About “Kakegurui” in a few words:

Kakegurui is an anime series set in a prestigious private school where students compete in high-stakes gambling games to climb the social hierarchy. The story follows Yumeko Jabami, a transfer student who is obsessed with the thrill of gambling and disrupts the school’s strict order with her unpredictable behavior. With striking visuals and intense psychological battles, Kakegurui is a thrilling ride for fans of both anime and gambling stories.

Meet the characters from Kakegurui

Ryota Suzui

Okay, Ryota is basically the surprisingly soft heart in all the chaos — kind, awkward, and way more resilient than he looks. He starts off like the classic “nice guy who gets dragged into trouble,” but then quietly grows into someone who actually stands up and does the right thing (and yes, he blushes a lot, obviously). He’s loyal to a fault and somehow both the sensible voice and the one who makes dumb brave decisions when it counts. Also he probably drinks tea exactly the wrong temperature and worries about everyone’s cafeteria leftovers — tiny tragicomedy energy.

Midari Ikishima

If chaos had a favorite student, it would be Midari — she is absolutely unhinged in the best, most dramatic way, with an eyepatch and a love of spinning the wheel like the world is on fire. She revels in danger and pain and will smile at you like it’s the most fun thing ever, which is both terrifying and oddly fascinating. She’s reckless, intense, and kind of poetic about self-destruction (in a very loud, theatrical voice). Also somehow she can be weirdly sincere in a single sentence before diving back into full-on mania — like she remembers manners for a hot second.

Erimi Mushibami

Erimi is flamboyant and kind of theatrical, like someone who wears too much perfume and still smells like warm toast — a little over the top, but impossible to ignore. She loves spectacle and will bet as if she’s performing for a crowd, which makes gambling feel like a one-woman show whenever she’s involved. There’s a softness under the glitter, though; she can be oddly maternal one minute and then wildly competitive the next (contradictions are her brand). Also I’m pretty sure she hoards tiny spoons? Maybe. Could be a brain detail.

Ririka Momobami

Ririka is that whisper-in-the-room type — quiet, observant, with an air of “I know more than I should” and a tiny, unreadable smile. She’s calm, almost detached, but that makes every small reaction feel huge when it happens; she’s subtle power personified. She seems gentle but has this chill, calculating streak, like a cat that’s actually three steps ahead. Also she may like cute stationery and will absolutely judge your handwriting silently — adorable and deadly.

Itsuki Sumeragi

Itsuki is dramatic and a little extra, the kind of person who makes even rules feel like a performance (very theatrical energy, lots of gestures). She’s clever and loves control but also craves approval — so she’ll be flashy one minute and quietly insecure the next, which is oddly human. She can manipulate a room with a smile and a well-placed quip, yet she’ll also binge snacks when stressed and pretend it’s a strategy. Honestly, she’s like an over-enthusiastic director who cries if you call her “too much” (she is, and proud).

Sumika Warakubami

Sumika feels softly mysterious — bookish and reserved but with an undercurrent of steel, like a librarian who knows how to throw a punch. She’s polite and compact, gives off “do not underestimate” vibes, and then surprises you with a ruthless streak when provoked. There’s a sweetness there (cakes? tiny trinkets?) but also a petulant stubbornness that you do not want to test. I keep wanting to say she hums to herself while plotting, which probably isn’t true but also maybe it is.

Runa Yomozuki

Runa is the hype person, the MC of every tense moment — dramatic, a little campy, and loves commentary (she’d do sports announcing for a chess match and be thrilled). She brings flair and makes every match feel like a televised spectacle, which means she’s loud but surprisingly perceptive about people. She also has this gossip-cat streak — will spill the tea with a wink, then look innocent five seconds later. Somehow she manages to be both gossipy and earnest; I can’t explain it, it just works.

Mary Saotome

Mary is like that sharp-edged friend who will roast you but also save you when you’re on the ropes; ambitious, quick, and wickedly clever. She starts cold and calculating but melts into genuine loyalty in the most satisfying way — a classic prickly flower situation. She’s proud and hates losing her composure, even though she absolutely cracks smiles at chaotic honesty (Yumeko, I’m looking at you). Also she definitely has a stash of tiny, slightly ridiculous charms she thinks are “lucky” and will admit it under duress.

Kirari Momobami

Kirari is elegant and terrifyingly composed, the puppetmaster with a porcelain smile who makes everything feel like an experiment in control. She’s charismatic in a glacial way — very poised, very distant, but you can sense she enjoys the chessboard of people more than she lets on. There’s a childlike curiosity tucked under the aristocratic poise, which makes her both unnerving and oddly relatable (in a horror-movie-calm sort of way). Also she probably writes tiny lists and then draws little doodles in the margins because yes, even overlords do that.

Yumeko Jabami

Yumeko is pure, chaotic thrill — the kind of person who laughs at absolute risk like it’s the best dessert and is somehow both terrifying and intoxicating. She doesn’t gamble for money, she gambles for the high, and her giddy, wide-eyed enthusiasm makes everything around her feel dangerously fun. She’s generous and blunt and will hug your problems away before thinking about consequences (not always the best plan). Weird tidbit: she looks like someone who’d collect fancy ribbons and then forget where she put them — charmingly scattered.