Kakegurui: Psychological Analysis of Yumeko Jabami (Anime)
This is a description of the ENTP personality type:
https://www.16personalities.com/entp-personality
Pathological gambling presents itself in ways akin to Yumeko's derangement:
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/a-study-on-pathological-gambling-as-an-addiction-psychology-essay.php
(Note the latter source is theoretical. It is possible psychosexual and nurture-related factors contribute to gambling addiction.)
The neuroscience behind pathological gambling directly aligns with Yumeko's mindsets and functions:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3858640/
https://bloodorangesangria.tumblr.com/post/162532139590/kakegurui-color-theory-yumeko-jabamired
Yumeko is Kakegurui in the form of a character. The series itself is tailored specifically towards her. She is the essence of gambling, addiction, and the combination of both. She symbolizes a myriad of different concepts such as capitalism and Christianity. While Kirari embodies God, she represents Satan. This is implicated in the first opening theme, which is fittingly titled "Deal With the Devil"; this "deal" is the agreement to gamble with Yumeko. She and Kirari appear in the track encompassed by fruit and fish. The former alludes to the serpent's enticements in the Adam and Eve anecdote while the latter refers to Ichthys, a fish-shaped acrostic deemed sacred by the early Church. Because Kirari often compares the order she has established to an aquarium, let us assume the fish is her insignia. The fish may also insinuate the duo are manifestations of Yin and Yang, which is reasonable considering their black and white designs, but this is less likely. In addition, a shot where Midari shoots a girl whose head is a strawberry is featured --- after shooting, a banner stating "Heaven or Hell" appears. In terms of roles and actions in the series, Yumeko carries the debts of others, disrupting the system, and Kirari maintains the debt system itself. This symbolism also exposes some undertones of Christianity, as Yumeko and Kirari are not the polar opposites people perceive God and Satan to be. The color schemes of their designs differ entirely. Black is a prominent color in Yumeko's design, signifying darkness, and Kirari's design is primarily white, representing light. However, these can also represent other notions. Black is associated with mystery, rebellion, sophistication, elegance, formality, aggression, evil, power, strength, seriousness, and authority. Kirari is the authority of the school despite this representation, but Yumeko is gradually climbing up the hierarchical ladder, nevertheless. Given Yumeko's well-kempt, 'yamato nadeshiko' appearance and courteous dialogue, the messages of formality, elegance, and sophistication are valid. However, this design is also reminiscent of many symbols in Japanese horror such as Tomie, Enma, and Sadako. It implies she is a mixture of both and further reinforces her duality. Her breaching of Kirari's system is rebellious, and her largely unenumerated background is mysterious. Regardless of these alignments, darkness suits her as well. Elementally speaking, red and black are respectively affiliated with fire and water, further reinforcing the notion Yumeko has duality. Meanwhile, Kirari's white color is incredibly contradictory, but this is not an analysis of her, so I shall not digress. I will probably analyze her in the future.
Regarding capitalism, the gambling den which serves as the setting of Kakegurui and each of its ties comprise a purely capitalist society. Money is the key to both power and caliber. Yumeko passively defies the system, which exemplifies her alignment: Chaotic Neutral. Kirari and her accomplices such as Runa, Sayaka, Midari, and Yuriko are the government; they perpetuate the class system. The -bami clan has politics of its own and can torture and rampage as much as it wishes due to the money and authority it possesses. Yumeko is a member of this clan but seems to be quite disinterested in its affairs. Many of her relatives are or were dedicated gamblers, so it seems to have become second nature to her. For example, her older sister lost her sanity after risking everything in a clan conflict, resulting in hospitalization. Yumeko's parents died of allegedly unknown causes, insinuating their demises were concealed by the clan and involved them.
When asked by Mary if she was familiar with any of the -bami students, she hesitated and then answered dismissively, which was clearly fabricated. She seems not at all bothered by this baggage, meaning she either suffers from self-induced denial or genuinely does not care. Rei, who had a pleasant relationship with Yumeko's sister before her hospitalization, took her apathy personally, inquiring about whether she felt any guilt towards those she has obliterated via gambling. Yumeko's response was the epitome of addiction: she claimed to feel guilt for not feeling guilt. When Rei unintentionally walked into Yumeko's sister's hospital room while Yumeko was visiting, she saw little sympathy in her eyes. She adds the following inquiry: "Do you know what it feels like too? When a person sinks into despair?" The manner in which she phrased this refers to both her sister and herself. Given Yumeko's circumstances, she most likely "sank into despair" and coped through gambling. However, referring back to "feeling guilt for not feeling guilt", this guilt could have consumed her. The powerful possibility exists she and her sister were in similar situations, but it could also be quite the opposite, resulting in disconnection and therefore apathy. This apathy may be innate as well.
This leads to the core of my theory. Yumeko was born into a gambling family and conditioned into valuing it. She was likely born detached from others and genetically more susceptible to addiction due to the family's customs, but her current state was probably ignited by conditioning as well. The Jabami family was a lower-tier party in the -bami clan, and the capitalist theme of Kakegurui comes into play here, as they possibly gambled for a higher position in the clan --- or simply for the thrill like Yumeko. It would also be psychologically plausible for Yumeko to have experienced trauma due to the clan's harsh and violent ways. Torture was commonplace in several branches of said clan, and Yumeko may have witnessed some of it due to the loss of her family or the natural process of living in this environment. Being poisoned in Season 2 did not seem to affect her greatly; she may be emotionally numb to these acts due to past experiences, or she could have merely been born this manner. She never reacted to Rei's enrollment in the academy either, meaning she was either apathetic or unsurprised. Her relationship with Rei before the events of the story is unknown but most probably meager and distant, founded solely on external observations such as those acquired during the two's mutual visit to the hospital or the auction gamble towards the end of Season 2. The girl has a photographic memory and excellent analysis skills but nonetheless resorts to hunches to shake gambles up; were these characteristics attained over time because of her experienced past in gambling, were they present at birth, or are both the case? Notice my repetitive usage of the terms "either" and "or"; much of this is hypothetical. It is ultimately an enigma whether nature or nurture was the dominant factor contributing to her instability, but both seem to have played a role. Some people are born like Yumeko, others obtain her identity over time, and some are the result of a mixture. Another aspect of her identity implying sheltering and isolation is her lack of familiarity with basic popular culture, but anhedonia and hedonism may have lead to a general absence of interest in the most simplistic of hobbies, which is similar to Midari's situation and another reason the latter empathizes with her.
Yumeko is aware of her gambling addiction, and she is obviously correct, but has she been formally diagnosed? She may have been evaluated when her sister was hospitalized to ensure she would not meet an identical fate; this is not evident, however. It was practically a given for her to be a gambling addict due to her lineage. When push comes to shove, nobody will risk anything they cannot afford to sacrifice. Yumeko has absolutely nothing worth living for and resorts to gambling because it is the final shred of her identity remaining despite her loss. Since it is her lifeline, she assigns different purposes and emotions to it such as lust. Nothing else will satisfy her, so she must force this fetish on herself. Many other members of her clan deal with the same issue because of filial traditions. Gambling preserves and defines her being rather than the loved ones she does not have, so she never quits. She associates the thrills of gambling with those of intercourse to cope with a lack of affection, which is additionally a habit of Midari's and the main reason Midari resonates with her. Despite her fixation on gambling and disregard for those she harms, she does not gamble for the purpose of hurting others, and she seems to possess a morsel of kindness. She wishes for everyone to experience the same thrill she does but cannot comprehend the fact they lack her passions and mindsets. She is also shown to have some level of integrity, as she never cheats and seldom bluffs. This enhances the experience of the game to her, but it may also be a sign of "guilt for not feeling guilt". In Yumeko's unfinished game with Midari during Season 1, she plainly stated she is incapable of feeling fear. Is this natural for her, was it acquired through intense suffering, or are both the case? I honestly believe Yumeko gambles partially due to her "guilt for not feeling guilt". She wishes for someone to strip her of everything she has as punishment for her apathy or any past errors she committed in regards to her late and incapacitated relatives. While she claims she cannot feel fear, one reason other than addiction which motivates her to try whilst gambling is fear of being defeated and having to face herself. She lacks the courage to accept it on her own. Paradoxically, she is utilizing her addiction to scold her for her addiction, and she is risking what she does not need because there is nothing else to sacrifice. She has lost everything.
Why does Yumeko abhor Midari? Their desires are very similar, but Yumeko prefers an intellectual challenge rather than a game of chance. I hypothesize Yumeko relates to Midari in a way which causes insecurities and "guilt for not feeling guilt". Essentially, Midari hits too close to home and is a more impulsive, minimalistic, dramatic, blunt version of her minus the clan controversies.
This character is the subject of the show and is considered a foil; instead of independently developing, she contrasts with others like Yumemi and Sayaka to facilitate their development . . . thus far. This is one of she and Suzui's only similarities.
On multiple occasions, Yumeko is compared to a Joker. As aforementioned, Yumeko has duality, and Jokers are very versatile in a deck of cards depending on the game one employs them for. In Wicca, the Joker is represented by the number zero, a character which includes the meanings of all or nothing, stoicism and comedy, wisdom and idiocy, and delight and despair. The message a joker brings is cryptic, disguised, and mysterious. There are typically two in each deck --- dual jokers. Playing cards have been in existence for more than a millennium, but jokers were added fairly later; the system Kirari established thrived for quite some time, but Yumeko appeared and challenged its rules, much like the Joker.
"Yumeko" translates to "dream child"; at first glance, she seems too good to be true as if she came out of a dream, but in truth, she is diabolical and sly as if she came out of a nightmare. Her surname contains several meanings. The translation "heavy drinker" alludes to her addiction. "Snake", "serpent", "bite", "eat", "drink", and "receive a blow" are other potential solutions. The idiom "snake in the grass" applies to Yumeko and may be one reference appended to the translation; she "thirsts" or "hungers" for gambling. In "Deal With the Devil", she is shown removing Suzui's tie with utensils, preparing to "consume" him with her nature. Her eventful and detrimental background may have “taken a blow” to her sanity. Most importantly, "serpent" may relate to the Adam and Eve tale, making the fruit in "Deal With the Devil" a symbol of her. She succumbs to her desires and encourages others to do the same. Kirari, Rei, and many other characters in Kakegurui are also members of the -bami clan, so "bite" is a section of their names' translations as well, but "snake" is not, making this biblical reference uniquely her own whilst "bite" originates from the nature of her clan.
Yumeko's personality type is easily ENTP. Her extension is A, and her alignment is chaotic neutral. Laws matter little to her, but she is not particularly invested in specific platforms either. The woman's insecurities are subtle to the extent of nonexistent, she is very straightforward and simple-minded, she is able to maintain conversations and presence in given situations, and she is largely separated from reality, which is mostly by choice. Her manipulative rhetoric in tense situations would be quite resourceful in a debate, and since ENTPs are frequently referred to as Debaters, this is sensible. Kirari is an ENTJ-A, which further defends my argument about the two being similar despite representing God and Satan. Hence, her acronym stands for “Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Prospecting, Assertive”. The enneagram is highly controversial, so it shall not be applied to Yumeko.
"Insanity is repeating the same action again and again whilst expecting different results." -Unknown
izzy806
ellievsbear
pixelskylines
areudirty
baratheonpilled
dailybridgerton
