"Akagi: The Genius Who Descended into Darkness") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto.

First published in 1991 in Takeshobo's weekly magazine Kindai Mahjong, it is a spin-off prequel to the author's previous work Ten.

After a death-defying game of chicken one evening in 1958, Akagi nonchalantly enters a yakuza mahjong parlor to shake the police's trail.

As the night progresses, the stakes are raised both within the game and for Akagi, who is under the suspicion of the local policeman, Yasuoka (安岡) (voiced by Tessho Genda).

Yasuoka arranges a new match against other yakuza members, in which Akagi defeats Ichikawa (市川) (voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka), a blind professional mahjong player with very accurate hearing.

Having built up massive funds from shady dealings in Japan's post-war era, Washizu tempts people to bet their lives for the chance to win a large amount of money.

Three years after the fight with Washizu, Akagi is last seen winning big in Tehonbiki, a gambling game that leaves no room for chance, and wandering around local gambling dens with Osamu Nozaki (野崎 治, Nozaki Osamu) (voiced by Yūdai Satō), a freckled young coworker from the toy factory they used to work at.

A series of three mahjong commentary books illustrated by Makoto Fukuchi and titled Akagi Akuma no Senjutsu (アカギ悪魔の戦術, lit.

[19][20] An anthology written by several other manga artists, including Clamp, Shinobu Kaitani and Mikio Igarashi, was released on July 27, 2011.

[29] On November 8, 2012, Monthly Kindai Mahjong Original published the first chapter of Washizu: Tenka Sōsei Tōhairoku (ワシズ 天下創世闘牌録, lit.

"Washizu: The Mahjong That Ruled a Nation"),[34] a sequel to Enma no Tōhai, and it moved to the magazine Kindai Manga in May 2014.

[39] A prequel manga, titled Akagi: Nyūmon no Tōhai Zero (アカギ 入門の闘牌ZERO), by Tomoki Miyoshi and Yoshiaki Seto, with collaboration from Fukumoto, was published in Kindai Mahjong on April 1, 2024.

[40][41] An anime adaptation of roughly 13 volumes of the manga, titled Tōhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai (闘牌伝説アカギ 〜闇に舞い降りた天才〜, lit.

"Mahjong Legend Akagi: The Genius Who Descended Into the Darkness"), premiered in Japan on NTV on October 5, 2005, and ran for 26 episodes until March 29, 2006.

[49][50] Two V-Cinema film adaptations of Akagi have been released, produced by George Iida, directed by Kenzō Maihara, written by Mitsuru Tanabe, and composed by Yoshihiro Ike.

[69] A Japanese television drama that adapts the manga starting from its eighth volume aired on the channel BS SKY PerfecTV!.

[70][72] Kanata Hongō and Masahiko Tsugawa play Akagi and Washizu respectively, while its theme song, "Don't Be Afraid," is performed by Shōnan no Kaze.

"Akagi: Washizu Mahjong Concluding Chapter") was directed by Kubota, produced by Nagauchi and Itō, and written by Tanabe.

David Cabrera of Otaku USA called Akagi a "nihilistic badass," highlighting how he can "psychologically dismantle a man.

[3][5] Oppliger, however, stated that Kaiji relies on deus ex machina events but Akagi is based on "skilled gamesmanship.

This anime is a dark tale about characters who gamble for very high stakes illegally in smoke filled rooms guarded by bulky men in sunglasses.

Page praised the uncommon animation style that, "while not amazing by any metric, are tuned to be highly expressive, dragging you into the action and the intensity of the moment".