The Ending Of Kakegurui Season 2 Explained
Though anime may be most well-known for widely popular shonen series like "Naruto" or equally iconic shoujo series like "Sailor Moon," there are tons of obscure series with unique concepts, from the bizzare to the plain messed-up. One of the more eccentric anime currently streaming on Netflix is the intense gambling-centered series "Kakegurui."
"Kakegurui" follows students at a prestigious school where, rather than grades or sports, gambling is the way to climb the ranks in power and esteem — and losers who fall into debt have to act as servants to the winning students. Though the series debuted in 2017, and Season 2 premiered in 2019, there's yet to be a third season. Hopefully, now that Netflix has taken on more original anime projects, fans of "Kakegurui" will get to enjoy more seasons of the twisted show.
Until then, let's take a look at the ending of "Kakegurui" Season 2, and what could be in store for the students in the future.
The election
The majority of Season 2 — entitled "Kakegurui xx" — centers on the election for the new student body president of Hyakkaou Private Academy after the powerful Kirari Momobami (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro) gives up her seat. And just why is the election so pivotal? As the head of the Momobami family and president of the school, Kirari helped to establish the current social hierarchy and "pet" system, so a change in the leadership could completely change the lives of the students — depending on the winner.
Throughout "Kakegurui xx," we learn the rules of the election, which is overseen by the election committee. During the 30-day election period, the competitors have opportunities to earn chips — but rather than being worth money, they're worth votes. The more gambles one wins, the more vote chips (and thus votes) they earn, and the person with the most chips at the end of the 30 days wins, and becomes the new president.
Of course, the sadistic Kirari enjoys watching the chaos unfold as the students compete in outrageous gambling games in hopes of becoming president. Some of the main competitors include the series protagonist Yumeko Jabami (Saori Hayami); the kind former house pet Ryota Suzui (Tatsuya Tokutake); the once-cruel but intelligent Mary Saotome (Minami Tanaka); and the business savvy Itsuki Sumeragi (Yuki Wakai) — though all of the students have a chance to compete.
The confusing coin toss
The season finale of "Kakegurui xx" left many viewers at a loss thanks to its confusing ending. In Episode 11, entitled "The X Girl," several of the remaining students still competing in the election join a high-stakes auction in hopes of gaining more votes. Yumeko, Mary, and Ryota are joined by Yuriko Nishinotouin (Karin Nanami), Midari Ikishima (Mariya Ise), and Rei Batsubami (Romi Pak) in the game, and it's eventually revealed that Rei was cheating all along.
Unfortunately for Rei, her plan failed, and she ended up losing all of her votes. Taking pity on her, Yumeko proposes one more challenge, and encourages Rei to make the gamble personal. Kirari's twin sister, Ririka Momobami (Miyuki Sawashiro), suggests a coin flip, where Rei bets 3 billion Yen and Yumeko bets her family name, which is equal in value. If Yumeko loses, she'd be banished from her family, whereas Rei's defeat would make her a house pet yet again.
Yumeko ultimately wins the coin toss along with the money. However, Rei doesn't end up a servant as originally thought — instead, Kirari's so impressed with Rei's bravery that she releases her from her metaphorical chains. Yumeko, on the other hand, continues gambling for the fun of it, and ends up losing the majority of her vote chips in the process.
What does this mean for the future of the Hyakkaou Private Academy election? What family is Rei now a part of? Who's actually the winner? It may be a while before we have the answers.