I say that because every character in this show is absolutely crazy. In fact, some of them are even acknowledged as being clinically insane (so it’s not just me being mean). So let’s take a dive into this rabbit hole and see which waifu we find at the end.
10. Rumia Uru
Even though this character barely had any screen time – I instantly fell in love with her. She’s definitely one of the more sane characters in the show and that alone made her stand out. She was always rather relaxed and never went into that phase of pure ecstasy the show was known for. And the voice actress just nailed it. Even though the other characters call her way of speaking “annoying”, I found it to be extremely relaxing. Like seriously – I’d 100% subscribe to her ASMR channel. All of this coupled with a design that just looks like a gender-bender Eraser Head, makes for quite the waifu. But with only one real episode under her belt – I can’t really put her any higher.
9. Ririka Momobami
Full disclosure – if the show gets a third season, Ririka might climb the ladder significantly. However, as it stands, she is too one-dimensional to hold any higher position. She only got some screen time in the second season and even that was rather brief. But considering her relevance to the story, I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets more love in the third season. All of that being said, what we’ve seen so far is pretty adorable. While she has her mask on, she’s quite the menacing presence. But when her face is on display – she’s actually a dandere. If you haven’t watched Kakegurui, you might not understand just how unique a dandere character is. Everyone here is a sociopath, so Ririka immediately seems like the biggest sweetheart ever.
8. Itsuki Sumeragi
Sumeragi kind of has the opposite issue from the last two. She actually got quite a bit of screen time – but she failed to stand out as a true waifu. She initially seemed somewhat bland. She was just some rich chick that made up for her lack of skill with tons of money. However, she did get a bit more interesting after her fight with Kaede. Here we saw more of her caring side. Plus, making a side bet and controlling the game made her out to be a lot more competent. But this was her only time in the spotlight. All her other scenes just have her as a background character. So even though I do like her design, she’ll have to stay in the number eight spot.
7. Yumemi Yumemite
To be honest, Yumemi came off as way more human than I would’ve originally guessed. Being that she’s an idol – her putting on an act wasn’t really a surprise. However, her fans sticking by her side was somewhat of a surprise. And her actually acknowledging her faults was even more shocking. It’s almost like she’s an actual person or something! Plus, she was among a few characters that had a reasonable goal. I can’t understand gambling for the sake of gambling – but getting that bag and walking the red carpet is way more up my alley. And the star-shaped design for her eyes (although not that original) made her look quite charming. Overall, one of the more human characters in the show and definitely a solid waifu choice. That being said, you come to Kakegurui for the crazies, so she falls a bit short in that regard.
6. Midari Ikishima
Speaking of crazy – we have Midari. Considering that even the main cast thinks of her as a lunatic – you know that she’s really out there in terms of personality. And seeing how she gouged out her own eye and attempted to shoot herself multiple times – It’s pretty safe to say that she might not have all of her ducks in a (death) row. So, people generally either love or hate her. If you really want the craziest character of all time – she’s probably your waifu. But if you want any semblance of rationale – she’s your least favorite by far. Personally, she’s somewhat mid for me. Although the second season does make her out to be quite funny (with her trying to make up with Yumeko), her first appearance creeped me out too much.
5. Rei Batsubami
Rei is also a bit controversial. If I had to guess – it’s because people weren’t initially sure whether they were even a girl. But in my eyes, she was waifu material right away. First off, short hair is my kryptonite. So Rei already had me in her clutches before even doing anything. Secondly, she has the most alpha energy of anyone in the show. It’s not every day that you see a character protect a girl from bullies and have both the victim and the aggressors fall in love with them. That’s just next level. And the way she basically plaid the entire rest of the cast for a solid ten minutes straight only furthered my love for her intelligence. The fact that her design (especially post name reveal) is also top-tier is just icing on the cake. Overall, Rei was only held back by the fact that she had limited time to shine. But if she returns in season three, I’m sure she’d climb my personal ranking.
4. Kirari Momobami
Sure – it would’ve been easy to just put Kirari at number one and get this over with. However, she’s just slightly overhyped if you ask me. She never really faces any adversity so each one of her scenes is just her flexing on the other characters. And while both her design and character are quite intriguing – she didn’t seem as fleshed out as the top three characters. But that doesn’t mean that she isn’t waifu material though. She still has that smirk that can destroy kingdoms and eyes more detailed than the entire last season of Seven Deadly Sins. She’s still the ultimate baddie in the show. And I have to show her some respect for that. But she isn’t top three material for me. At least not yet.
3. Runa Yomozuki
Runa was honestly one of the most interesting characters in the show for me. Her position as a neutral party already made her stand out – but also being a manipulator only furthered my interest. It started off with her giving people sly remarks and then went on to orchestrating entire events for her amusement. There’s no doubt that Runa is among the smartest characters in this way – as people don’t seem to have caught on yet. And I always love a good puppet master character! The fact that she’s also quite adorable and unassuming definitely helps as well. Whenever she was on-screen, I knew something good was about to happen. And when she subtly threatened other characters – I was definitely terrified. She has the best of both words – intimidation and cuteness.
2. Mary Saotome
Mary just feels like the main character in this show. She definitely has the most character progression throughout the series and her personality levels out quite a bit. She was the first “fall from grace” character in the show, and I thought she’d just be a throw-away at that. But she actually grew more humble, wise, and lovable with each passing episode. She approached each situation rationally, being able to compete with Yumeko while still holding on to some of her sanity. And her B plot of running for president kept me at the edge of my seat. Seriously, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that she’s the intended main character. Within an episode, she was the underdog and now she’s one of the main players in the school. Plus she occasionally blushes, and no anime fan can ever resist the power of a waifu blush.
1. Yumeko Jabami
If you don’t think Yumeko is number one – you’re probably one of those hippies that just like to go against the grain for the sake of it. Because no other character was given as much screen time and love as Yumeko! In terms of intelligence – she’s one of the smartest around. In terms of being crazy – she scares the hell out of me whenever she gets serious. And in terms of cuteness – she’s uncontested. We’ve already seen her as a catgirl and that wasn’t even her full power. Her non-gambling demeanor is extremely adorable and naturally attracts the rest of the cast. She’s so soft-spoken and cuddly that I want to die! No matter how you slice it – she excels at every field that makes a Kakegurui waifu powerful.
