Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine since February 1996. The story centers on Kaiji Itō, a consummate gambler, and his misadventures around gambling. The Kaiji manga consists of six series; the current series, Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: 24 Oku Dasshutsu-hen, started in 2017.
Nobuyuki Fukumoto, the author of Kaiji
Nobuyuki Fukumoto is a Japanese manga artist, well known for his work including unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analyses of characters, and his distinct art style. Gambling and yakuza are recurring themes in his manga. In English-speaking countries, he is best known as the author of Kaiji, a gambling-related manga, and Akagi, a mahjong-related manga. In 1998, he won the Kodansha Manga Award for Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji. An onomatopoeia, "zawa", meaning an uneasy atmosphere, frequently appears in his comics and is considered his trademark.
Fukumoto at Desucon 2010 in Finland