Kakegurui Twin Manga Reading Order — The Quick-Start Guide
Here’s the short version before we get into the details:
Kakegurui Twin is a completed 15-volume prequel to the main Kakegurui manga. “Prequel” means it tells a story set one year before the events of the main series, featuring the same school — Hyakkaou Private Academy — and some of the same characters. Different lead character, same ruthless gambling world.
There are two main ways to approach the reading order:
| Approach | What You Read First | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological (Twin First) | All 15 volumes of Kakegurui Twin → then the main Kakegurui series | Readers who haven’t started either series yet and want the full timeline experience |
| Publication Order (Main First) | The main Kakegurui series → then Kakegurui Twin | Readers who already started or finished the main series and want Mary’s backstory |
Our recommendation for total newcomers: Start with the main Kakegurui series. It’s the central title in the franchise, and it sets up the world, the rules, and the stakes in a way that makes Twin’s story hit much harder when you get to it. Twin was written as a companion work — a related story designed to add depth to the main series — and many of its best moments land because you already know where Mary ends up.
That said, if you’re here because of the Twin anime on Netflix, starting with Twin is completely valid. The story stands on its own, and plenty of readers begin here. You won’t be confused — you’ll just experience the timeline in a different order, and you can always pick up the main series afterward.
What Is Kakegurui Twin About?
Kakegurui Twin follows Mary Saotome during her first year at Hyakkaou Private Academy, the elite school where students are ranked entirely by their gambling ability. If you know the main series, you know Mary as the sharp, prideful girl who starts as a villain-like opposing character before becoming one of the most compelling figures in the story. Twin is her origin.
The series is written by Homura Kawamoto (河本ほむら), the same writer behind the main Kakegurui, with art by Kei Saiki (斎木桂). Chapters were published one at a time in the magazine Monthly Gangan JOKER (a Square Enix publication in Japan) from September 2015 through May 2023, then collected into book form, with the final volume published in July 2024. The complete run spans 86 chapters across 15 volumes — each volume being a physical or digital book that collects several chapters together.
Where the main Kakegurui is built around Yumeko Jabami — a gambling genius who thrives on risk for its own sake — Twin gives you a lead character who gambles to survive. Mary arrives at Hyakkaou without connections or wealth. She’s smart and she’s fierce, but she’s navigating a system designed to crush people like her.
This is what makes Twin so valuable even if you’ve already read the main series. It shows you the dark, predatory gambling hierarchy from the perspective of someone fighting their way up from the bottom, not someone who walks in and dominates from day one. You see how the school’s ranking system works — including the so-called “pet system,” where students who fall into gambling debt are stripped of their status and treated as servants by other students. You see how alliances form and break, and how the student council — the small group of top-ranked students who effectively run the school and control the gambling matches — maintains its grip on power. All of this unfolds through the eyes of a character who has everything to lose.
By the time you finish Twin and see Mary appear in the main series, her motivations and her attitude make so much more sense.
Step-by-Step — Where Each Part of Kakegurui Twin Fits in the Timeline
Let’s break down the three reading approaches in more detail so you can pick the one that fits your situation.
Option A — Chronological Order (Twin First)
Read all 15 volumes of Kakegurui Twin, then move on to the main Kakegurui series. This gives you the events in the order they happen within the story’s fictional world. You’ll meet Mary first, watch her fight through her first year, and then experience the main series knowing exactly what she’s been through. The payoff comes when you reach the main series and recognize characters, locations, and power dynamics that Twin established.
This approach works well if you’re the kind of reader who likes experiencing a story’s timeline in order and doesn’t mind that certain dramatic reveals in Twin were designed with the assumption you already know the main series. It’s also a natural fit if you watched the Twin anime and want to continue Mary’s story right away.
Option B — Publication Order (Main Series First)
Read the main Kakegurui series first, then come back to Twin. This is the order these stories were released, and it’s the way the authors intended most readers to encounter them. The main series introduces the world and gets you invested in the characters, and Twin then adds layers of depth to what you’ve already read — especially everything involving Mary.
This is the approach we’d suggest for most new readers who don’t have a strong preference. The main Kakegurui has a faster, more intense opening that hooks you into the world quickly, and Twin rewards you for already understanding how Hyakkaou works.
Option C — Alternating Between the Two
Start with the first few volumes of the main Kakegurui to get a feel for the setting, characters, and gambling structure. Then switch to Twin for Mary’s backstory. Then continue the main series. This is a middle-ground approach that gives you context from both directions, though it does require juggling two series at once.
This works best if you’re re-reading or someone who doesn’t mind a more fragmented reading experience in exchange for maximum context at every point.
The bottom line: If you haven’t started either series, go with Option B (main series first). If you specifically want Mary’s story — especially if the Twin anime brought you here — Option A works great. Twin is a complete, satisfying story on its own.
Key Volumes That Connect to the Main Series
A few volumes of Twin are especially worth paying attention to if you’re reading both series:
- Volume 1 is where everything begins. Mary arrives at Hyakkaou and faces her first gambles. Her personality — the pride, the quick thinking, the refusal to back down — is established right away. If you’ve seen this character in the main series, watching her origin unfold is genuinely great.
- The early volumes lay the groundwork for Mary’s gambling style and her understanding of how the school’s hierarchy operates. You see her develop the instincts and the ruthlessness that define her later.
- Later volumes introduce characters and political dynamics within Hyakkaou that directly set the stage for the power structure that exists when the main series begins. The student council machinations and shifting alliances in Twin’s second half connect to events Yumeko Jabami — the main series lead — encounters when she arrives at the school.
The connections between the two series are woven throughout all 15 volumes rather than concentrated in a few key moments, so there’s no shortcut where you can skip a chunk of volumes. The whole run matters.
What You Can Safely Skip
Within Kakegurui Twin itself: nothing. All 15 volumes form one continuous story. There’s no filler stretch or side-story volume you can drop without losing something. The series builds Mary’s journey from start to finish, and each volume advances either the plot, the character relationships, or both.
Other Kakegurui side-stories do exist beyond Twin. The franchise has produced several manga set in the same universe with different focal characters — titles like Kakegurui Midari and Kakegurui (Kakkokari), among others. These are fun for fans who want more of the world, but none of them are required reading to understand either Twin or the main series. A “side-story” or “spin-off” is a separate series set in the same world that branches off from the main property. If you’ve read the two core titles — Kakegurui and Kakegurui Twin — you have the complete picture.
The Netflix anime adaptation of Kakegurui Twin covers roughly the first five volumes of the manga’s story. If you watched the anime and felt like the story ended abruptly or left threads hanging, that’s because there are ten more volumes of material. If you want to pick up where the anime left off, you can start around Volume 6, though we’d recommend reading from Volume 1 since the manga includes details the anime condensed or omitted. Reading the full 15 volumes gives you the complete narrative that the anime only partially adapted.
Where to Buy Kakegurui Twin in English
All 15 volumes of Kakegurui Twin are published in English by Yen Press. The series is available in both physical and digital formats, so you can pick whichever you prefer.
For a completed series like this, you have the luxury of reading at your own pace without waiting for new releases. All 15 volumes are out and available through major retailers. Each volume typically carries a list price in the range of roughly $13–$15, so collecting the full set is a manageable investment compared to longer-running manga that stretch to 30 or 40 volumes.
If you’re looking to pick up the series, start with Volume 1 at your preferred retailer and see if the tone and Mary’s character hook you. Once you’re in, you can read straight through to the finale — Vol. 15, which wraps up Mary’s story and is available now.
Kakegurui Twin, Vol. 15 (final volume)
The main Kakegurui series is also published in English (by Yen Press as well), so if you decide to read both — which we’d recommend — finding them shouldn’t be a problem. Both series are widely available at the same retailers.
Physical vs. Digital: Physical volumes are great for collecting and rereading. Digital is convenient if you want instant access and don’t have shelf space. Both give you the same complete story.
Common Mistakes New Readers Make with Kakegurui Twin
Watching only the anime and thinking you’ve got the full story. The Kakegurui Twin anime adapts roughly the first five volumes of the manga. There’s a lot of story — including major character development and plot resolution — that only exists in the manga’s 15 volumes. If you enjoyed the anime, the manga has much more waiting for you.
Mixing up Kakegurui Twin with the main Kakegurui series. They share a setting (Hyakkaou Private Academy), a writer (Homura Kawamoto), and a franchise name, but they’re different series with different lead characters and different timelines. Twin stars Mary Saotome and takes place one year earlier. The main series stars Yumeko Jabami. Make sure you’re picking up the right one when you start buying — check the cover and title carefully.
Jumping into side-stories before reading either core series. The Kakegurui franchise has multiple manga beyond the two main ones, and it can be tempting to grab whatever looks interesting. But Twin and the main series are the foundation. Read those first, then branch out if you want more.
Never circling back to Twin after the main series. A lot of readers finish the main Kakegurui and never pick up Twin, assuming it’s optional. It’s a full 15-volume series that transforms how you understand Mary Saotome — one of the main series’ most important characters. Her choices, her alliances, her attitude toward the student council — all of it gains new dimension when you know her backstory. Twin is well worth your time.
FAQ
Do I need to read the main Kakegurui before Kakegurui Twin?
No, you don’t need to. Twin works as a standalone story. But reading the main series first (or at least the first few volumes) gives you context that makes Twin’s story richer. Both reading orders are valid — it depends on whether you want to experience the timeline chronologically or in the order the stories were published.
How many volumes of Kakegurui Twin are there?
There are 15 volumes total, collecting all 86 chapters of the series. All 15 are available in English from Yen Press.
Is Kakegurui Twin finished?
Yes. The series is completed. It ran from September 2015 to May 2023 in Monthly Gangan JOKER, with the final collected volume published in July 2024. You can read the entire story from beginning to end without waiting for future releases.
Is there an anime adaptation of Kakegurui Twin?
Yes, there is a Kakegurui Twin anime on Netflix. However, it only adapts roughly the first five volumes of the manga’s story. If you want the full narrative — including the complete resolution of Mary’s story — you’ll want to read the manga. The anime is a fine introduction, but the 15-volume manga is where the complete story lives. If you’ve already watched the anime, you can start reading from around Volume 6, though starting from Volume 1 is recommended for the details the anime trimmed.
What does “manga reading order” mean?
A manga reading order is simply the recommended sequence for reading a set of related manga series. Since the Kakegurui franchise includes a main series, Kakegurui Twin, and several side-stories, a reading order helps you figure out which to read first so the stories make the most sense.