In Kaiji, various people appear as the main character, Kaiji Ito, gets caught up in gambling. Among them are some excellent people and some losers. The strange thing about Kaiji is that each and every one of them appears attractive, and this time we will introduce the main characters of Kaiji.
1. Kaiji Ito, the Unrivaled Gambler, or Madman
The protagonist of this work. A young man who moved to Tokyo and couldn't find a decent job, making ends meet as a part-timer. He spends his days drinking cheap alcohol and gambling, and relieves stress by playing pranks on illegally parked luxury cars. One day, Kaiji is asked to pay off a debt for which he is a guarantor, and they end up gambling on the Espoir to pay it off. Since then, he has continued to survive gambling matches that have put ruin and large sums of money at stake with his unconventional strategies and extraordinary insight.
2. Kazutaka Hyodo, the cruel sadist and head of the Teiai Group
He is the chairman of the Teiai Group, the consumer finance company that Kaiji is now in debt to. He has an abnormal obsession with money, and even now, after accumulating a vast fortune, he is still fixated on collecting it. He also has a nefarious and sadistic side, deriving pleasure from seeing people suffer, and is merciless, hosting outrageous gambling events for his debtors and forcing Tonegawa, who lost in gambling, to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. However, when it comes to competition, he also has a fair side, and this is said to be a sign of his confidence that he can win even if he is on the same level as others.
3. Yukio Tonegawa, Teiai Group's No. 2
The No. 2 in the Teiai Group, Yukio Tonegawa explains gambling to Kaiji and his friends aboard the Espoir. He stands in Kaiji's way as an enemy, treating his debtors harshly and not treating them like human beings. After Kaiji manages to get through the steel beams, he challenges him in an E-Card game. He is known for some famous quotes, such as "Money is heavier than life...!" He is also currently starring as the protagonist in the spin-off work "The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa."
4. Yuji Endo, the Unscrupulous Consumer Loan Shark
The president of a loan shark company that came to collect Kaiji's debt. He offered Kaiji a ride on the Espoir in exchange for wiping out his debt. He was the person who first drew Kaiji into the world of gambling. In the Pachinko Swamp arc, he teams up with Kaiji to conquer the swamp.
5. The Kind, Courageous, and Useless Man: Ishida Koji
A middle-aged man with a large debt who boards the Espoir. His good-natured nature gets him in trouble, as he is tricked by a player who offers to help him and sent to another room. He is later saved by Kaiji's kindness. He then participates in the next steel beam crossing, attempting to cross a steel beam suspended between skyscrapers in order to repay his debts. However, his legs freeze up due to fear of death, and he is unable to move. He entrusts Kaiji with the prize money exchange ticket and decides to fall himself. As he falls, he suppresses his screams and falls in silence so as not to upset Kaiji. Kaiji praises his actions as a courageous act. Later, Ishida's son and Kaiji are reunited underground, and Kaiji's victory in the swamp saves the son.
6. King of Scum: Mamoru Ando
The man who teamed up with Kaiji in the limited-time rock-paper-scissors game held on the Espoir. Kaiji's strategy worked well, and Ando was able to return home alive. He had promised to help Kaiji after the game ended, but after comparing the cost of saving Kaiji with his own debts, Ando became greedy and betrayed Kaiji, abandoning him. Kaiji later managed to return home on his own, and Ando was punished. Kaiji described Ando as "a hopeless piece of trash as a human being."
7. Sahara: Just Missing Out on a Big Sink
A colleague of Kaiji's at the convenience store where he worked part-time after surviving the Espoir. Rather than working steadily, he dreams of hitting the jackpot and rising to the surface. When Endo appears before Kaiji, he begs him to join him in the steel beam crossing. In the steel beam crossing of a high-rise building, he used his natural athletic ability to successfully make it across, but at the very last moment he fell off a trap set by the organizers.
8. Otsuki, who coughs up all the money he's saved up through fraud
The man who serves as the squad leader at the underground forced labor facility where Kaiji falls. When Kaiji receives his paycheck, Otsuki encourages him to drink alcohol and spend lavishly. Later, when Kaiji is short on cash, he invites him to participate in a gambling game called Chinchirorin, but once again he tricks Kaiji and his friends by using four-five-six dice. He usually has a smiling face, but behind his facade lies a vicious and cunning nature. The spin-off work, 1-Day Outing Hanchou, depicts how Otsuki spends a day using his one-day outing privileges.
9. Yoshihiro Kurosaki, a high-ranking executive at Teiai Group
After Tonegawa was defeated by Kaiji in an e-card game, he was forced to resign from his position as Teiai's executive. Yoshihiro Kurosaki subsequently solidified his position as Teiai's number two. He is wary of Kaiji, having seen through his extraordinary gambling talent. In "The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa," he is in a rival relationship with Tonegawa, as he is good at communicating with Hyodo, always able to point out things that are difficult to say without hesitation, and always earns a positive response.
10. Kotaro Sakazaki, the dirty old man who fights alongside Kaiji
After Kaiji wins big at underground chinchiro and gains the right to go above ground, Kotaro Sakazaki appears before him and lures him into an underground casino run by Teiai. At first, he attempts to beat the Pachinko Swamp using a strategy involving a beer can with a magnet inside, but is defeated miserably. He then teams up with Kaiji and gets his revenge. He used to work for a well-known general contractor, but was laid off and divorced due to the recession, and now makes ends meet by working as a night watchman. After his big win at the Swamp, he used the money he won to buy a house and successfully reconciled with his family.
11. Seiya Ichijo, Owner of an Underground Casino
He is one of the candidates for executive position at Teiai, and also serves as the owner of the underground casino owned by Teiai. He is also the creator of the impregnable monster machine "Swamp," and stands in the way of Kaiji and his friends as they plot to conquer the swamp. Although he had excellent grades during his school days, he did not go to university and instead got a job at Teiai, where he worked a period of harsh menial work before achieving his current position.
Summary
Kaiji features many unique characters. And if you focus on the characters themselves, rather than just the story, you'll find a whole new level of enjoyment. When watching Kaiji, why not pay attention to these characters?
