Liar Game (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. It was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from February 2005 to January 2015. It was adapted into a Japanese television series in 2007, which was followed by a second season aired from 2009 to 2010. It was also adapted into two live action films: Liar Game: The Final Stage in 2010 and Liar Game: Reborn in 2012. A South Korean television series adaptation aired in 2014. An anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse, premiered in April 2026.
Contents
Plot
An uncommonly naive college student named Nao Kanzaki receives a package containing 100 million yen (about US$1 million) and a note that she is now a contestant in the Liar Game Tournament. In this fictional tournament, contestants are encouraged to cheat and lie to obtain other contestants' money, with the losers forced to bear a debt proportional to their losses. When Nao's first opponent, a trusted former teacher, steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shinichi Akiyama. Though they manage to defeat him, Nao and Akiyama decide to buy out his debt and advance through different rounds of the Liar Game Tournament against merciless contestants, while at the same time attempting to free their opponents from debt and defeat the Liar Game organization from within.
Characters
Protagonists
Nao Kanzaki (神崎 直, Kanzaki Nao)
Voiced by: Saya Hitomi (Japanese); Reshel Mae (English)
An exceptionally honest and initially naive college student who becomes an unwilling participant in the Liar Game. Her unwavering integrity and emotional perceptiveness, though initially perceived as weaknesses, enable her to earn contestants' trust while developing critical judgment. Despite opportunities to withdraw, she persists in the competition to rescue indebted participants. Her sole family connection is her terminally ill father, leaving her socially isolated until forming a profound bond with fellow player Akiyama, who alleviates her loneliness. Her moral conviction that all individuals possess inherent value shapes her gameplay strategy and interpersonal dynamics.
Shinichi Akiyama (秋山 深一, Akiyama Shin'ichi)
Voiced by: Takeo Ōtsuka (Japanese); Nick Huber (English)
A Teito University graduate in criminal psychology who turns to con artistry to dismantle the multi-level marketing scheme that drove his mother to suicide. After prison, he reluctantly assists Nao in the Liar Game, possibly recognizing parallels between her plight and his mother's. Entering in Round 2 as a substitute player, Akiyama emerges as an unofficial leader by Round 3. He strategically leverages Nao's genuine emotional appeals to influence other contestants while persistently attempting to settle her debt and remove her from danger. Akiyama's ultimate objective remains exposing and destroying the Liar Game organization itself.
Antagonists
Kazuo Fujisawa (藤沢 和雄, Fujisawa Kazuo)
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese); Paul T. Taylor (English)
Nao's former teacher and first opponent in the Liar Game. He undergoes a significant transformation from a caring educator to a bitter, distrustful individual following personal hardships including divorce. His callous indifference to Nao's potential financial ruin shocks her but reinforces Akiyama's resolve to assist her. After losing to Akiyama's strategy in the first round, Fujisawa receives Nao's winnings to settle his debt, culminating in a grateful bow that contrasts sharply with his earlier hostility.
Yuji Fukunaga (福永 ユウジ, Fukunaga Yuuji)
Voiced by: Yō Taichi
A trans woman introduced in Round 2 as "Hitomi". She is a skilled manipulator and 5th-degree black belt whose motivations alternate between financial gain and personal vengeance. Presenting various gender expressions—from femme fatale to masculine drag—she demonstrates remarkable adaptability in both gameplay and social manipulation. During Round 3, she forms an alliance with Nao and Akiyama, continuing voluntarily despite clearing her debt. Forced to face Yokoya alone in the revival round, she accumulates over one billion yen in debt and is eliminated. Though initially dismissive of Nao's abilities, Fukunaga gradually develops respect for her while maintaining ambiguous feelings toward Akiyama.
Norihiko Yokoya (横谷 憲彦, Yokoya Norihiko)
Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae
A dominant and calculating participant introduced in Round 3, who emerges as Akiyama's primary rival. A wealthy, eerily composed young man often seen carrying white mice and dressed in militaristic attire, he admires historical dictators like Adolf Hitler. His strategy revolves around bribing other contestants to create an absolute dictatorship within his team, contrasting sharply with Nao's cooperative approach. Though initially planning to withdraw after Round 3, Nao provokes him into continuing, fueling his vengeful determination to defeat her and Akiyama. After losing Round 4, Yokoya persists, aiming for ultimate victory. His ability to predict the Third Revival Round's game stems from prior knowledge of the Liar Game's literary inspiration, not deduction as he claims. Ultimately defeated by Akiyama in the finals, Yokoya concedes, acknowledging the need to retreat. His father, revealed as a Liar Game host, had trained him in manipulation to groom him as a successor.
Liar Game Tournament Office
The LGT Office operates as the clandestine organization behind the Liar Game Tournament, structured to experimentally recreate scenarios from a suppressed radical political text. Its membership comprises two specialized roles: masked "handlers" who directly manage contestants and distribute game information, and observing "hosts" who supervise tournament rounds. The organization represents a second attempt at this social experiment, following an aborted initial trial. Several key members' identities eventually become known to participants through the tournament's progression.
Mitsuo Tanimura (谷村 光男, Tanimura Mitsuo)
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakaya (Japanese); Randy Pearlman (English)
He first appears as a legal consultant whom Nao contacts about the Liar Game. Unbeknownst to her, he secretly works for the tournament organization, preventing participants from seeking outside help. As Nao's assigned Liar Game representative, Tanimura suggests employing a scam artist to win—a tactic that ultimately draws Akiyama into the competition. Unlike other tournament staff, Tanimura operates without concealing his identity.
Leronira (レロニラ, Reronira)
Voiced by: Yōji Ueda
One of the Liar Game's masked hosts, distinguished by his ornate facial covering and formal attire. While he admires Akiyama and Fukunaga's intellectual prowess, he expresses particular fascination with Nao's unconventional participation. Demonstrating superior analytical skills among the hosts, he correctly anticipates Nao's transformative impact on the game's dynamics. His deep understanding of Akiyama's thought processes hints at his prior experience as a participant in the original Liar Game. Ultimately revealed as Okabe, Akiyama's former psychology professor, Leronira's true identity connects the tournament's present and past iterations.
Nearco (ネアルコ, Nearuko)
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
A Liar Game co-host, distinguished by his mustachioed mask. Introduced in Round 3, he demonstrates analytical prowess while maintaining particular admiration for Yokoya, whom he considers formidable. His skepticism toward Leronira's faith in Nao's abilities contrasts with his otherwise perceptive nature, though his intellect falls short of Leronira and Rabelais' standards.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani, Liar Game was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from February 17, 2005, to January 22, 2015. Shueisha collected its chapters in nineteen tankōbon volumes, released from September 16, 2005, to April 17, 2015.
A short story, titled Liar Game: Roots of A, was published as the title piece of a Shinobu Kaitani's anthology on July 18, 2008. A short-term series, titled Liar Game: The Last Game, was serialized in Shueisha's Grand Jump Mucha from February 25 to July 22, 2026. Its chapters will be compiled into a single tankōbon volume, published as the 20th volume of Liar Game on October 19, 2026.
Live-action
Liar Game was adapted into a Japanese television series: Liar Game, a 2007 series broadcast on Fuji Television, followed in 2009 by a second season. In 2010, the full-length film Liar Game: The Final Stage was released as a continuation to the television series. A sequel, entitled Liar Game: Reborn, was released in 2012.
A 2014 Korean drama adaptation, also titled Liar Game, aired on cable channel tvN.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced during Remow's panel at Anime NYC 2025, on August 22, 2025. It is produced by Madhouse and directed by Asami Kawano, with Yuzo Sato serving as chief director, Tatsuhiko Urahata writing and supervising scripts, Kei Tsuchiya designing the characters, and Yugo Kanno composing the music. The series premiered on April 7, 2026, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates, as well as other networks, and will run for two consecutive cours. The first opening theme song is "Bubble" (あぶく), performed by Yorushika, while the first ending theme song is "Asahi" (朝日), performed by Lucky Kilimanjaro. The second opening theme song is "All In", performed by Kroi, while the second ending theme song is "Tarinai" (たりない; lit. 'Not enough'), performed by Muque.
Remow licensed the series for streaming on Crunchyroll (excluding Japan and China).