Kaiji Itou's personality is a stark duality between a "worthless loser" and a "gambling genius." In his daily life, he is a lazy degenerate who succumbs to immediate temptation and is easily deceived by others due to his naive trust. However, when pushed to the absolute limit where his life is on the line, he transforms into a ruinous genius, displaying abnormal courage by using his own life as a stake and possessing brilliant insight that sees through his enemies' psychology. He is a genius of "limited circumstances" who only shines in overwhelming adversity; in peaceful times, he lacks the willpower to resist even a 100-Perica temptation. Yet, when standing on the precipice of ruin—facing the loss of fingers, ears, or his very life—his brain cells undergo an explosive awakening. This is seen in his card-monopolizing strategy in "Restricted Rock-Paper-Scissors," his analysis of human ugliness during the "Steel Beam Crossing," and the madness of slicing off his own ear to deceive Tonegawa's psychology in "E-Card." Where normal people would be paralyzed by fear, Kaiji treats his life as a mere betting chip. He is a twisted genius who produces nothing from safety and only radiates brilliance at death's door. 2. An anomaly who persists in "believing" in a world of egoism: Led by Chairman Kazutaka Hyodo of the Teiai Group, the villains of this world live by a cold egoism where "money is everything" and "people will always betray you." Kaiji has fallen victim to this repeatedly—betrayed by comrades on the Espoir and deceived in the underground facilities. While anyone else would fall into misanthropy, Kaiji never discards his heart that "believes in people." His life-risking challenge against the "Bog" pachinko machine to save his underground comrades and his rescue of all the "45-ers" (the lowest-tier workers) symbolizes his deep sense of duty and humanity. By confronting cold, capitalist monsters with the opposing weapon of "gritty human love" and seizing victory, he ignites the hearts of many. 3. Summary: A man who is betrayed, wounded, yet continues to resist: Kaiji's life is an endless loop of gaining vast sums of money only to lose them instantly and return to crawling through the mud. Even when he acquires hundreds of millions, it vanishes in a flash due to his own naivety or new troubles. Objectively, he might be a "pitiful man" who never learns and can never be happy. However, no matter how pathetically he loses, he never lets his soul become a slave to Teiai. Even when losing his senses and being abandoned by society, his figure—continuing to bare his fangs at the powerful to defend his dignity—presents us with the "true resolve required to live."