Akagi
One of the most legendary anime on /a/. Best known for being incredibly hardcore and extremely difficult to understand, it is critically acclaimed by Anonymous and rarely attracts trolls. The series focuses around the youth of Akagi Shigeru, a mahjong genius and social outcast who uses his almost supernatural skill at gambling to traumatize his opponents. When first discovered, the odd combination of "mahjong", which was often brushed off as an old Asian woman's game, and "badass" reeled in a lot of attention. During the peak of interest (March 2007) a troupe of Anonymous learned the game's Japanese rules and had daily sessions against one another on a number of gambling websites. Although talk of Akagi has dwindled since then, it remains a common recommendation for Anonymous looking for a "psychological thriller". Single-handedly created the idea of a "cold-blooded" character type, in contrast to the /m/ meme hot-blood.
Jokes often regard the virtual non-existence of women in the anime and manga, as well as the distinctive art style. Mahjong moves like "PON, "TENPAI", and "RON, " became popular minor memes, as did metaphors for describing game phenomenon or mindsets like "A blade from another dimension", "The sands of hell are magic sands", "A high wave that comes once every hundred years" and "Beyond his eyes lie endless darkness".
Quotes highlighting Akagi's philosophy on life and gambling were also widely used, like "A meaningless death is the essence of a gamble", "You can only win if you die", "You're a retard, Yagi-san", "Are you deaf, Washizu Iwao?" and, most famously, "RON RON RON RON RON RON ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!".
