8 Books/Manga Like Kakegurui
Kakegurui is a psychological gambling manga written by Homura Kawamoto. This manga contains some whimsical characters, fun mind games, and a decent storyline. This series began serialization in Square Enix’s manga imprint called Gangan Joker in March 2014. As of September 2022, 16 manga volumes have been released. The series spawned several anime adaptations and spin-offs.
If you’re in the mood for more psychological manga that offers a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 8 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Kakegurui. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Liar Game – Shinobu Kaitani
Similarities – Themes & Psychological
Liar Game is a fun psychological series with a game-based setting. It revolves around Nao Kanzaki, who accidentally enters a tournament called Liar Game. The winner can receive a large sum of cash. To win, they must deceive and betray other players. Otherwise, a life of debt awaits them. At the same time, Nao meets a swindler and former prisoner named Shinichi Akiyama.
Despite his shady past, Shinichi wishes to help Nao escape her situation. Therefore, the series highlights Nao and Shinichi’s quest to escape as they learn about the true horrors hidden within humans and the game itself. Like Kakegurui, money and mind games plays a vital role in both narratives.
Readers will enjoy seeing characters plummet to madness after losing. The same can be said regarding our characters triumphing over worthy opponents. The manga’s art style isn’t as stylish as Homura Kawamoto’s art style, but it gets the job done. Fans searching for another story with a gripping storyline and intelligent cast will enjoy what Shinobu Kaitani delivers in Liar Game.
Gamble Fish – Hiromi Aoyama
Similarities – Gambling & School Setting
Gamble Fish is an entertaining mystery manga that enjoys playing with your mind. This series features highly intellectual characters, an appealing art style, and a gripping storyline. This series takes gambling to new levels and fans will become hooked from the series’s start. Our story takes place in Shishidou, a school rich and elite people attend.
We follow Tom Shirasagi, a gambler and mysterious transfer student who airs from a public school. He wishes to challenge any student and claims he will bring ruin to the school via gambling matches. Although his intentions are unknown, Tom loves showing off his coolness and ability in each match. Therefore, we follow Tom’s endless mayhem in this strange school environment.
This is a well-paced manga that’ll keep you on your toes. Readers will be bewildered by Tom’s various techniques and attitude going into each match. Hiromi Aoyama gradually reveals more insight into Tom’s past, allowing readers to maintain interest in his character. The outcomes of matches are on par with what you’d find in Kakegurui’s bouts. If you’re looking for another psychological manga with an intelligent student body, consider giving this manga a shot.
Tomodachi Game – Mikoto Yamaguchi
Similarities – Characters & Thought-Provoking Elements
Tomodachi Game is another psychological manga with a protagonist that looks normal but is internally psychotic. This manga contains some stellar mind games, wonderful artwork, and a gripping storyline. This series follows Yuuichi Katagiri, who likes spending his time with his buddies. They run into a problem regarding their school trip funds getting stolen.
This leads to two of his pals distancing themselves from the class. Yuuichi and some of his buddies get knocked out by unknown criminals. A strange figure named Manabu-Kun awakens the group. He informs them that one of their friends is responsible for bringing them here because they want to clear a 20 million yen debt.
To get rid of this debt, they must participate in a series of deadly games that will test their friendship and humanity. This story contains similar horrid facial expressions and instances where our characters will deceive foes and their allies to win. Friendships will be broken while rivalries will begin. If you’re looking for an intense mental thrill ride of fun proportions, give Tomodachi Game a shot.
Alice in Borderland – Haro Aso
Similarities – Mind-Numbing Situations & Characters
With its well-written characters, thrilling plot, and incredible artwork, Alice In Borderland is one of the best survival game mangas of all time. It is Haro Aso’s ability to balance both a friendly and dark atmosphere that makes the series so successful. Due to how true-to-life the characters appear in this narrative, you’ll enjoy it.
Aso presents some intriguing perspectives on death games in the manga. Categories and levels of difficulty can vary among the games. The games become increasingly mind-numbing and devastating as our characters progress. Aside from the thrilling action, Aso isn’t afraid to take slight detours in order to reveal more about his characters. Some may appreciate this idea, while others may not. Our story follows high school student Ryouhei Arisu.
He adores spending time with his friends Daikichi Karube and Chouta Segawa and escaping life’s problems. One day, fireworks light the sky, causing Arisu and his friends to fall unconscious. The trio wakes up and finds themselves in a wasteland. These friends explore the area and come across a festival venue. This will serve as their first deadly game under the moniker the Borderland. With survival on their minds, Arisu and his friends must aim to survive the deadly situation they’ve found themselves in.
No Game No Life – Yuu Kamiya
Similarities – Intellectual Battles
No Game No Life is a fun manga with intelligent characters, thought-provoking elements, and fabulous game-centric themes. Fans will love how our protagonists overcome their trials and will adore Mashiro Hiiragi’s mesmerizing art style. Our story follows two shut-ins named Sora and Shiro. They spend their time dominating online games as their duo alias “Blank.”
One day, they respond to an unknown person’s message and get transported to a virtual reality called Disboard. They meet the God, Tet, who explains his world’s rules to them and leaves. Later, Shiro and Sora find a kingdom called Elkia and meet Stephanie Dola. She wants to claim her right to her father’s throne but is too clumsy.
Our protagonists want to aid her but are secretly planning to rule the entire world. This manga has some fun back-and-forth battles that’ll keep you guessing. Sora and Shiro aren’t pushovers and never seem to lose a bout, unlike Yumeko. The minigames they take part in vary in design, helping the series remain fresh. Check this one out when you have the chance.
Aku No Hana – Shuuzou Oshimi
Similarities – School Setting & Psychological
This manga is drenched in mystery and suspense. While gambling doesn’t serve as a theme in this series, it contains some intense drama between our protagonist and several female characters. You’ll come up with many theories regarding the future events of the series. However, many of your assumptions will be put to rest thanks to Shuuzou Oshimi’s clever writing techniques.
This manga follows an antisocial middle schooler named Tako Kasuga. He adores books and has a crush on his class idol, the sweet Nanako Saeki. Next to her is Sawa Nakamura, an unpleasant girl who doesn’t appreciate school. One day, Takako forgets his book and returns to school to obtain it.
However, he’s stopped in his tracks when he notices Nanako’s gym clothes lying on the floor. Takao’s overcome by a weird sensation that urges him to steal her clothes. He tries living a mundane life afterward, despite being fueled by guilt. Unfortunately, Takao won’t be escaping his situation easily as Sawa noticed his strange action. She plans to make his life a living nightmare.
Aku No Hana fabulously builds tension and will keep you entertained with its nightmarish imagery and psychological themes. Many people may grow to sympathize with Takao’s character despite his crude actions. If you’re searching for a manga that’ll continuously hook you with each new chapter, give this one a shot.
The Lie Eater – Toshio Sako
Similarities – Characters & Gambling
Toshio Sako’s The Lie Eater has our protagonist compete in a variety of mentally challenging games. It evokes a gambling feeling like Kakegurui and fans will adore seeing our cast’s varied reactions to winning and losing. This manga maintains high intensity with its challenges and characters’ facial expressions.
Not to mention the artwork which will have you mesmerized and immersed in its world. Definitely give this series a read if you’re looking for a manga that presents a similar view to Kakegurui. For those unsure, The Lie Eater is set in a world where taking risks and gambling is the norm, despite the qualms its citizens have with people lying and cheating.
That’s where the powerful organization called Kakerou comes in. They exist to maintain a semblance of fairness for every gambling event. At the center of this tale is Baku Madarame. He’s a witty gambler who isn’t afraid to bet it all. He’ll compete against many psychotic opponents in deadly mind-numbing games. With his high intelligence, Baku challenges the liar-centric players and wants to control Kakerou itself.
Kaiji – Noboyuki Fukumoto
Similarities – Psychological
This manga is often hailed as the best gambling-centric manga. Kaiji contains consistent mind games, a likable cast, and a thrilling world that’ll have you hooked from beginning to end. Nobuyuki Fukumoto loves tinkering with fans’ minds. Many of the games’ outcomes will leave you surprised and entertained.
Our story centers around Kaiji, a man with a lot of debt because of his foolish co-worker. He attends and spends the night on a cruise ship. It’s housing a specific gambling event that’ll allow its players to get their debts cleared. Things don’t go as planned for Kaiji, though. He’ll find himself wrapped up in a game where he’s at risk of becoming someone’s servant for life.
He must proceed through each game with caution. This manga delivers some degrees of humor but leans toward psychological concepts. Like Kakegurui, you can expect our cast to deliver funny dialogue and bizarre facial expressions while winning or losing. With its incredible game variety and excellent strategic battles, you’ll cherish Kaiji.
So there we have it, our 8 books/manga to read after you’ve caught up with Kakegurui.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!