The popular anime, Kakegurui, has had several live-action adaptations in the past few years. Based on Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura, the anime centers around Yumeko Jabami, a student who transfers to the prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy, which ranks students according to how good they are at gambling. So far, Kakegurui has had three live-action adaptations, with a fourth one set to be released on Netflix.
Hollywood live-action anime adaptations, it's worth looking at how many Kakegurui has.
4 Kakegurui
Released In 2018
Kakegurui (2018) is a Japanese live-action series set in Hyakkaou Private Academy, where students are ranked by their gambling winnings rather than academic success. Starring Minami Hamabe as transfer student Yumeko Jabami, the show explores the high stakes and psychological mind games involved in the school's gambling culture. Based on the popular manga series, the series delves into themes of risk, power, and obsession.
Starring Minami Hamabe as Yumeko Jabami and Mahiro Takasugi as Ryota Suzui, the first live-action adaptation of Kakegurui was released in 2018, a year after the anime premiered. The J-drama ran for two seasons and has 15 episodes in total. Kakegurui’s premise is simple and doesn’t involve the usual eccentricities, over-the-top emotions, or fantasy usually featured in anime, so it was fairly easy to make a live-action adaptation.
Kakegurui’s premise is simple and doesn’t involve the usual eccentricities, over-the-top emotions, or fantasy usually featured in anime, so it was fairly easy to make a live-action adaptation.
The 2018 J-drama was also faithful to the anime, which also ed for why it was successful. While there were a few changes made, the live-action series ensured that the scenes that defined the anime were included. Mahiro Takasugi and Minami Hamabe did a decent job of portraying their characters, thus adding to the fact that the series honored the anime and didn’t alter one of the things that made it so enjoyable in the first place.
3 Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler
Released In 2019
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Kakegurui - Season 2
- Release Date
- April 2, 2019
- Network
- MBS
- Series
- Kakegurui
- Episodes
- 5
- Season Number
- 2
- Episode List
- Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5
In 2019, a live-action movie of Kakegurui ed the list of the manga’s adaptations. Like the J-drama, the 2019 film had the same cast as the series. Seeing that the 2018 live-action Kakegurui TV show was successful, the movie didn’t necessarily come as a surprise because studios tend to capitalize on what's popular. But, it's worth noting that director Tsutomu Hanabusa's movie didn’t really add anything new. Instead, the film told the same story as the anime and the live-action Japanese series.
2 Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette
Released In 2021
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Kakegurui 2: Desperate Russian Roulette
- Release Date
- April 29, 2021
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
- Director
- Tsutomu Hanabusa
- Writers
- Minato Takano, Tsutomu Hanabusa
Cast
Minami HamabeYumeko Jabami-
Ryusei FujiiMakuro Shikigami
-
Mahiro TakasugiRyota Suzui
-
Aoi MorikawaMary Saotome
A year after Kakegurui (the live-action film), the creators of the movie announced that they would be making a sequel, which was set to be released in 2021. Although the sequel had the same cast as the first installment and was also directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa, the story this time wasn’t necessarily adapted from Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura's manga. Instead, the plot of Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette was completely original. However, the authors of Kakegurui were actively involved in the creation of the story.
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Live-action TV anime adaptations have proven to be more successful than movies. For various reasons, the TV adaptation model should be the standard.
Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette builds on the plot of the first live-action film and picks up the story from where it ended. While it's an original story, the intense thriller stays true to its source material and keeps everything that fans of Kakegurui loved about it. But like all sequels, Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette was criticized for not being as good as its predecessor.
1 Bet
Released In 2025
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In 2024, Netflix announced that it would be creating a live-action adaptation of Kakegurui. Very few details about the new Kakegurui have been revealed by the streamer. The Netflix series will have a different name. Instead of being Kakegurui, like the previous adaptations of the manga, the TV show will be titled Bet. The streaming giant also announced who will be starring in the live-action TV show and that Warrior Nun’s Simon Barry will be the showrunner.
Netflix’s adaptation of Kakegurui looks like it will change quite a few things about its source material. Instead of taking place in Japan, the live-action series will have Yumeko transfer from Japan to the US. This points to the fact that the new series will keep some things about the anime but also add a twist to the story.
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A new Hollywood live-action anime adaptation is in the works at Netflix, and while One Piece was great, this new show has many challenges to overcome.
Given how many live-action adaptations Kakegurui has had so far, it’s surprising that Netflix wants to create another one, especially because other similar TV shows haven’t worked out well. However, it’s too soon to tell if Bet will be a success or a failure. While there are several things working against Bet other factors, like the fact that it has a unique setting, might be what it needs to succeed.
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Kakegurui is a Japanese drama series set in an elite high school where student hierarchy is determined by gambling prowess. The plot follows a new transfer student, Yumeko Jabami, whose extreme risk-taking disrupts the established order and challenges the school's rigid social caste system.
- Seasons
- 2
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