In turn, she develops an exceptionally strong attachment to Akiyama. She has no close friends other than Akiyama, who saves her from her self-described lonely life. Nao's only known family member is her father, who is hospitalized with terminal cancer.

Although Nao has had several opportunities to leave the Liar Game, she continues to play, wishing to save the other players who have fallen into debt. She gradually learns to question others while maintaining the ability to trust her allies. Nao firmly believes that all people have value and, though not very bright, makes unique observations due to her naïvety and emotional sensitivity, which the others in the game notably lack, for better or for worse.

She is extremely honest and initially naïve, but these attributes allow her to win the trust of fellow contestants in the Liar Game. 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.Ĭharacters Protagonists Nao Kanzaki ( 神崎直, Kanzaki Nao) Nao Kanzaki is a 'foolishly honest' college student who is coerced into playing the Liar Game. When Nao's first opponent, a trusted former teacher, steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shinichi Akiyama. 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. A South Korean television series adaptation aired in 2014.Īn 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. It was also adapted into two live action films Liar Game: The Final Stage in 2010 and Liar Game: Reborn in 2012. It was adapted into a Japanese television series in 2007, with a second season which ran from 2009 to 2010. It was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from February 2005 to January 2015. Liar Game (stylized as LIAR GAME) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani.

Liar Game, Volume 1 by Shinobu Kaitani