Movies like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (2009)
The best movies like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (2009) are Liar Game: The Final Stage (2010), A Man (2022) and Rage (2016). If Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler hooked you with its thriller and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedYojimbo (1961)8.1/10 from 1,791 votes
- NewestPure Air of the Mountain: For All and None (2023)Released 2023
- In JapaneseLiar Game: The Final Stage (2010)Also in Japanese
Liar Game: The Final Stage (2010)
In Liar game: Final Stage, Players are encouraged to trust each other to win the tournament. However, a mysterious player named X is secretly plotting to sabotage everyone of their chances to win the LGT.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Man (2022)
Akira works as a lawyer. One day, he meets with his former client Rie, who asks Akira to perform a background check on her late husband Daisuke.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRage (2016)
A man brutally murders a married couple and leaves the word “ikari” (“rage”) written with their blood. The killer undergoes plastic surgery and flees. At three different locations in Japan, a male stranger appears. People suspect that the stranger might be the murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Jack: The Movie (1996)
Black Jack is a master surgeon who possesses impeccable skills, enabling him to perform operations that are impossible for even the finest surgeons. He now is faced with his most difficult task to date and must challenge the limits of medical science...before it's too late!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleep, My Love (1948)
A woman wakes up in the middle of the night on board a train, but she can't remember how she got there. Danger and suspense ensue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Note: The Last Name (2006)
In the second installment of the Death Note film franchise, Light Yagami meets a second Kira and faithful follower Misa Amane and her Shinigami named Rem. Light attempts to defeat L along with Teru Mikami (a Kira follower) and Kiyomi Takada (another Kira follower) but in the end will Light win? or will a Shinigami named Ryuk make all the difference in Light's victory or his ultimate death?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Girl from the Other Side (2023)
Once upon a time, in a far, faraway place, there were two lands. The world was divided into an inner land and an outer land. People feared the outer land, inhabited by eerie beings, the carriers of curse. One day, on the border to the inner land inhabited by humans, one such being finds a girl on heaps of abandoned dead bodies. The girl says her name is Shiva and shows affection to the "being" who found her, calling him "Teacher." This is a story of two people—one human, one inhuman—who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: The Raven Chaser (2009)
A new member from the Black Organization that shrunk Shinichi's body manages to find out about Shinichi's transformation into Conan. This discovery starts to put those around him in danger as Gin and the other Black Organization members start to take action.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuspect X (2008)
A male corpse is discovered with a smashed face and burned hands. Strangely, the cause of death is determined to be strangulation. When Detective Kaoru Utsumi attempts to corroborate the victim’s ex-wife’s alibi she discovers the mysterious neighbor and only a few small clues to help her disprove a seemingly "airtight" alibi...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYojimbo (1961)
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017)
In 2012, Atsuya and his 2 childhood friends do something bad and run into an old general store. They decide to stay there until the morning. Late into the night, Atsuya sees a letter in the mailbox. The letter is addressed to the Namiya General Store and the letter was written by someone to consult about worries. Incredibly, the letter was written 32 years ago. The mailbox is somehow connected to the year 1980. Atsuya and his friends decide to write a reply and place their letter in the mailbox.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLonely Castle in the Mirror (2022)
Shy outcast Kokoro has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. When a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game, the teens must work together to uncover the mysterious connection that unites them. However, anyone who breaks the rules will be eaten by a wolf.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeath Note: L Change the WorLd (2008)
"The human whose name is written in the Death Note shall die." After making the hardest decision ever, another serious case confronts L. There are only 23 days left and without his best partner Watari, L has to solve the case all by himself for the very first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUgetsu (1953)
In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Bad Sleep Well (1960)
In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMidsummer's Equation (2013)
Masaharu Fukuyama reprises his role from 2008's "Suspect X," playing the physicist-cum-detective Manabu Yukawa. The scientist-sleuth arrives in an oceanside town to speak on a panel. But when a man turns up dead outside the inn where he's staying, Yukawa begins to unravel the connections that tie the victim to the activist daughter of the innkeepers, and a precocious boy who first appears on a train—and keeps popping up. It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery with an environmental twist, and one that should please fans of a classic whodunnit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Spider Woman (1943)
Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of so-called "pajama suicides". He knows the female villain behind them is as cunning as Moriarty and as venomous as a spider.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYouth of the Beast (1963)
When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRashomon (1950)
Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974)
Lady Snowblood is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes. As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPure Air of the Mountain: For All and None (2023)
In the heart of the mountain, an elusive and invisible observer witnesses an infamous spectacle. His voice comments on the sequence of events in the words of Nietzsche. In this splendid mountain landscape, a couple appears. Spenta, the man, and Angra, the woman, climb a steep peak. They wear similar clothes, their resemblance is amazing, their relationship is strange. To outsmart boredom Angra drags Spenta, initially unenthusiastic, into a game that he eventually gives in. From the top, the couple watches a marathon event that takes place in the valley. Angra, who is looking for an object of entertainment, has her sights set on a woman running through the crowd. Possessed, she courted the unknown and obtained her favors. She then manages to drag Spenta into her game. In this game, there will be no winner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & mystery
Not in Textbooks 3 (2017)
The third work in the "Not in Textbooks!" series, which is a live-action movie of a popular love comedy manga by Kazuto Okada from "Sundome" starring Ayaka Morikawa from the former AKB48. It depicts the love pattern that the main character, a high school girl Aya Shirakaba and a homeroom teacher, Arihiko Tairaku, living together for a long time. One day, Okubo, a senior student who noticed Aya who is very popular in the school with excellent looks, abducts Aya. Tairaku heads to the rescue and falls into the worst situation. On the other hand, in the school there was an incident in which May Yayoi took the students hostage.... Morikawa played the role of Aya Shirakaba, Ryouma Baba played the role of Arihiko Tairaku, and May, an English teacher longing for Tairaku, was the debut performance of the rising gravure idol Anna Hongo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Baby Assassins (2021)
Two high school girls who are about to graduate also happen to be highly-skilled assassins. When the organization they work for orders them to share a room, their relationship quickly sours. But when they become targets of the yakuza, the girls realize they'll have to work together to survive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHiroshima (1953)
Historical fiction about the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, and its effects on various civilians, especially children, of that city.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Cell (2000)
A team of scientists use experimental technology to help a social worker enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaikyu!! The Movie: Talent and Sense (2017)
A compilation film depicting the match against Aoba Johsai High School in the second season of the anime series. It will also include new scenes portraying what happened after the match.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts (2017)
A recap film depicting the match against Shiratorizawa Academy in the third season of the anime series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisblank13 (2018)
Thirteen years after abandoning his wife and two sons by stepping out for a pack of cigarettes and never returning, deadbeat gambler Masato dies of stomach cancer. At his funeral, a motley crew of fellow mahjong players, pachinko parlor employees and former drinking buddies gather to pay their respects and tell stories, revealing aspects of Masato’s life that complicate his sons’ resentment towards him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tokyo Sonata (2008)
The winds of change blow as a family grapples with unemployment, alienation, mistrust and a lack of communication. When a Japanese salaryman loses his job to outsourcing to China, it's simply the beginning of a series of shattering incidents, leading to the implosion of the family unit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler?
The closest matches to Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler are Liar Game: The Final Stage (2010), A Man (2022) and Rage (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler?
Start with Liar Game: The Final Stage (2010), the closest match to Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler.
What is the highest-rated movie like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler?
Yojimbo (1961), rated 8.1/10 by 1,791 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler?
Pure Air of the Mountain: For All and None (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler?
Yes: Liar Game: The Final Stage (2010), A Man (2022) and Rage (2016).
How are movies similar to Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.