About “Kakegurui” in a few words:

Kakegurui is a Japanese anime series that takes place at Hyakkaou Private Academy, where students gamble for power and social status. The school’s social hierarchy is determined by a student’s ability to win and lose at high-stakes gambling games. The series follows Yumeko Jabami, a new transfer student who shakes things up with her love for risk-taking and gambling. The show is known for its unique and captivating characters, thrilling storyline, and dramatic visuals.

Meet the characters from Kakegurui

Ryota Suzui

Oh man, Ryota is the absolute cinnamon roll of Hyakkaou Academy — soft, flustered, and somehow way braver than he looks. He trips over his own feet and apologizes to inanimate objects, yet when push comes to shove he becomes this stubborn, loyal rock (yeah, he can be annoyingly responsible). He didn’t want the gambling chaos but found himself dragged in and then… kind of grew into it? Also he makes ridiculous sandwiches at weird hours and will protect his friends with the most awkward determination ever.

Midari Ikishima

Midari is pure chaos in a schoolgirl uniform and she wears that like a badge of honor; if “extreme” had a mascot she’d be it. She chases danger like it’s a comforting old friend, laughs in the face of rules, and probably has matchsticks in her pockets for no good reason. Also, she’s weirdly poetic sometimes — says things that make you shiver and then giggle nervously, which is unsettling but kinda fascinating. Don’t let her smile fool you; she’s unpredictable, and honestly that’s half her charm (and the other half is a borderline obsession with thrills).

Erimi Mushibami

Okay, Erimi is one of those characters who seems like a big, motherly bear but with a slight unsettling tilt — like she’ll bake you cookies and then encourage you to bet your life savings. She’s warm, loud, and dramatic, but also has a knack for being a surprisingly sharp judge of people (don’t underestimate the loud ones). Has an odd collection of trinkets — hair clips, maybe a tiny bell chain — and can switch from cackling to calming in two breaths. Honestly she’s both comforting and slightly terrifying in a way that makes her impossible to ignore.

Ririka Momobami

Ririka gives off this soft, distant vibe, like someone who speaks in footnotes and is keeping a fascinating secret diary. Quiet and observant, she notices the little patterns other people miss, but then you realize she’s been playing five moves ahead the whole time (and smiling about it). She’s oddly fond of small, precise rituals — arranging pens, tapping spoons — and also has a bizarrely wicked sense of humor if you ever catch it. There’s a calmness to her that can be soothing or bone-chilling depending on the game.

Itsuki Sumeragi

Itsuki is buttoned-up but not boring; think meticulous student council brain with a hidden penchant for the melodramatic. She organizes chaos like it’s an art form and definitely has an inventory list for her feelings (yes, really). She can be a little straighter-laced than others, yet will drop a deadpan one-liner that ruins you in the best possible way. Also, rumor has it she collects stamps or tiny ceramic frogs — probably both?

Sumika Warakubami

Sumika is sunshine with a smirk — bubbly and bright and somehow sharp as tacks underneath the pastel exterior. She talks a mile a minute, flirts with disaster, and keeps people guessing because she’ll suddenly make this cold, calculating choice and you’re like, “where did that come from?” She’s a social butterfly who actually reads people like open books and treats bets like a badly behaved pet that she somehow trains. Also, she hoards ribbons. Maybe that’s meaningless, but I love imagining it.

Runa Yomozuki

Runa is the drama queen who lives for the spectacle — picture someone with a megaphone and a very fashionable scream. She’s theatrical, loves commentary (and gossip), and treats gambling like a stage play where she’s definitely the main character. But she’s also surprisingly tender in private; she keeps receipts and little notes — tiny things that make her less cartoonish and more, like, heartbreakingly human. She’ll narrate your defeat in three different tones and then bring you a bandage. Sort of adorable, sort of vicious.

Mary Saotome

Mary starts icy and polished but she’s one of those characters who melts into something delightfully complicated. Sharp, competitive, a little salty, but actually very loyal when she decides someone’s worth it — which, yes, she judges like a pro. She keeps a lucky coin that she rubs when she’s thinking and has the most perfect, tiny smirk when she’s about to pounce (very movie villain energy). Also she’s the kind of person who hates losing more than anything but will congratulate you with a fake smile and then secretly plan revenge.

Kirari Momobami

Kirari is the queen bee with a smile that says 10,000 things and only about three are pleasant; she runs the whole board with silent, chessmaster vibes. She’s elegant, sinister, utterly composed, and seems to enjoy turning chaos into theater — like a conductor who occasionally sets the orchestra on fire. She also has this weirdly childlike curiosity about human nature (in a terrifying way) and collects people’s reactions like trophies. Her calm is eerie but magnetic; you want to be her and also quietly hide from her.

Yumeko Jabami

Yumeko is the walking fever dream of a gambler — thrilling, kind, utterly unhinged about the beauty of risk. She smiles like she’s discovered a secret language and will throw common sense out the window just to see the patterns bloom, and somehow makes losing look like poetry. Generous? Yes. Reckless? Definitely. Also she adores tea and old books and will whisper gibberish about “thrills” in the most sincere way — it’s confusing and brilliantly charismatic all at once.