Kakegurui

Kakegurui is a Japanese manga series about an elite private academy where student status is determined by gambling.

Kakegurui is a Japanese manga series about an elite private academy where student status is determined by gambling. It follows transfer student Yumeko Jabami, whose love of high-stakes betting disrupts the school’s hierarchy. The series was adapted into an anime that streams on Netflix outside Japan.

Premise

The story is set at Hyakkaou Private Academy, where students are ranked through gambling rather than academics. Yumeko Jabami is a transfer student and the central character, whose compulsive gambling disrupts the school's hierarchy.

Publication and adaptation

The manga was written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tōru Naomura, beginning serialization in Square Enix's Gangan Joker in March 2014. It was later adapted into an anime that premiered in 2017. Outside Japan, the anime is licensed for streaming on Netflix. As of March 2026, the manga had 21 collected volumes released. The series has also inspired spin-off manga, including Kakegurui Twin.

Characters

Yumeko Jabami is the main character and the driving force of the story. Other major figures include the student council and the wider network of students competing for status through gambling.

Title meaning

The title 賭ケグルイ is commonly rendered as Kakegurui. Sources describe it as referring to compulsive gambling or a compulsive gambler.