With the second season ending in a cliff-hanger, Kakegurui season 3 just can’t arrive fast enough. Are you anxious to find out what’s in store for Yumeko Jabami and the rest at Hyakkou Private Academy? Here’s all the latest we know about Kakegurui season 3.
Written by Homura Kawamoto, Kakegurui-Compulsive Gambler, was first serialized as a manga series in Square Enix’s Gangan Joker. The illustration was done by Toru Naomura. The anime television serialization by MAPPA was launched in 2017 followed by the second season, Kakegurui xx, in 2019. Square Enix also published two light novels based on the story in 2017 and 2019.
The premise of the story is set in Hyakkou Private Academy. It is an elite school for kids from wealthy and influential families. They are expected to occupy positions of authority once they graduate. The school follows an unusual system of social hierarchy where students are ranked according to their donations to the student council.
Students compete against each other in elaborate gambling matches with fame, social standing and fortune on the line. Those who lack gambling skills lose and are called pets, a term used for those who are virtually enslaved by others above their social ranking. If a student is not able to repay their debt before they graduate, they are forced to follow a life plan set for them. This is the premise in which compulsive gambler, Jabami Yumeko, indulges her vices.
What Happened in Season 1 and 2?
Jabami Yumeko is a compulsive gambler who is thrust into an elite school where students gamble against each other to win prestige and profit. They are ranked on the basis of their monetary contribution to the student council.
Yumeko enjoys gambling and derives pleasure from playing high risk stakes. Compounded with her genius and proficiency in figuring out the opponent’s strategy, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Yumeko meets Ryota Suzui, an average gambler who has nothing going for himself and his vanilla personality. After losing to Mary Saotome in a gambling match, Ryota has been pushed into debt and downgraded to a pet. Yumeko helps Ryota out of his debt by beating Mary with her superior gambling prowess.
Did you know that Saotome has her own spin-off manga series which serves as a prequel to this story? It’s called Kakegurui Twin, written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Kei Saiki.
This causes a sensation in the school as a transfer student beating a strong opponent on her first day has been unheard of. It makes the council take note of Yumeko. The committee is headed by Kirari Momobami, a scion of the powerful and influential Momobami family in Japan.
Council member, Itsuki Sumeragi, challenges Yumeko to a gambling battle with the condition that if she wins, Yumeko must rip out her nails and give them to Itsuki. The latter loses.
At a later point, Yumeko is trounced by Yuriko Nishinotoin because of interference by the council. Yet she accepts the decision. Both Yumeko and Mary find themselves in debt following their defeat at the hands of Yuriko.
Noting the large number of students who owe money, the council arranges Debt exchange matches where those with dues can exchange their debt against gambling opponents. Yumeko and Mary find themselves in a match against Jun Kiwatari and his pet Nanami Tsubomi. Jun is a sadistic person who is known for his abuse of pets.
During the gambling match, Yumeko convinces Nanami to rebel against Jun and defeats him. Mary is now debt free and Yumeko takes on Mary’s debt which was lesser than hers.
Fearing that Yumeko is out to get Kirari, the council moves into action and challenges her to consecutive gambling matches. The last of the matches concludes in a draw and a promise to battle in the future.
The second season starts with Kirari abolishing the student council, prompting a succession crisis in Hyakkou. Claimants from the Momobami family and its branches vie for the position of the council president. The position of the would be decided by vote, but in keeping with the traditions of the elite school, votes can be won or lost by gambling.
Thus starts the race by participants to win as many votes as possible before the end of the election campaign. Yumeko, Mary and Ryota battle the challengers from the Momobami and affiliated families. Mary declares to Yumeko that she will become the new president of the council, but ultimately doesn’t amount to much.
We’ll just say it — the first season was better than the second. Here’s to hoping the next one will be revitalized with that old zest, complete with the demented facial expressions the characters are so well known for pulling.
When is Kakegurui Season 3 Release Date?
MAPPA is yet to confirm the return of the series with Kakegurui season 3. Though no renewal announcement has been made so far, fans were hopeful for a release date by late 2020. Unfortunately, with the pandemic on and about, that hasn’t happened yet.
An optimistic expectation of word from the studio about the season 3 release date by late 2021 prevails among viewers since the last-aired episode ends somewhere in the midst of chapter 55 (there are over 80 in total).
As for those who’ve seen the 2019 live action adaptation film, a second one titled Kakegurui II: Ultimate Russian Roulette aired in June 2021.
What is the Plot of Kakegurui Season 3?
It seems apparent that the third season will pick up the rest of the student council election story and try to conclude it. With the release of the fourteenth volume of the manga, a third season might have enough source material to cover twelve episodes. Also of note is that the endings of the anime series differ from those of the manga because some events don’t follow the same order as that of the source.
Fans can expect MAPPA to finish the election arc or add filler arcs while waiting for more content from Kawamoto for a season’s worth of episodes. It is also possible that the developers will deviate from the manga storyline as in case of Full Metal Alchemist. Guess we will have to wait and see what the producers decide.
Season 1 Episodes:
- 1. A Woman Named Yumeko Jabami | Jabami Yumeko to Iu Onna
- 2. A Boring Woman | Tsumannai Onna
- 3. Slit-Eyed Woman | Itome no Onna
- 4. The Woman Who Became Livestock | Kachiku ni Natta Onna
- 5. The Woman Who Became Human | Ningen ni Natta Onna
- 6. Tempting Woman | Sasou Onna
- 7. Refusing Women | Kyozetsu-suru Onna-tachi
- 8. Idol Woman | Aiodoru Onna
- 9. Dreaming Woman | Yumemiru Onna
- 10. Selective Woman | Sentaku suru Onna
- 11. The Woman Who Bets Her Life | Jinsei o kakeru Onna
- 12. Gambling Woman | Kakegurui no Onna
Season 2 Episodes:
- 1. Gambling Women Again| Futatabi kakeguru’u onna-tachi
- 2. The Women of Momobami Clan | Momobami Ichizoku no Onna-tachi
- 3. This Woman is Untouchable | Kono onna fureru bekarazu
- 4. Communicating Women | Tsūjiru onna-tachi
- 5. The Connected Woman | Kawaru onna
- 6. The Hollywood Star | Hariuddo Sutā no Onna
- 7. The Treacherous Woman | Uragiri no Onna
- 8. The Winning Woman | Makenai Onna
- 9. The Woman By Her Side | Hata no Onna
- 10. The Logical Woman | Ri no Onna
- 11. The Woman Who Bears the X | Batsu o seou Onna
- 12. The Null Woman | Rei no Onna
List of Main Characters and their voice actors:
- Jabami Yumeko – Saori Hayami (Erika Harlacher, English dub)
- Mary Saotome – Minami Tanaka
- Ryota Suzui – Tatsuya Tokutake
- Kirari Momobami – Miyuki Sawashiro
- Ririka Momobami – Miyuki Sawashiro
- Sayaka Igarashi – Ayaka Fukuhara
- Runa Yomozuki – Mayu Udono
- Itsuki Sumeragi – Yuki Wakai
- Midari Ikishima – Mariya Ise
Characters in Season 3
Fans can expect the usual cast of Yumeko along with her trusty sidekick Ryota. Mary may have more screen time as she takes a central role in the story by trying to become the student council president. The second season also introduced Rei Batsubami (anime-original character) who could become deeply embroiled in the affairs of the Momobami family, with the possibility of becoming the primary antagonist.
Finally, we can expect Kirari to have a more prominent role in the story by becoming an ally to Yumeko against the Momobami hegemony. Whatever happens, we are sure it’s going to be amazing.
How Many Episodes in Season 3?
We can expect a standard twelve-episode release for the third season. Both the first and second season aired twelve episodes each. The manga has 14 volumes and the second season ends approximately in the midst of chapter 55. It is difficult to map these chapters to the anime adaptation as both do not follow the same chronology.
Is There a Kakegurui Season 3 Trailer?
Season three does not have a trailer yet. There has been no update from the production house about renewal news for the anime adaptation or its release date. But keeping in mind the massive success that Kakegurai is, we can safely anticipate new episodes.
Will There be a Season 4?
Speculation about the fourth season depends on the reception of the third season of the shonen anime and the material from the manga series. There is a possibility that the producers may run out of material, forcing fans to settle for more movie releases.
The manga launches are on a monthly basis as opposed to the weekly releases most anime titles follow. And a fourth season might have to wait for ample material to cover its episode count.
Where to Watch Kakegurui Anime Series Online?
The streaming license for the show outside of Japan belongs to Netflix, which is a good place to watch the first and second season. Apart from Netflix, English dubbed episodes of the anime can also be streamed on Anime List and Funimation.
We urge you to check out the regional availability of this series before subscribing to any streaming site, including Netflix.
Wrapping up
Kakegurui, with its vibrant visuals and elaborate psychological battles, has been a seasonal chart topper. And similar expectations are to be had with the third season. The absence of renewal announcements can be attributed to production delays, owing to the pandemic. So let’s adopt a wait-and-watch approach for now.
