Kaiji: Final Game


Kaiji: Final Game is a 2020 Japanese live-action film based on the manga series Kaiji by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It is the final installment of a trilogy directed by Tōya Satō and premiered in Japan on January 10, 2020. Unlike the first two previous films, Kaiji and Kaiji 2, Kaiji: Final Game is not based on a specific part of the series and it is a completely original story written by Fukumoto.

Plot

The story takes place in 2020 Japan following the Tokyo Olympics, as the nation experiences rapid economic collapse. Hyperinflation destabilizes society while government insolvency leads to widespread exploitation of workers. Kaiji Itō, living in poverty, struggles with daily survival when he learns his former overseer Tarō Ōtsuki has become president of the Teiai conglomerate. Ōtsuki recruits Kaiji to participate in "Tower of Babel", a high-stakes gambling event designed to entertain wealthy elites while offering desperate participants a chance at fortune. Subsequent games—including the asset-based "Final Judgment", the lethal "Dream Jump", and the modified "Gold Rock Paper Scissors"—test both Kaiji's gambling skills and his ability to survive Teiai's exploitative system. As the challenges escalate, Kaiji must rely on his wits to navigate the deadly games and confront the conglomerate's corruption.

Cast

composed the music for the film. The original score was released on January 8, 2020.

Release

In May 2019, Kaiji: Final Game, the third and final film of Kaijis live-action trilogy. with a completely original story by Nobuyuki Fukumoto, was announced.
Kaiji: Final Game was theatrically released on January 10, 2020 in Japan.
The film premiered in Singapore on March 5, 2020. It was originally planned to premiere in Malaysia on March 19, 2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the film opened on July 1, 2020. The film was released in Indonesia on December 9, 2020.

Novelization

A novelization of the film written by Van Madoy was published by Kodansha on November 14, 2019.

Reception

Box office

During the opening weekend, Kaiji: Final Game ranked at second at the Japanese box office, earning ¥362 million, and earned ¥616 million from January 10–13. The film stayed at second in its third weekend and earned an additional ¥198,153,400. The film dropped to fourth in its fourth weekend, and earned ¥120,022,950. The film dropped from eighth to tenth in its sixth weekend and earned ¥35,480,750. It was the eighth highest grossing film of 2020, earning ¥2.06 billion at the box office that year. It also grossed $14,608 in Vietnam.

Critical reception

Marcus Goh of Yahoo! Style rated the film 3.5/5, praising its strong start as a "mild political commentary on the labour market in Japan" and the thrilling Tower of Babel game. However, he found the later games lackluster and noted that some manga-inspired elements felt awkward with live-action actors. While he appreciated the film's faithfulness to the spirit of the source material, he felt it sometimes adhered too closely, creating awkward moments. Still, he concluded that fans would enjoy seeing Kaiji return to the big screen.
Tay Yek Keak of Today called the film "enjoyably fascinating and intellectually stimulating", praising its expanded national-scale ambition. He noted that Fujiwara's Kaiji looks unchanged from the first film, with the only sign of the 11-year gap being the more subdued final game. While acknowledging its drawn-out runtime and Japanese cinema's trademark outlandish clichés, Keak found its dark financial apocalypse concept "grimly thrilling".