The figure maker Max Factory will make a figure of Kaiji, the titular protagonist of Nobuyuki Fukumoto's manga and anime Gyakkyo Burai Kaiji. The toy, scheduled for an August release, will be a part of Max Factory's Figma line of poseable figures bundled with alternate facial expressions and props. Kaiji will cost 3,500 yen (approximately US$43.25) and comes with hands holding playing cards, a balance beam, and a text bubble saying "Zawa Zawa" in Japanese. (The text is an onomatopoeia that appears in both the manga and anime and became a meme among fans of the series.)
The Kaiji manga revolves around an impoverished young man who co-signed a friend's loan and winds up in debt to an unsavory organization. In a desperate bid to get out of the debt, Kaiji agrees to board a special ship full of other debtors who must clear their debt by gambling or be sold into human slavery.
There have been three manga sequels since the original 1996-1999 Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji manga series ran in Young Magazine, including the ongoing Tobaku Datenshi-Roku Kaiji Kazuya-Hen. The series was adapted into a television anime in 2008. A sequel series is currently airing in Japan.