Meaning of “Gacha(ガチャ)” and “Oya gacha(親ガチャ)”

“Gacha(ガチャ)” means “lottery in smartphone games.”
And it also means “We don’t know what will come out” or “low probability lottery” or “We can’t choose it (because it depends on luck)” or “lottery to pick something”.
“Oya gacha(親ガチャ)” means “Low probability to pick great parents” or “lottery to pick parents”.

What is the capsule toy?

At first, I have to explain about capsule toy…
Basically, “Gacha(ガチャ)” is an abbreviation for “Gachagacha(ガチャガチャ)” which means capsule toy.

Do you know about capsule toy (vending machine toy)?
This is capsule toy.

“Gachagacha(ガチャガチャ)” is an onomatopoeic word.
when we turn the dial of the vending machine toy, the sound is “Gachagacha(ガチャガチャ)”
Sometimese we call “capsule toy” “Gacha pon(ガチャポン)”.
“Gacha” is an onomatopoeic word, and “Pon(ポン)” is also an onomatopoeic word of “coming out”.

In Japan, there are a lot of capsule toy. I recommend you should play it, when you visit Japan.
It’s cheap, but fun and funny and cute!!

Capsule toy lottery in smartphone games

As you know, in smartphone games, there are lottery chances to pick characters or items or so.
And some smartphone games describe the lottery like “capsule toy machine”.
(I can’t remember which smartphone games start it.)
It must be a perfect metaphor to describe the lottery.
We don’t know which character or items will come out.

But, you know, the probability is really low to pick the character or items you want.
That’s why we connect the meaning “Gacha(ガチャ)” and “low probability lottery”.

These days, most of smartphone games don’t describe their lottery by using “cupsule toy machine image”, but still now, we call “lottery in smartphone games” “Gacha(ガチャ)”.

Example Conversation

A: I can’t afford it… I have to keep paying back my scholarship.
B: Oh, it’s sounds hard… I’m lucky, my parents paid tuition and fees.
A: Your parents are rich… I envy you, you won the “Oya gacha(親ガチャ)”

A: 奨学金の返済で、お金に余裕がない。。。
B: そっか、大変だね。うちは親が全部出してくれたからなぁ。
A: お前の家、金持ちだもんなぁ。親ガチャに成功したやつはいいよなぁ。