English Dub Review: Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor: Episodes 1-9

Overview: When Kaiji (Jeremy Gee) is saddled with a heavy debt, he must overcome the challenging restricted rock paper scissors gambling competition, no matter how slim his chances of victory are, if he has any hopes to get out from under it and save himself. 

Our Take: Kaiji, a burnout and a gambler, initially, does not do much to string up excitement in his simple delinquent persona. The young punk is given the chance to wash away his debt in a high risk, high return challenge with the potential of earning some major scratch and clearing his debt or suffer the consequences and be enslaved in a camp to work it off. And despite the hairbrained way it goes about dumping a large debt on Kaiji through his friend and one of his eventual partners in the competition, it is how he confronts the evils and greed of humanity along with the high stakes games that entice and pull you in. Thankfully, the show has that intensity in spades, or in this case, scissors, in a simplified rock, paper scissors showdown setting the backdrop for various in-debt gamblers to throw down. 

The battle of wits that take center stage are constantly challenging Kaiji and his unlikely companions with meticulous brain games offering them a ray of hope or scrambling at any bits of it they can scrounge together, going for a nice push and pull that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Finding loopholes in the very specific rules outlined and the everchanging monopoly of cards keeps things evergreen in a roller coaster of excitement. 

Ultimate Survivor’s pointy edged character designs can be jarring at first, but are incredibly good at portraying characters’ intense expressions. There is a proficient use of CG for pivotal moments that add depth for suspense and gravitas. Vocal performances are also strong with Jeremy Gee bringing real humanity to Kaiji with David Wald exceptional as the over-the-top narrator and David Matranga and Marty Fleck as fragile, scaredy cats, Endo and Hyodo. 

Beyond the engrossing thrills, there is a commentary on the legitimacy of greed versus friendship with shocking twists and backstabs that will leave you speechless for not only the savagery but how ingenious Kaiji’s plays are in maneuvering out of them. It also delves into the fear associated with potentially losing what you have wagered that is highlighted well in these extreme cases of one’s own freedom, wages, and livelihood. Kaiji’s overwhelming kindness and dedication to his morals as he tackles the selfishness that money and debt bring out of people is the shining north star of the show that will make you root for him through thick and thin.