From the light, eccentric and character-driven Kakegurui to the more melancholic afterlife story of Death Parade, the gambling anime genre has many interesting and unique entries in its catalog. Gyakkyō Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor (Kaiji) is one of the most exceptional. It is a thriller which pushes fans to the edges of their seats as they watch a man try to erase his enormous debt by gritting his teeth and playing the games set forth by a sadistic company, Squid Game style.
The gambling essence, which connects these shows into a singular genre, persists in another notably different and critically underrated series: One Outs. The story, most commonly categorized under sports, began publication as a manga in 1998, written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. Though the series concluded in 2006 with 20 accumulated volumes, it would go on to get an anime adaption in 2008 by the famous Studio Madhouse, which produced popular series such as Death Note, One Punch Man, and Hunter x Hunter.
One Outs, true to its sports anime roots, follows a genius pitcher named Toa Tokuchi. He has won 499 matches of a game called One Outs, which is essentially a one-on-one version of baseball with only a pitcher and a batter. The latter just needs to hit the ball to win, while the pitcher must get the batter out to win. Not only is Toa an excellent pitcher, but he's also a master at psychological manipulation and reading a person's body language.
His inductive reasoning and intelligence complicates the surface-level sport with a thrilling mind game that fans of Kaiji would surely respect. One Outs loads its bases with psychological tension and this is also what sets it apart from other sports anime. Unlike most athlete protagonists, Toa is not interested in winning games by hard work, guts or passion. He utilizes his gambling experience to read his opponents and pitch them balls he knows they can't hit. It's incredibly satisfying watching characters crack under pressure when he's on the pitcher's mound.
Furthermore, the major antagonist of One Outs isn't a rival baseball team. The true villain is the owner of the team that Toa gets recruited to play on, Tsuneo Saikawa. Tsueno is an arrogant businessman who doesn't care if his team wins games; he's just concerned with their ticket sales and profit margins. These financial stakes bleed into Toa's personal goals when he convinces Tsueno to change his contract -- thereby turning even the most physical matches into a question of money.
The fun of a gambling anime is seeing the main character meet increasingly difficult scenarios and finding clever ways to overcome them, which One Outs succeeds spectacularly at. Like a protagonist at a cards table, Toa wields his intellect and observation skills against his most troublesome opponents. When his team faces especially tough players, he calculates their weaknesses and attacks by outsmarting them.
Toa's quiet, analytical and smug personality clashes against his meathead antagonists in a satisfying way. For these reason and more, One Outs is an addictive watch with exceptional pacing and great dramatic reveals that suck the viewer right in. For anime fans in need of a series that can fill the gap Kaiji has left, One Outs is certainly worth a chance -- and it'll knock that chance out of the park.
