Kaiji (逆境無頼カイジ)

Departure

Come, place your bets!

Come on...

Come on!

Darn it!

Three years since coming to Tokyo,

Ito Kaiji was the pits.

He had not worked a day since the new year.

His days are filled with cheap booze and gambling.

And to release his pent up frustrations...

Darn it!

But today, he could not find an imported car he liked.

Shall I just make do with this then?

No decent chap would drive something like this anyway.

Money, huh?

It's all about money! Money...

But what's the use of crying?

I'm a fool! Darn it...

What is it?!

What can I do for you?

Are you Ito Kaiji?

Yeah, that's me.

Do you know Furuhata Takeshi?

Furuhata?

Yeah, we worked part-time together a year ago, but now...

Can we talk inside?

This is not something to be discussed in the doorway.

What? N-No, that's...

Oh, no! The emblems on the wall!

Um... Why don't we go outside?

For a cup of tea?

Sounds fine. Let's take my car.

O-Okay.

What's going on?

Whatever it is, I'd better hide these.

You're out of luck, Kaiji.

What? - My car's got a puncture.

We'll have to wait for someone to pick us up.

Want to go in?

What? I-It's not that cold anyway...

It's not that.

I don't want to draw attention.

Y-Yeah.

Please. - Sorry about that.

No problem.

Yeah, but honestly, lots of punks out there...

...have gone too far with their pranks, eh?

What the heck are they thinking, anyway?

Was it you?

What are you implying, out of the blue?!

I only said that the car's got a puncture.

I never said that anyone punctured it.

No, w-wait a minute!

Uh, no... This is, what do you call it...

I'm sorry! It is as you see!

I only specialise in cars with this emblem, not others!

Hey, how did you know that my car isn't of that emblem?

I dug my own grave.

A double grave. Doubly stupid.

Excuse me... How much are the repairs?

Forget it. - What?

If I have time to fleece you of money,

I'd get it faster from the old man at the auto shop.

Besides, you have more to worry about.

What?

It's about Furuhata.

What?

Huh? H-He's disappeared?

Yeah. And he left behind a trail of debts.

This is one of them.

Do you remember this?

That scum!

Senior, please help me!

I really need the money. I beg of you!

I won't give you trouble, just be my guarantor!

Darn it!

So you do remember, Kaiji?

With the debtor gone,

you'll have to pay this debt as his guarantor.

But I have no money at all...

Just pay by small monthly instalments.

Even so, it's a sum of 300,000 yen...

Are you kidding me?!

Loans come with interests.

It can't just be 300,000 yen.

What?

Furuhata vanished without paying a single cent.

Look at this.

There's a 20% compound interest, right?

This interest has been accumulating for 14 months.

300,000 yen would definitely not cover it!

So, how much is it?

3,850,000 yen.

T-Three million...?!

This is a simple compound interest chart, Mr. Kaiji.

N-No way!

At 20%, that's how it works.

At this state, you can hope to pay it back in small amounts.

But don't worry.

I will get rid of this absurd rate.

Out of good will, 100,000 yen a month...

Wait, 100,000 is too much?

In that case, 60,000! 60,000 at least...

At an annual interest rate of 15%,

you can pay off the principal and interest evenly.

To pay off 3,850,000 yen, it would take...

...about 130 months, or 11 years.

It's sooner than I thought!

If you work hard, you'd be able to clear the debt...

...at around 32 or 33 years of age.

Well?

Don't mess with me! I'll never pay!

Anyway, this loan-shark business is illegal!

Mr. Kaiji, illegal business is a law in itself.

We are professionals and will do anything to reclaim the debt.

Your sister's a civil servant, isn't she?

And though your father has passed on,

you mother is still healthy and working part-time.

Y-You!

Kaiji!

I didn't intend for this. I don't want to do it either.

I don't want to see a family squabbling over such a matter.

Sit down. Let's discuss the main topic.

Main topic? - That's right.

What I'm about to say is my real intention.

A cruise ship will depart from Harumi pier in a month from now.

I am currently recruiting people to board it.

If all goes well, a night on that ship...

...will clear your debts once and for all.

Huh? Once and for all?

Also, an additional profit of 10 or 20 million yen is possible.

T-That's...

It's gambling.

It's gathering people like you who are...

...burdened with debts for a night of gambling.

Those who lose will sink deeper in debt,

and be brought to do forced labour for a year or two.

You won't be able to return to society.

But there are always some who leave the ship...

...with a fortune on their hands.

Kaiji, you shall board this ship!

Board it, survive and return clean as a sheet!

If I win, my debts are cleared?

Yeah.

It's the last battle for scum like you...

Scum who are hanging to the last thread of hope,

on board a ship sailing on the brink of hell...

The ship's name is Espoir.

The ship of hope.

Have you made up your mind?

May I ask two questions?

What type of gambling is involved?

And upon losing, what type of forced labour...

...would the losers have to do?

Sorry but I can answer neither question.

But...! - Well, listen up.

If you are informed of what happens on board,

won't those who joined earlier be at an advantage?

And about the conditions after losing,

I am not clear on this matter at all.

What? Not clear?

But there's nothing to worry about.

The purpose of this cruise is to help those in debt to pay it off.

Pay it off?

The sponsor of this cruise...

...is a top finance company that everyone has heard of.

The sponsor's motive isn't selfish nor profit-oriented.

Gambling on this ship is different from gambling in casinos.

It's more like a competition among the participants.

Among the participants? - Yeah.

Thus, half of them get to leave the ship everytime.

Half of them?!

If you win, your debt is cleared.

The debt will be paid off with no questions asked.

Even if you lose, rather than living in debt,

you live a regulated life for one or two years...

...that focuses on paying off your debt.

Isn't that a better way of being free from debt?

Don't you agree?