Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai

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Synonyms: Mahjong Legend Akagi

Japanese: アカギ～闇に降り立った天才～

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 36

Chapters: 306

Status: Finished

Published: Jun 1991 to Feb 1, 2018

Genres: Action, Drama

Themes: Adult Cast, Organized Crime, Psychological, Strategy Game

Serialization: Kindai Mahjong

Authors: Fukumoto, Nobuyuki (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.22¹ (scored by 4,574 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #426²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1486

Members: 15,639

Favorites: 546

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8.22

Ranked #426Popularity #1486Members 15,639

MangaKindai MahjongFukumoto, Nobuyuki (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /36

Chapters: /306

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Synopsis

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated a debt of over three million yen. In a last-ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death.

When all hope seems lost, the game parlor is suddenly intruded upon by Shigeru Akagi, a young boy on the run from the police. Desperate to turn the game around, Nangou hands the game over to Akagi after teaching him a few of the rules. The mafia can only smirk as Akagi sits down to play. However, they soon come to learn that Akagi is a natural-born gambler. An imposing figure who does not fear death. One who is destined to become a legend.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai was adapted into two V-Cinema films that were released in 1995 and 1997. It was also adapted into a Japanese live-action TV series with two sequel seasons. Multiple games based on the manga have also been released.

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Characters

Akagi, Shigeru

Main

Washizu, Iwao

Main

Hirayama, Yukio

Supporting

Ichikawa

Supporting

Nozaki, Osamu

Supporting

Ryuuzaki

Supporting

Yasuoka

Supporting

Urabe

Supporting

Nangou

Supporting

Kuraishi

Supporting

Reviews

Nov 28, 2024

Joshhhp

Recommended

Well-written

"Akagi... it was a long hard fought battle... for me you were the most incredible, most extreme, the greatest foe I've ever fought! A unique gleaming diamond in the rough! So parting with you will be such sweet sorrow!"

Now I will explain the full picture of the manga in a few words before jumping to what I think it is really essential to do a little review about it. The story is about a young genius named Akagi, a strange individual with a clear obsession of gambling and the game he'll spend doing gamble for most of the manga is Mahjong. His incredible and non-human ... skills will lead him to gamble against the villain of the story, Washizu. This experience has been one of the most unique I've come across to read in a really long time. Going off with the anime I felt weirded out that there would never be a sequel and that they had cut the anime off during the last battle, a judgment I think most would have agreed with. But the feeling of curiosity that Akagi left me led me to read the manga, I was at all costs ready to know what would happen after the legendary battle between Akagi and Washizu. To my astonishment nothing happened after the final arc, and even more unbelievable to find out was that the fight in the anime was not even halfway to the end… not even close! The mastermind mangaka Fukumoto continued the arc for 225 chapters to be exact, spending over 20 years from start to finish, possibly making the battle the longest-running of all battles that occurred in manga history.

To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement, I didn't know what to think about it and had already wondered if I would ever be able to finish the whole story considering I've never been much of a Mahjong expert so I feared I'd get so bored to the point of not being able to finish. The results well... they were the opposite of what I imagined. I read the entire manga twice, in the same year, never disappointed by what was about to happen. And it's mainly thanks to this battle that I've gotten to love the series even more. I must specify that before reading Akagi I was never a fan of battles that needlessly dragged on for a large number of episodes/chapters for the purpose of filling space or entertaining the audience. A clear example are some certain Battle Shounen series like Dragon Ball... fights that went on for so many episodes without having much action to show on the screen, because we know that in anime, at least during the 90's and 2000's, they had to broadcast episodes in step with the chapters of the manga that were coming out, and therefore events that were supposed to last for a few episodes expand double or triple in length therefore making the pace irritably slow and having characters doing nothing to the point it's killing off your interest. This is the essential key to any story that tries to entertain: pacing. Does the Akagi series keep up its pacing well enough? Yes, but in a method that not many would understand. That's not to say that games come and go quickly from each other. The all arc consists of six sessions and in its 20 years spam the final session is the one that lasted the longest, i.e. THIRTEEN years which is more than half the battle. And let's not forget that an entire volume was spent of how the players create their hands, ONLY their hands! So it's safe to say that the matches drag on for a very long time but what makes them interesting is how they are presented. The war between the two protagonists is full of moments of tension, anxiety, anguish, trauma and strategies. Fukumoto is a master in creating horrific panels where Washizu, despite simply playing a board game, remains under pressure, and out of control at certain moments considering that in a sense he keeps on being on the edge of death. The way the mangaka can immerses you in his works is captivating, never gets a moment to retain situations calm but instead it's all filled with distressing scenes until one of the two opponents will eventually collapse. A fundamental change that is easily noticable if you read most of the volumes is how Washizu goes from villain to a sort of "protagonist" of this arc considering that most of the attention is directed towards him and his strategies to have any sort of hope against the demon sitting before him, Akagi. And with this Akagi himself changes as well, this time from protagonist to antagonist... not being afraid to descend into hell, he always remains passive and gives himself a great presence of danger for the opponent. Oh and another little fundamental change is the art design, I mean… with two decades gone by while making the match obviously Fukumoto's style would have gone through some changes. Washizu in particular looks like he melted by the end with his eyes now covering almost half of his face! Although it's surely nothing to be bother with.

There is no real explanation as to why it took 20 years to reach conclusion. I would assume that Fukumoto had an unimaginable motive that led him to make the battle unforgettable for the readers. Whatever his motivations are I appreciate it because while some may struggle and lack the patience to read the full match, it has given me so much inspiration and hope that many mangaka will have the opportunity to finish their projects, knowing that it isn't always the case nowadays. Should I recommend the manga to you? Well yeah you might have very good time with it, but mostly if you know the rules of Mahjong and have enough endurance to overtake what I would call the legendary battle between Akagi and Washizu. Final score is a perfect 10. I don't care if it stretches for too long, I would have continued even if it was thousands and thousands of chapters long. Best piece of entertainment ever, will revisit it again.

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Dec 11, 2024

KinoKantRBD

Recommended

***Minor Spoilers Below***

Washizu Mahjong is; without exaggeration, one of the most monumental battles in all of animanga.

Spanning 226 chapters and taking FKMT 2 decades to finish, this titanic death match between Iwao Washizu and Akagi Shigeru is the quintessential representation of everything FKMT excels at: psychological warfare, unbearable tension, expressive facial expressions, extravagant visual metaphors, and a relentless push-and-pull dynamic where victory is always just within reach yet feels impossible to seize.

Washizu Mahjong isn’t just a mahjong match with titilating game theory - it’s life and death condensed into each draw of the tiles. Experience grappling with raw, unrelenting talent. Decaying wisdom versus a young, ... untethered genius. It’s the crumbling, paranoid madness of a man who wants to live forever against the terrifying, almost alien rationality of someone who embraces life without clinging to survival. With blood as the currency and mortality hanging by a thread, the stakes are crushing.

FKMT doesn’t just tell you this. He makes you feel it - every agonizing second, every slow-motion discard, and every moment where the outcome teeters on the brink of catastrophe / catharsis. When Washizu collapses in desperation or Akagi flashes his cold, unreadable smirk, you don’t just see the characters. You become them. As someone who has brain-rotted over Mahjong Soul for several months, I became fully immersed in this story, and I could see a lot of myself reflected in both Akagi and ESPECIALLY Washizu. To put it simply, this is the kind of match where you stop questioning how long it will take to end and start dreading the moment it finally does.

What makes this arc truly kino is how Washizu’s perspective dominates the arc. This is his story as much as it is Akagi’s, if not MUCH MUCH more so. Washizu starts as a caricature of greed and malice, a shadow king of the post-war era who tempts others to gamble their lives for his amusement. He’s loud, theatrical, and utterly convinced of his superiority. Yet FKMT peels back the layers of this man piece by piece, and what comes out is a deeply human portrait of someone grappling with mortality. Washizu doesn’t just want to win- he wants to cling to life itself, and defeat the greatest challenge he's ever been given.

His ambition isn’t purely evil; it’s rooted in the universal fear of death and the desire to preserve his legacy, dignity, wealth, and principles. His dramatic monologues and inner spirals of paranoia are nothing short of mesmerising to read. He overthinks, sabotages himself repeatedly, berates his subordinates, and clings to hope in moments where there is none. I can’t help but see fragments of my own experiences in him - every strategic blunder I’ve made, every time I’ve doubted my own instincts, every moment where fear has led me to make the wrong move. Washizu’s mind becomes a theater of chaos where his insecurities, brilliance, and sheer desperation collide, and I found myself rooting for him even with Akagi as the "hero".

The clash between these two characters is also a philosophical war as much as it is a battle of skill. Akagi represents living without fear - a figure so detached from the concerns of mortality that he can throw away blood; his very life, without hesitation. Washizu, in contrast - represents the terror of death and the lengths we’ll go to avoid it. Their dynamic creates a fascinating interplay where Akagi seems almost inhuman in his composure, while Washizu’s desperation makes him the more relatable of the two.

Even when he loses his most pivotal rounds, Washizu commands my utmost respect. When his goons plead with Akagi to spare his life, Washizu insists on following through with the rules of the game, even if it means his death. There’s a dignity in his madness, a refusal to compromise his principles even as he’s brought to the brink. That pivotal 'hell revolt' mini-arc - where Washizu, in a near-death state, imagines himself fighting off demons to return to the living - epitomizes his character. It’s absurd, theatrical, and deeply moving all at once. Whether it’s a hallucination or a metaphor for his indomitable perseverance, it just makes his character that much more special and memorable to me. Washizu isn’t just a bum cheating loser like many of other FKMT's antagonists, he’s a well-rounded and well-written antagonistic force that serves as a mirror to reflect Akagi’s philosophy and is LITERALLY ME.

While the pacing of this arc is undeniably slow, I’d argue that its deliberate nature is part of what makes it so impactful. Each draw, each discard, and each moment of hesitation is stretched to its absolute limit - immersing you - the reader in the suffocating tension of the match. Once again as I have repeated before, you will 1000% appreciate this more if you have AT LEAST a basic understanding of Mahjong. Knowing the stakes of each move, the significance of each hand, and the strategies at play elevates the experience to another level. Instead of simply watching the chaos unfold / "keikakudoori" BS, you become an active participant, analyzing the tiles and questioning each decision alongside the players.

The shifting momentum between Akagi and Washizu, the escalating stakes, and the sheer audacity of the moves they pull create an experience that’s impossible to forget. What I REALLY LOVE is that minimal cheating was involved here. Washizu Mahjong's mix of transparent & opaque tiles, as well as, no walls for switching tiles, make it useless to cheat. The only possible way is a false riichi - which if found out, would result in your death. Basically the focus here is on raw strategy and nerve. It’s a game where both players are exposed, vulnerable, and forced to confront the inevitable: death.

Ultimately, what makes Washizu Mahjong so unforgettable is its ability to explore the concept of mortality through the lens of a simple game. This isn’t just a match between two gamblers. It’s a meditation on what it means to live and what it means to die. Akagi and Washizu are two sides of the same coin - one embracing the fleeting nature of life, the other fighting tooth and nail to extend it. Their battle is one of contrasts: youth and age, light and darkness, courage and fear.

Yet despite their differences, there’s a genuine respect and mutual understanding that develops between them. Washizu's words of praise towards Akagi and acknowledging him as an equal. Akagi willing to wait out that last "Pon" call. Both of them pushing each other to survive their blood extractions. All of this is an acknowledgment of the strange bond that has formed between them, a bond forged in blood, madness, and the unrelenting pursuit of victory. This arc may have taken 20 IRL years to finish, but every moment feels earned. Washizu Mahjong is a masterclass in tension, character building, and thematic storytelling, and once again displays FKMT’s genius that a simple game of Mahjong can carry so much emotional weight. I am literally Iwao Washizu.

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Oct 31, 2025

MangaIsPolitical

Not Recommended

STORY: 2

Meet Akagi, a youth gambler that is not afraid of death! And.. nothing. We have a title purely centered on a single character and he gets zero development. So Akagi is just some mysterious, disinterested figure that appears when gambling stakes are high. He gambles on Mahjong, that tile game you must have seen if you celebrate Lunar new year, and you are going to see a lot of tiles along 36 volumes.

You would think that this title can be hard to read if you don't know the Japanese rule version of Mahjong. Well, actually, even if you knew the rules, the story is ... so boring, repetitive and predictable that you would still have a hard time. What is the point of having so many chapter if there no evolution, depth, or changes in the story?

Akagi has the record of the slowest progression in the history of manga: one single night of Mahjong took twenty years to draw! That’s more than twenty volumes for a single game! You would think that, to be that long, this battle was the most epic of all time but it’s far from being the case. You could have kept the intensity of the game within one volume and it would work out great. If you think Usogui’s games drag on for too long, Akagi is pure torture!

ART: 4

The typical cartoonish style from Fukumoto Nobuyuki: bodies are stiff, facial features are exaggerated, characters are easy to recognize. This art is usually pleasant in other works from the author, but here, with very few characters and everyone glued to chairs, you get quickly tired of seeing the same expressions and situations repeating non stop.

POLITICAL POTENTIAL: 4

The year is 1958 and what a waste, the period does not matter one bit in the story.
When Akagi is introduced, he is 13 and has some obvious mental issues (he drove off a cliff for a bet). Does anyone care? No, they are just fascinated by a death-defying, emotionally-empty kid. Here, we have another example of toxic masculinity traits that impress the author enough to make Akagi the hero of the story. Kurosawa was about violence, Ichijou was about narcissism, Akagi is about addiction and risky behavior.

FEMINISM: 3

Maybe we have another record here: except for one female passerby that may have said some words, there is not a single woman within the 306 chapters of Akagi!
Fukumoto was apparently quoted as saying “there is no need for women to appear in a gambling comic”, which confirms that he cannot see women as normal human beings. His works mostly essentialize them in the usual sexist categories: object of desire or motherly presence.

Oh wait! I found one woman that gets some page space! She is on the photo cover of the publishing magazine, Kindai Mahjong. Most photo covers of the magazine feature a man who's fully dressed, looks dark and focused on his Mahjong tiles. Once in a while, there's a girl on the cover, and they are all young, looking at the camera, and wearing bikinis.

CONCLUSION: 3

I cannot even recommend this for fans of Mahjong or the author.

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Manga 'Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai' Receives Surprise Sequel Chapter

On May 1, fifteen months after Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai finished serialization, Nobuyuki Fukumoto published a sequel chapter to the long-running manga in the J...read more

May 2, 2019 12:03 PM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (0 comments)

Manga 'Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai' Ends 27 Years of Serialization in February 2018 Issue

It has been announced that Nobuyuki Fukumoto's mahjong manga Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai will end its 27 years of serialization in the February 2018 Issue. P...read more

Feb 12, 2017 6:58 AM by removed-user | Discuss (15 comments)

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Poll: Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai Chapter 306 Discussion removed-user - Feb 17, 2018	6 replies	by Rhedak »» Jan 19, 5:32 AM
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Poll: Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai Chapter 247 Discussion mikzflava - Feb 21, 2018	2 replies	by LotteGiants »» Aug 12, 2025 8:36 AM
Poll: Akagi Chapter 125 Discussion Guns47 - Jan 18, 2012	4 replies	by Ekkuzawa »» May 27, 2025 7:11 PM
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