Top Gambling Anime Recommendations

No Game No Life

Also known as No Game, No Life.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy

Bored with life and considering the real world to be just a “crappy game,” savvy sibling shut-ins Sora and Shiro have withdrawn into their own fantasy world filled with video games.

However, one day they find themselves summoned to another world by a boy who calls himself “God,” their abilities are about to be put to the ultimate test! Now not only their fates — but the fate of all of humanity — will be decided by a series of games that may just be the hardest these super-geniuses have ever faced!



Tags: Isekai , Gambling , Alternate Universe , Video Games , Hikikomori , Magic , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Male Protagonist , Parody , Gods , Politics , Kuudere , Kemonomimi , Nudity , Class Struggle , Female Harem , Meta , Travel , Nekomimi , Memory Manipulation , Elf , Super Power , Judo , Kingdom Management

Death Parade

Also known as Death Parade.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

When two people die at the same time, they’re sent to a place that’s neither heaven nor hell—a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die… you’re gone for good.

Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter—a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar’s patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white—that is—until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: Who is fit to judge the dead?



Tags: Death Game , Afterlife , Philosophy , Tragedy , Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Reincarnation , Bar , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Suicide , Gambling , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Mythology , Kuudere , CGI , Ice Skating , Revenge , Bowling , Gyaru , Tanned Skin

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Also known as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi , Thriller

On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. Operations were completed in one month thanks to Britannia's deployment of new mobile humanoid armor vehicles dubbed Knightmare Frames. Japan's rights and identity were stripped away, the once proud nation now referred to as Area 11. Its citizens, Elevens, are forced to scratch out a living while the Britannian aristocracy lives comfortably within their settlements. Pockets of resistance appear throughout Area 11, working towards independence for Japan.

Lelouch, an exiled Imperial Prince of Britannia posing as a student, finds himself in the heart of the ongoing conflict for the island nation. Through a chance meeting with a mysterious girl named C.C., Lelouch gains his Geass, the power of the king. Now endowed with absolute dominance over any person, Lelouch may finally realize his goal of bringing down Britannia from within!



Tags: Anti-Hero , War , Military , Class Struggle , Politics , Super Power , Revenge , Male Protagonist , Terrorism , Tragedy , Real Robot , Dystopian , Philosophy , Super Robot , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Amnesia , Ensemble Cast , Foreign , Urban Fantasy , Disability , Heterosexual , Masturbation , Nudity , Kuudere , Female Harem , School Club , Boarding School , Age Gap , Tanned Skin , Swordplay , CGI , Gambling

Kakegurui

Also known as Kakegurui.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

During daylight hours, an exclusive, elite private school prepares its illustrious students for careers in business, politics, and high society. But when darkness falls, the halls of this esteemed establishment transform into an underground gambling den where bright-eyed youngsters learn the timeless art of bluffing, backdoor dealings and social manipulation. In this school for the rich and elite, money is power, and the tyrant of the betting books rules with an iron fist. So when the beautiful Yumeko Jabami upsets the academy hierarchy with her voracious appetite for the thrill of the gamble, the entire student body mobilizes to send her house of cards tumbling down.



Tags: Gambling , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Female Cast , Body Horror , Masochism , Primarily Teen Cast , Poker , Ojou-sama , School Club , LGBTQ+ Themes , Anti-Hero , Shounen , Bullying , Villainess , Slavery , Death Game , Yandere , Delinquents , Battle Royale , Guns , Idol , Male Protagonist

Cowboy Bebop

Also known as Cowboy Bebop.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Sci-Fi

Enter a world in the distant future, where Bounty Hunters roam the solar system. Spike and Jet, bounty hunting partners, set out on journeys in an ever struggling effort to win bounty rewards to survive.

While traveling, they meet up with other very interesting people. Could Faye, the beautiful and ridiculously poor gambler, Edward, the computer genius, and Ein, the engineered dog be a good addition to the group?

Tags: Space , Crime , Episodic , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Tragedy , Noir , Travel , Guns , Cyberpunk , Male Protagonist , Found Family , Philosophy , Terrorism , Tomboy , Heterosexual , Martial Arts , Cyborg , Cowboys , Amnesia , Anti-Hero , Gambling , Yakuza , Drugs , Police , Female Protagonist , Cult , Tanned Skin , Nudity , Circus , Seinen

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt-hen

Also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Battle in Egypt.

Studio: David Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Supernatural

After 30 days of travel across the world, plagued with countless battles, Jotaro and his companions have finally arrived in Egypt! Now only the strongest "Stand" users remain to rebuff our heroes' final march on Cairo: The Nine Egyptian Gods, Dio's most zealous servants. Will the Joestar line fall to the monstrous vampire, or can Jotaro defeat Dio and save his mother's life?



Tags: Super Power , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Travel , Shounen , Foreign , Ensemble Cast , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Primarily Adult Cast , Revenge , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Vampire , Desert , Body Horror , Parody , Animals , Video Games , Gambling , Age Regression , Cosplay , Poker , Zombie , Bisexual , Death Game , Shapeshifting , CGI , Disability , Suicide

Kakegurui ××

Also known as Kakegurui xx.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

At Hyakkao Private Academy, Yumeko Jabami’s star rises just as the student council’s reputation starts to dim. In the shadows of the council’s dwindling power, discord reigns supreme. In a bold effort to rebalance the social scales, student council president Kirari Momobami intends to place her bet on the election for the council’s next president. Everyone starts with a single chip, and at the end of 30 days, the whoever holds the most becomes the president of the Momobami Clan. But chips aren’t the only things students can wager as they fight tooth and nail to ascend to the council presidency, and Yumeko Jabami intends to clean house no matter the prizes she must risk in the betting pool.



Tags: Gambling , School , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Revenge , Anti-Hero , Twins , Primarily Teen Cast , Yandere , Yuri , Villainess , Death Game , Slavery , LGBTQ+ Themes , Ojou-sama , Shounen , School Club , Gender Bending , Idol

SK∞

Also known as SK8 the Infinity.

Studio: bones
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Sports

Reki, a high school sophomore and skater, is addicted to “S,” a highly secret and dangerous downhill skateboarding race that takes place in an abandoned mine. The skaters are especially wild about the “beefs,” or heated battles that erupt in the races.

Reki takes Langa, a transfer student returning to Japan after studying abroad, to the mine where the races are held. Langa, who has no skateboarding experience, finds himself pulled into the world of “S”...



Note: On March 13, 2021 a recap episode (9.5) went on air, postponing the broadcast of the regular episodes by one week.

Tags: Skateboarding , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Ensemble Cast , Parkour , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Slapstick , Urban , Found Family , Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , School , Artificial Intelligence , Butler , Gambling , Motorcycles , Restaurant

Darwin's Game

Also known as Darwin's Game.

Studio: Nexus
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Kaname Sudou, an ordinary high school student, receives an invitation email to try a mysterious app called "Darwin's Game." Kaname, upon launching the app, is drawn into a game where players fight one another using superpowers called Sigils. Without knowing the reason for all this, can Kaname survive furious battles against the powerful players who attack him?



Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Death Game , Survival , Super Power , Battle Royale , Male Protagonist , Yandere , Shounen , Urban , Gore , Augmented Reality , Philosophy , Guns , Conspiracy , Dissociative Identities , Gambling , Martial Arts , Gangs , Twins , Swordplay , Samurai

Tomodachi Game

Also known as Tomodachi Game.

Studio: Okuruto Noboru
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

High school student Katagiri Yuuichi, who values friendship above all else, enjoys a fulfilling life with his close friends Sawagiri Shiho, Mikasa Tenji, Shibe Makoto, and Kokorogi Yutori.

However, after a particular incident, they're dragged into a debt repayment game.

The only way to beat the "Tomodachi Game" is to not doubt their friends. Bound together by solid friendships, the game should've been easy, but– The hugely popular comic that sold over two million copies is finally becoming an anime! Will they trust or betray their precious friends? The true nature of humanity is exposed in the ultimate psychological game!



Note: Premiered on Hulu and d Anime Store at 0:00 on Wednesdays, 1 hour 29 minutes ahead of Nippon TV's broadcast.

Tags: Male Protagonist , Survival , Anti-Hero , Shounen , Crime , Battle Royale , Revenge , Death Game , Torture , Acting , Tragedy , Gambling , Ensemble Cast , Bullying , Heterosexual , School , Love Triangle , Gangs , CGI , LGBTQ+ Themes

Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou desu yo?

Also known as Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They?.

Studio: diomedéa
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Fantasy , Supernatural

Izayoi Sakamaki, Asuka Kudou, and You Kasugabe have tremendous psychic powers and are bored with the regular world. An envelope arrives for each person, and when each opens their envelope, they are stunned to see the scenery around them change to a world they had never encountered before. They've been summoned by the Black Rabbit to help the community "No Name" to overthrow the Devil King.



Tags: Isekai , Gods , Super Power , Male Protagonist , Mythology , Demons , Gambling , Kemonomimi , Fairy Tale , Maids , Vampire , Fairy , Delinquents

REDLINE

Also known as Redline.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Romance , Sci-Fi , Sports

Redline is about the biggest and most deadly racing tournament in the universe. Only held once every five years, everyone wants to stake their claim to fame, including JP, a reckless dare-devil driver oblivious to speed limits with his ultra-customized car - all the while, organized crime and militaristic governments want to leverage the race to their own ends. Amongst the other elite rival drivers in the tournament, JP falls for the alluring Sonoshee - but will she prove his undoing, or can a high speed romance survive a mass destruction race?



Tags: Cars , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Cyberpunk , Cyborg , Space , Aliens , Female Protagonist , Crime , Heterosexual , Robots , Military , Gambling , Anthropomorphism , Politics , Nudity , Primarily Male Cast

Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season

Also known as Bungo Stray Dogs 4.

Studio: bones
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mystery , Supernatural

The fourth season of Bungou Stray Dogs.

No longer concerned with military affairs, Yukichi Fukuzawa intends to act as a lone bodyguard-for-hire, making use of his deadly swordsmanship. However, things are not going as planned for his freelance business, and that is when he crosses paths with a mouthy boy named Ranpo Edogawa. While their initial interactions are intertwined with a bizarre murder mystery, the aftermath prompts the formation of the Armed Detective Agency.

Presently, Ranpo finds himself chasing down a gifted individual with the dangerous ability to execute the perfect crime. But as the great detective unravels the case, he soon discovers an elaborate plot to obliterate the Agency in its entirety.

Although forewarned of the trap, the Agency continue their pursuit of the criminals, only to end up framed for the crime themselves. Now branded as wanted terrorists, the remaining members must find a way to prove their innocence—even if they must turn to sworn enemies for assistance.



Tags: Crime , Fugitive , Terrorism , Urban Fantasy , Super Power , Detective , Mafia , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Urban , Espionage , Primarily Adult Cast , Military , Anti-Hero , Conspiracy , Guns , Seinen , Gore , Primarily Male Cast , Classic Literature , Tragedy , War , Gambling , Suicide , Achromatic

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

Also known as Kaiji - Ultimate Survivor.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Psychological , Thriller

Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which Kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 300,000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji.

Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay off their debts. After some coercion Kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear his debt and make a bit of money as well...

Tags: Gambling , Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Seinen , Primarily Male Cast , Class Struggle , Male Protagonist , Death Game , Philosophy , Tragedy , Crime , Card Battle , Revenge , Yakuza , Urban , Ships , Torture , Athletics , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Nudity , Work , Prison

Death Billiards

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Two men have just arrived at a location known as Quindecim and are unable to remember how they got there. They are immediately greeted by a young woman who escorts them to a small bar, where a bartender awaits them. They are told that they will have to participate in a game, randomly chosen by roulette, and will be unable to leave until its completion; if they refuse, the consequences will be dire. In addition to the rules of the game, the two men are told to play as if their lives are at stake.
The game that has been chosen is billiards. But there's more to it than just pocketing pool balls, as the two are about to find out the outcome could mean life or death.
Death Billiards is one of the four anime works that each received 38 million yen (about US$480,000) from the "2012 Young Animator Training Project." Just like in 2010 and 2011, the animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (US$2.65 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios who train young animators on-the-job.


Tags: Afterlife , Philosophy , Gambling , Primarily Adult Cast , Death Game , Bar , Amnesia , Primarily Male Cast , Kuudere

Akiba Meido Sensou

Also known as Akiba Maid War.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama

Akihabara is the center of the universe for the coolest hobbies and quirkiest amusements. In the spring of 1999, bright-eyed Nagomi Wahira moves there with dreams of joining a maid café. She quickly dons an apron at café Ton Tokoton, AKA the Pig Hut. But adjusting to life in bustling Akihabara isn’t as easy as serving tea and delighting customers. Paired with the dour Ranko who never seems to smile, Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut over all other maid cafés vying for top ranking. Along the way she’ll slice out a place for herself amid the frills and thrills of life at the Pig Hut. Just when Nagomi’s dreams are within her grasp, she discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafés of Akihabara.



Tags: Yakuza , Maids , Primarily Female Cast , Crime , Gangs , Female Protagonist , Work , Parody , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban , Surreal Comedy , Guns , Restaurant , Tragedy , Otaku Culture , Gore , Found Family , Revenge , Kemonomimi , Anti-Hero , Slapstick , War , Anachronism , Gyaru , Ensemble Cast , Orphan , Coming of Age , Kuudere , Homeless , Conspiracy , Time Skip , Gambling , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Tanned Skin , Disability , Boxing , Food , Ninja , Nudity , Baseball , Poker , Fishing

Liar Liar

Also known as Liar, Liar.

Studio: GEEKTOYS
Status: Finished
Genres: Psychological , Romance

A mind game of lies and deceit begins! At Academy Island, students battle in Games to win stars, hoping to earn the prestigious title “Seven Star.” Sarasa is last year’s champion and is on track to win again until Hiroto, a new transfer student, hits the scene. Surprisingly, Hiroto defeats her by sheer luck! Now, he must use bluffs and trickery to stay on top.



Tags: Male Protagonist , Gambling , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Tsundere , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Maids , Shapeshifting , Chuunibyou , Love Triangle , Femboy

Ningen Fushin no Boukensha-tachi ga Sekai wo Sukuu you desu

Also known as Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World.

Studio: GEEKTOYS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Nick used to be a member of a veteran adventurer party, helping his undisciplined friends with the accounts whenever he could. But what was his reward? Getting accused of embezzlement and kicked out by the leader he respected. Before long, he finds a few other jaded adventurers and kindred spirits, and together, they form their own unstoppable party!



Note: Each episode streamed one week early on ABEMA.

Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Anachronism , Magic , Monster Girl , Male Protagonist , Gambling , Revenge , Ensemble Cast , Elf , Dungeon , Episodic , Idol , Religion , Female Harem

ONE PIECE FILM: GOLD

Also known as One Piece Film: Gold.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy

In One Piece Film Gold, The Straw Hats are at it again in an all-new high-flying adventure! A gripping tale unfolds in the spectacular city of Gran Tesoro, where Luffy and his crew are drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot. With so much luck, Luffy's winning streak can't possibly end. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful king whose deep pockets and deeper ambitions spell disaster for all.



Tags: Pirates , Super Power , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Gambling , Ships , Skeleton , Swordplay , Anachronism , Bar , Kuudere

One Outs

Also known as One Outs.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Psychological , Sports

The story begins when Hiromichi Kojima, the star batter of the fictional Lycaons in Japan's Pacific League, heads to the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to train and bring himself out of a slump. There, he meets Toua Tokuchi, a 134-kmph (83 miles per hour) pitcher and the undisputed king of a gambling form of baseball called "One Out." At Kojima's urging, Tokuchi signs up with the Lycaons under an unusual contract: he gets 5,000,000 yen (about US$46,000) for every out he pitches, but loses 50,000,000 yen (US$460,000) for every point he gives up.



Tags: Baseball , Gambling , Philosophy , Seinen , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Anti-Hero , Male Protagonist