Is Kakegurui An Anti-Capitalist Satire? Let's Find Out

Kakegurui meaning Compulsive Gambler is one of the most thrilling anime in limelight since it was released. The crazy weird faces gave a sense of satisfaction that no other anime could provide.

Despite the crazy faces that have been animated, it has a completely different plot which made it different from other anime.

Kakegurui also gave rise to many spin-off series such as Kakegurui Twin and Kakegurui Midari.

The story of Kakegurui revolves around a private high school named The Hyakkaou Private Academy, one of Japan’s most prestigious schools where only the rich spoiled kids went.

Unlike other normal schools, Hyakkaou Private Academy was quite different. In other schools, the students’ results were based on their academic and co-curricular activities.

It was the opposite in Hyakkou Private Academy.

Explained: Hierarchy System Of Hyakkou Private Academy

The hierarchy was determined by gambling. Students were ranked by their monetary contributions to the student council.

Those who win, earn popularity, money and fame whereas those who lose, fall into debt and become house pets known as ‘dogs’ and ‘kitten’.

The protagonist was Yumeko Jabami, a beautiful girl who was recently transferred to Hyakkou.

As soon as she stepped in, tables turned and the system changed. Unrestrained by rules or logic, Yumeko threatened to destroy the twisted hierarchy of the school as she continued to seek thrill in her life.

As soon as she became aware of the fact that the whole system was disrupted because of Yumeko, the student council head Kirari Momobami, was hell bent on destroying her.

Starting from a manga which engages in a very uncommon high school environment, Kakegurui takes many different directions.

The characters weren’t fighting or creating some sort of harem or chaos but, instead, the focus is gambling, winning, drama and the competitions.

The students of the Hyakkou Academy enjoyed the system instead of being against it.

Especially, students like Kirari Momobami and Midari Ikishima straight away went for death bets.

They had no respect or regard for human life. They seeked their fun and thrill by torturing other people.

The hierarchy was in the hands of the student council whose president was Kirari Momobami.

There were many people who were a part of the student council holding different positions.

The student council was the foundation of the dirty politics that was followed in the school.

Was there any Discrimination shown in Kakegurui?

It was often said that with the student council as the base of the school there was a lot of oppression faced by the students. And it was rightly said so.

This could be best seen when only the rich kids, whose parents provided donation to the school were a part of the student council.

Even though, most of the student council members didn’t deserve to be a part of the student council, they were still included as they gave large donations to the school.

There were no good relationships among the students. Everything was only about gambling, bets, debts and fame.

The Hyakkou Private Academy gives an unrealistic view of school life and friends.  

Many viewers label Kakegurui as a satire that depicts the domination of the entire school by a biased student council. The question is, is it a satire?

Is Kakegurui an Anti-Capitalist Satire?

The anime as a satire presents a unique lifestyle. a life lived on whims, strategic planning for what you want but at the same time not caring about the consequences of your decisions.

Life becomes nothing but a thrill seeking journey. The anime covered all about wealth.

When you look at the politics played in the anime, it could be compared to real-life politics.

The rich oppress the poor. The one who is in power misuses their power.

Along with that, the unbothered middle class, they work their share and live their life, as plainly as possible.

These instances are displayed in the anime and are mere reflections of what we see every day. The house pet system is the biggest example of how the rich and powerful oppress the poor.

The student council members are the best example of how people misuse their power once it is handed to them. The ego that comes in the way of intelligence.

Anti-capitalist Or Not?

The answer to our question can be both ways around.

So yes, Kakegurui could be a satire, but it could also be labeled as just an anime creating awareness among the viewers about the consequences of one’s decisions and how every card reveals itself no matter how much you try to avoid it.

Viewers can just see it as an anime about a girl who loves to gamble and a school whose foundation is based on gambling instead of studies and other activities.

Art is open to interpretation. What you see and take away from a creation isn’t going to be the same as someone else.

Every viewer will have a different perspective. The way you choose to look at something may vary with other viewers.

Some might look at it as just as fun, overly sexualized, gambling anime. Some may try to actually look deeper than the surface and try to dive into the values it has. It all depends on you.

Thanks for reading!