the Bog
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/29/2011
Kaiji returns to the Sakazaki apartment, only to find it trashed and empty. Sakazaki has taken the last of his money to the race track. Kaiji's plan for revenge involves Sakazaki, so with a plan to beat the Bog, he tracks Sakazaki down at a Sapporo racetrack. Kaiji approaches Endō who is now broke but agrees to fund him, however it will cost ¥113 million including interest plus 50% of the winnings. Sakazaki violently objects but they end up agreeing to split the winnings three ways after costs.
#18 - Fruitless Achievement
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/3/2011
Kaiji plays on even though it appears the chances of winning are zero. Meanwhile, Ichijō receives a request to send a live CCTV feed to the Teiai underground forced labor camp and to Hyōdō. Kaiji continues to play, even after losing ¥20 million in what seems a pointless exercise.
#19 - Iron Gate
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/10/2011
Kaiji continues to play, with every ball deflected by the flippers until one ball makes it through to the plates below, the flipper rods bent because the replacement rods installed after Sakazaki smashed the machine were modified by Kaiji. Ichijō starts to panic and then receives a phone call from Hyōdō telling him to let the game continue and not bring the corporation into disrepute, under penalty of death. Ichijō now relies on his three rigged bottom plates to foil Kaiji's chances of winning.
#20 - 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.
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - A Precarious Situation
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/14/2011
Kaiji realizes too late that the lean they created in the building also tilts slightly to the left, possibly eliminating his chances of a ball dropping into the rear winning hole. Also, with Ichijō now tilting the machine back to the front, the clogged balls may soon drop out. He is now in a race against time before the money runs out. Finally, two balls head for the winning hole, but unfortunately knock each other away.
#24 - Wandering Silver Balls
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 9/21/2011
Kaiji continues to play until the losing holes on even the third plate are blocked; however, Ichijō has the final weapon – air jets around the winning hole to deflect the balls. In the hushed silence, Kaiji hears the sound of hissing air and deduces what Ichijō has done. As Kaiji runs out of balls to play, the Teiai security men in black arrive to take him back underground. Kaiji proposes calling it a draw to Ichijō who refuses, forcing Kaiji to play his remaining balls and pray for a miracle.
#25 - Tears of Resentment
Season 2 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/28/2011
Even with the plates filled to the brim with silver balls, Ichijō's secret weapon, the Curtain of Wind, prevents Kaiji from winning and Kaiji has run out of money. As he is dragged away, Sakazaki appears swearing vengeance on the machine, and gives Kaiji another ¥10 million which he again 'borrowed' from the company safe. Kaiji starts playing again with renewed vigor. The bottom plate is now awash with balls, but none can pass the curtain of wind around the winning hole. The machine appears to groan, and with the plate overflowing with balls, some cascade down the winning hole. Horrified that Kaiji won, Hyōdō sentences Ichijō to 1,050 years underground.