Kitami is a clear-headed man who Kaiji encounters on the Espoir. 
He came up with the strategy of buying up all the rock cards and holding them constant; as the other cards deplete, he and his men then prey on those who have scissor cards.

Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which Kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 300,000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji. 
Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay off their debts. After some coercion Kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear his debt and make a bit of money as well...

**Skills and Abilities**: Kendo

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/yaochan_defu)

*Kazuki Yao* is a veteran voice actor. Yao is currently represented by Sigma Seven.


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Ne'er-do-well Kaiji Itou's shiftless existence is suddenly rattled by a visit from the yakuza. Burdened by debt and resentment, Kaiji is coerced into gambling for his worthless life. As the stakes grow higher and the rules become increasingly more bizarre, Kaiji must finally take the future into his own hands! 
(Source: Denpa) 
Note: Won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 1998.