The popular anime "Kaiji" has featured many gambling matches in which large sums of money and ruin are at stake. The human drama of the unique characters surrounding Kaiji is also often memorable. Today, we'll be introducing a ranking of the most memorable scenes from "Kaiji."
First Place Kaiji Tear Off His Ear
During Kaiji and Tonegawa's e-card game, Tonegawa cheated by measuring Kaiji's heart rate and other data using a device attached to his ear, perfectly predicting Kaiji's moves. Kaiji, who is now at a disadvantage, sees through this cheating and tries to do something about it. He comes up with the idea of detaching the device along with his ear. This is something that an ordinary person would never be able to do, but Kaiji chooses to defy common sense in order to win, and brilliantly escapes from this predicament.
Second-Place Ando's Betrayal
During the limited-time rock-paper-scissors game aboard the Espoir, Kaiji teamed up with his teammates Ando and Furuhat, aiming for victory. Kaiji's clever strategy allowed Ando and Furuhat to remain calm, but Kaiji was defeated and taken to the backstage. Ando and his friends had promised to use the remaining stars to rescue Kaiji, but at the time Ando was only thinking about pros and cons and his own gain. Thinking that rescuing Kaiji would mean losing his own gain, Ando betrays Kaiji. Ando's actions, which seem to embody all of the ugly aspects of human nature, will surely remain in the memories of those who watched.
Third Place: Tonegawa's Burning Prostration
Tonegawa lost to Kaiji in an e-card game. As punishment for his loss, Hyodo orders him to perform a burning prostration. Yaki-dogeza is a way to physically express one's feelings of apology, and is performed to apologize for the way Kaiji and the others have been treated up until now. Tonegawa is forced to do dogeza on a hot iron plate for 10 seconds. An ordinary person would never be able to endure this, but Tonegawa manages to complete the 10-second yaki-dogeza. This is a scene that shows that even though he lost, Tonegawa still had some stubbornness and pride left.
4th Place: Kaiji's Extravagant Spending
Kaiji is sent to an underground forced labor facility due to a large debt. He is forced to work hard every day to repay his debts. In the film, Kaiji decides to save up money in order to get a day off, but he is tempted by the beer and snacks sold by his squad leader, Otsuki, and his teammates, and ends up spending lavishly for several days. The happy look on his face while drinking beer and the way he regrets it when he realizes how much he's wasted is a scene that seems to capture all the worst things about human beings.
5th Place: Uncle Ishida's Courage
Uncle Ishida, who was saved by Kaiji on the Espoir, also participated in the subsequent steel beam crossing. In a gamble to cross a steel beam suspended from a skyscraper, Uncle Ishida gives up on making it across and entrusts Kaiji with a check in lieu of winnings before falling. In order not to upset Kaiji, he covers his mouth and falls silently. It's not easy to overcome fear and fall silently. It's impressive to see Uncle Ishida show courage at the very last moment.
6th place: I won't push...!!
In this gambling game, the first player to cross a steel beam about 10 meters high wins. The player starting from the back can push the player in front, and each player aims to win the prize money. Among them, Kaiji was the only one who refused to push the player in front of him. It was striking to see Kaiji's determination to protect his human dignity over his own interests at the very end.
7th Place: The Feeling of an Endless Ejaculation
In the Pachinko Swamp Arc, Sakazaki came up with the idea for a cheat using beer with a magnet inside. Full of confidence, he enters the casino, but the crucial ball doesn't react to the magnet. In fact, the balls used at the time were made of brass, which doesn't react to magnets, and Sakazaki's plan falls apart. Still, Sakazaki can't back down, and he continues to challenge the swamp, even though he knows he will lose. As the money disappears at an incredible speed and the anxiety that his loss will soon be confirmed overcomes Sakazaki, he says he feels like he is having an endless ejaculation.
Kaiji is proud even after a painful defeat in 8th place
Kaiji defeats Tonegawa in an e-card game. He challenges Hyodo with the winnings from the gambling, but falls into Hyodo's trap and is defeated. Kaiji had bet his finger as a penalty if he lost, and was filled with fear at the realization that he would lose it, but he suppressed that fear, didn't make any futile pleas, and accepted defeat with grace. His appearance shows the integrity of someone who has accepted defeat head-on, and is determined to win next time, looking forward.
45 Groups Return in 9th Place
Kaiji wins big at the Pachinko Swamp and successfully returns all 45 groups from the underground. However, most of the winnings from the swamp have been wiped out due to debt repayments. Kaiji feels he can't face his teammates if things continue like this, so a Teiai black suit offers him some money. With the money, Kaiji reunites with his friends and enjoys the sweet taste of victory while eating yakiniku.
10th place doesn't count! No count!
When team leader Otsuki was discovered cheating using the four-five-six dice at chinchiro, he came up with a lame excuse to get out of the situation: Kaiji grabbed the dice while they were being rolled, so the result hadn't been announced yet and the game didn't count. Then, perhaps confident in his logic, he riled up the crowd, yelling, "No, no!" But of course, no one around him was convinced.
Summary
While Kaiji draws attention for its scenes showcasing the human psychology of gambling, there are plenty of other scenes that showcase the humanity and individuality of Kaiji and his friends. There are plenty of other memorable scenes, so be sure to check them out!
