Best Gamblers In Kakegurui

Those who attend Hyakkaou Academy may attend classes like any regular student. However, at the end of the day, they are not assessed by academic merit but rather by their gambling capabilities! The Kakegurui franchise features some of the most cut-throat gamblers in anime’s history, who have all been devoured by the rat race in the effort to emerge victorious.

The amount of votes amassed during the Election so far is arguably not an adequate measurement of each contender’s gambling skills, as there is so much behind-the-scenes politics that have influenced certain outcomes. Assessing overall performance is the safest bet, and the following content only involves characters from the Kakegurui Compulsive Gambler, Kakegurui XX, and Kakegurui Twin anime series.

Updated December 10, 2023 by Oluwatokiloba Folami: The Kakegurui anime is one of the best gambling series out there. The series, which follows Jabami Yumeko on her numerous gambling adventures, has depicted many intense situations in which even the smallest details can determine life or death.

While Jabami Yumeko has established herself as a super-strong gambler, many gamblers have portrayed themselves as having skills equal to or greater than hers. From Mary Satome to Kirari Momobami and even Jun Kiwatari, many gamblers have battled against Yumeko and showcased their skills. Following the saying, “He who gets caught is at fault,” Hyakkaou Private Academy portrays an environment where skills of deception are widely needed alongside pure gambling talent.

Those who have not yet watched Kakegurui Twin should proceed with caution!

17 Jun Kiwatari

Victimizing Gambler

Despite being a minor antagonist, Jun Kiwatari was a very good gambler. However, most of his gambling skills came from his ability to deceive and use others. Kiwatari had been playing the debt swap game by reporting false debts and winning the bet up until Yumeko and Mary defeated him.

The debt swap game involves players (housepets) who have debts, play a game to swap their debts, and hopefully come out with less. To play this game, Kiwatari used housepets, which he had under his control. However, as cheating in the game was not prohibited and had no punishment even if discovered, Kiwatari made himself shine. Moreover, as the son of the prefectural governor, Kiwatari had a lot of influence and liked to torment housepets.

16 Yumemi Yumemite

The Ambitious Idol

Like many of the top gamblers portrayed in the Kakegurui anime series, Yumemi is a member of the student council and the head of public relations for the council. Despite being one of the council members, Yumemi is uninterested in politics and seeks to become a world-famous actress. To achieve her dreams, Yumemi started as a part-time idol who learned everything about her fans.

While Yumemi doesn’t dabble in deceit to win her gambles, she makes sure all odds are in her favor, putting her in the most advantageous position she can be in. Using her knowledge of people, particularly her fans, Yumemi participates in gambles that involve her fans, and she memorizes all there is to know about them. Beating her at her specialty is more than an arduous task.

15 Yuriko Nishinotounin

The Traditionalist

As a lover of Japanese culture, Yuriko Nishinotouin is the head of the traditional culture club and a student council member. Yuriko maintained her seat on the student council for many years so that she would be able to preserve her tradition.

Using the life-or-death game that the traditional culture club created, Yuriko has forced many to become housepets and give up their dreams. Moreover, presumably because of Kirari Momobami’s interference and luck, she even defeated Jabami Yumeko. Yuriko’s methods in the life or death gamble do not always guarantee a win, and because of that, few of her adversaries can guess the trick she uses. However, with a slight advantage against her opponents, she slowly racks up a profit.

14 Midari Ikishima

The Impulsive Sadomasichist

Midari Ikishima may have an entire spin-off series dedicated to her (manga only), but that does not automatically make her a great gambler. She may have the risk-taking aspect down to a tee, but her impulsivity and self-gratifying mentality often lead Midari down a self-destructive path, as the desire for pain overwhelms the rules of the game.

Many fans agree with Yumeko’s assessment of this deranged character, as she is infuriated every time Midari rigs the game in her favor, removing the risk factor in the process. Midari’s interest in winning money does not exceed the thrill of potential bodily harm, which is evident in her erratic playing style.

13 Rei Batsubami

From Zero To Hero

For someone with a deep hatred for gambling and minimal experience in participating in these games, Rei surprises everyone when she rigs the system with an old-school ballot box, amassing an impressive amount of votes from her new fanbase.

Rei also singlehandedly organizes the Hundere Vote Auction and does quite well for herself, almost winning 3 billion yen and monopolizing the votes in the process. Unfortunately, this underdog should have left Yumeko off the invite list, as she quickly unraveled Rei’s scheme and exposed her trickery, defeating Rei in the process.

12 Miyo Inbami And Miri Youbami

The Twister Sisters

Whether or not Miyo Inbami and Miri Youbami even deserve a spot here is debatable, considering the deceitful style in which they “gamble.” Much like Midari, these twisted sisters make great efforts to eliminate the uncertainty involved in gambling by poisoning their opponents, rendering them incapable of adequately performing in the game.

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Before the pair were separated due to family drama, Miri and Miyo developed a secret language and can subsequently communicate without actually speaking; a trick that has become invaluable in their sinister games. Miyo is older and, therefore, more dominant and maintains a firm grip on her claim to the presidency title (so far) in Kaegurui XX.

11 Kurumi Kurume

The Poser

The delightfully alluring Kurumi Kurume charms everyone with her Ganguro style and flirtatious personality, but that may just all be part of her master plan. During the Coupling Party in Kakegurui Twin, Kurimi has most believing that she is simply a sleazy air-head. However, she proves to be much more perceptive! Kurumi is the only other player to deduce that Chitose Inui might be the traitor, effectively assisting with Mary’s unspoken plan to uncover the truth.

Although the Coupling Party is the only time viewers have watched Kurumi gamble, it would be fun to see her in a room with Yumeko, as they both get great satisfaction from extreme betting scenarios. Not only does Kurimi personally finance the girl’s team, but she insists they each offer to “spend the night” with the boys if they lose, just to spice things up a bit!

10 Itsuki Sumeragi

The Trickster

Unfortunately, Itsuki Sumeragi relies quite heavily on cheating, thanks to her collection of trick decks, dice, etc., supplied by her father, a renowned toy maker. She may be the youngest member of the Student Council, but Itsuki’s gambling skills have backed up her prestigious position (although it is unclear how many games did not involve cheating…) Nevertheless, Yumeko sees potential in the youngster, and she is yet to be wrong, so that’s a good indicator!

Itsuki’s most valuable trait is arguably her devoted drive to succeed, as once she puts her mind on a goal, there is little anyone can do to stop her. Thankfully, Itsuki’s strange obsession with collecting fingernails seems to have subsided, making her a more likable character overall.

9 Sakura Miharutaki

The Critical Thinker

Sakura Miharutaki gives off very similar vibes as Sayaka Igarashi, both having exceptional intellect but are subsequently handicapped by their formulaic approach to life. However, Sakura is more assertive and takes more initiative, which is a crucial component for the leader of the Beautification Committee (essentially the Law of Hyakkaou Academy.)

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Sakura can assess a situation at seemingly superhuman speeds, displayed best during her run-in with Midari in Kakegurui Twin. Within what seemed like milliseconds, Sakura scans the room, analyzes the shelves jam-packed with countless games, and instantly figures out Midari’s grand plan. Interestingly enough, Sakura essentially wins by pure luck, as she does not factor her opponent’s mental instability into her equation. She also gives Mary a run for her money but again overanalyzes the situation to her detriment.

8 Kaede Manyuda

Mind-Games and Manipulation

An analytical mind is a prerequisite to being the Treasurer of the prestigious Student Council, and Kaede Manyuda takes his position very seriously indeed! His attention to detail, combined with a superb ability to read people, allows Kaede to accurately predict his opponent’s next move in most cases and has big aspirations for the future (such as dethroning Kirari).

Kaede’s keen insightfulness is best observed during the Greater Good Game, whereby he immediately caught on to Yumeko’s scheme, seemingly without even having to discuss the plan with her. Kaede feigns being an “imposter” without hesitation, subsequently influencing everyone to pay their taxes before they all suffer the consequences.

7 Rin Obami

The Alpha Male

Rin Obami practically came out of nowhere to mark his territory as the alpha male of the pack by holding the most votes of any of the boys involved in the Election. Unlike Ibara, Rin is more subtle with, well, everything, and he is not as easily swayed by the idea of flexing, opting to stick his ego in his back pocket.

RIn’s analytical skills are undeniable as he can often see straight through his opponent’s strategy and makes his calculated decisions accordingly, with such keen insightfulness that he could probably give Mary and Yumeko a run for their money. Essentially, Rin outplays his rivals on almost every occasion or simply walks away when victory seems unattainable, accelerating his winning streak significantly.

6 Terano Totobami

The Dark Horse

It is difficult to adequately assess Terano Totobami’s gambling skills because most of her success comes from working her magic behind the scenes. It appears that Terano is more concerned with constructing manipulative wagers than playing actual games, similar to betting on the horses instead of playing Poker.

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Whatever Terano is doing is working for her, as she has been Kirari’s greatest threat from the very beginning by collecting an exorbitant amount of votes. Besides the twins, every other member of the Momobami Clan seems to respect Terano immensely and appears to be backing her to win the presidential position.

5 Sachiko Juraku

The Walking Contradiction

As arguably one of the most vicious villains in the Kakegurui franchise, to see Sachiko Juraku’s name next to the word “moral” has most doing a double-take, but yes, she is indeed the leader of the Public Morals Committee. Sachiko’s status seems to be akin to the President’s, and this twisted sadist takes full advantage of the house pet system, preying on Gambling Dens in search of her next new plaything.

While viewers do not witness her actively gambling in Kakegurui Twin, Sachiko’s skills are assumed to be great, not only due to her rank but her cunning mind as well. The mind games she plays with Mary and Sakura are almost unmatched, and such manipulative capabilities are unquestionable assets in many gambling scenarios.

4 Ririka Momobami

The Submissive Twin

Fans have not seen much of Ririka Momobami in action either. However, it is unlikely that the heartless Kirari would raise her twin to the iconic position of Vice President purely due to sisterly love. Rurika may give off the impression of being a submissive minion, but one cannot spend their life around the mastermind, Kirari, without picking up a thing or two!

For those who are skeptical of Ririka’s high ranking, just be patient; the best is yet to come! Some may say that Ririka is already involved in a colossal gamble by backing Mary for the Presidential position, but if that is not enough, consult the Manga for confirmation! Hopefully, fans will get a full account of Ririka’s gambling capabilities when she faces off against Nozomi Komabami in the next season of Kakegurui.

3 Kirari Momobami

The Power-Hungry President

Not only did Kirari Momobami become the leader of the School Council due to a “lucky” game, but she proceeded to rework the entire gambling system at Hyakkaou Academy to ensure that she would never (willingly) lose her status. Generally speaking, Kirari has a rather blase approach to most things, including gambling, as she has become so skilled that it is rare to find an adequate challenge anymore.

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Similar to Yumeko, Kirari simply adores those games that leave everything to chance and is likely relieved to give her brain a break from dissecting every aspect of a situation. Kirari gives the strong impression that she already knows the outcome of a match before it begins, allowing her victims no room to escape. Her intimidation factor is greatly influential in Kirari’s gameplay but effective.

2 Yumeko Jabami

The Compulsive Gambler

Yumeko Jabami may be one of the most skilled gamblers to walk the halls of Hyakkaou Academy, as she seems to always have the upper hand, even before the game begins! Yumeko analyses absolutely everything and usually has a thorough understanding of her opponent’s intimate issues as well as their gambling style.

Yumeko abhors those who use cheating to elevate their status and regularly exposes her targets, knocking them off their pedestals in the process. Nothing peeves Yumeko more than being denied the exhilaration of risk-taking and has little respect for those who rig the system. All of Yumeko’s gambling virtues, however, are unpredictable as soon as her addiction takes over, and the compulsive gambler throws all rationality out of the window for the sake of elevating the stakes.

1 Mary Saotome

The Queen Of The Crop

Mary Saotome has earned her position as a fan-favorite Kakegurui character because she is, well, the whole package! Coming from a poor background, Mary makes very calculated choices based on logical, critical thinking that is rarely influenced by emotions. In Kakegurui Twin, Mary quickly (and correctly) assesses that the best way to succeed at Hyakkaou Academy is not to contend in small-scale matches but rather by dominating a Gambling Den and becoming a financier.

Mary is by no means above cheating to win a bet. Nevertheless, her overconfidence in an “assured win” is her biggest downfall. Thankfully, Mary is dedicated to her mission of irradicating the house pet structure and is systematically working her way to the top, showing the most potential to destroy Kirari’s reign of tyranny.

Kakegurui

Release Date

July 1, 2017

Studio

MAPPA

Number of Episodes

24