The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya

The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Tetsuya Asada
勝負師伝説哲也 (Shōbushi Densetsu Tetsuya)
Genre	Gambling[1] Mahjong[1]
Manga
Written by	Fūmei Sai
Illustrated by	Yasushi Hoshino
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	July 30, 1997 – December 8, 2004
Volumes	41
Anime television series
Directed by	Nobutaka Nishizawa
Produced by	Kenji Ōta (chief) Iriya Azuma Ken Fukuyoshi
Written by	Yoshiyuki Suga
Music by	Kuniaki Haishima
Studio	Toei Animation
Original network	TV Asahi
Original run	October 7, 2000 – March 24, 2001
Episodes	20

The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya (Japanese: 勝負師伝説哲也, Hepburn: Shōbushi Densetsu Tetsuya) is a Japanese gambling manga series written by Fūmei Sai and illustrated by Yasushi Hoshino. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from July 1997 to December 2004, with its chapters collected in 41 tankōbon volumes.

It was adapted by Toei Animation into a 20-episode anime television series, broadcast on TV Asahi from October 2000 to March 2001.

By August 2019, the manga had over 16 million copies in circulation. In 2000, The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya was awarded the 23rd Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.

Plot

In 1944, Tetsuya Asada was 15 years old. Three years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tetsuya was mobilized to work at a munitions factory. One day, he was with one of his lunch break friends and was being taught how to gamble by his colleague's uncle. At that time, an old man who survived without escaping in the tragedy of an air raid that turns the whole area into a burnt field teaches him that "unlucky people die". The following year, Japan lost the war and was in a poor situation. Tetsuya, who managed to get a job, is gambling at his workplace and was driven to the last minute by losing consecutively, showed his talent as a gamer. After meeting Inami at a gambling hall, Tetsuya heads for Yokosuka after hearing that he can make money by playing mahjong against American soldiers in Yokosuka.

Media

Manga

Written by Fūmei Sai and illustrated by Yasushi Hoshino, Shōbushi Densetsu Tetsuya was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from July 30, 1997,^[2] to December 8, 2004.^[3] Kodansha compiled the series' individual chapters into 41 tankōbon volumes published from December 16, 1997,^[4] to February 17, 2005.^[5]

Anime

A 20-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Toei Animation, was broadcast on TV Asahi from October 6, 2000, to March 23, 2001.^[6]

Video games

• Shobushi Densetsu Tetsuya (PlayStation 2)
  • Shobushi Densetsu Tetsuya 2: Genjin Chojo Kessen (PlayStation 2)

Reception

By August 2019, the manga had over 16 million copies in circulation.^[7] The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya won the 23rd Kodansha Manga Award for the shōnen category in 2000.^[8]

See also

• Gambling in Japan

References

1. Oppliger, John (November 16, 2012). "Ask John: What are the Best Gambling Anime?". AnimeNation. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
2. 週刊少年サンデー 1997年 表示号数33. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
3. 週刊少年マガジン 2005年2・3合併号 (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
4. 哲也 雀聖と呼ばれた男（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
5. 哲也 雀聖と呼ばれた男（４１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
6. "THE LEGEND OF THE GAMBLER - TETSUYA". Toei Animation. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
7. 宗桂 〜飛翔の譜〜2巻 8月9日発売 ＆イベントのお知らせ. PR Times (in Japanese). August 8, 2019. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
8. Joel Hahn. "Kodansha Manga Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.

External links

• Official Anime website (in Japanese)
• The Legend of the Gambler: Tetsuya (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia