Alice in Borderland (Japanese: 今際の国のアリス, Hepburn: Imawa no Kuni no Arisu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haro Aso. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Sunday S from November 2010 to March 2015, and later moved to Weekly Shōnen Sunday, where it ran from April 2015 to March 2016. Its chapters were collected in 18 tankōbon volumes. Alice in Borderland was adapted into a three-episode original video animation (OVA), released from October 2014 to February 2015.
A spin-off series, Alice on Border Road, illustrated by Takayoshi Kuroda, was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X from August 2015 to February 2018, with its chapters collected in eight tankōbon volumes. A sequel, written and illustrated by Aso, Alice in Borderland Retry, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from October 2020 to January 2021, with its chapters collected in two tankōbon volumes.
A live-action television series adaptation, produced by Netflix and directed by Shinsuke Sato, premiered worldwide with an eight-episode first season in December 2020; it was followed by an eight-episode second season in December 2022. A third season premiered in September 2025, and features an original story beyond the manga.
Contents
Plot
Ryohei Arisu is an apathetic young man who finds little meaning in his daily life, spending most of his time with friends Daikichi Karube, a responsible bar owner, and the carefree Chōta Segawa. Their mundane existence is shattered when mysterious fireworks transport them to a deserted, vegetation-choked version of Tokyo called the Borderlands, the land between life and death. There they meet Saori Shibuki, another stranded player who explains the brutal rules of this new world—participants must risk their lives in deadly games based on playing cards. Every player has a visa and the number of the playing card that they complete corresponds to how many days they have left on their visa until they must play the next game. For example, if a player competes a Five of Hearts difficulty game, five days will be added to their visas, meaning they have five more days without having to play another game. Once the five days are up and they haven't completed a game, they will be killed.
Their first game, "Three of Clubs", tests their knowledge under threat of flames bursting from the floor, leaving Chota injured. As they navigate this dangerous new reality, the group faces increasingly perilous games. Arisu and Karube decide to enter another game to try and find a doctor to tend to Chota's injuries. The game, "Five of Spades", has players evade two armed taggers while trying to find a special door. Arisu and Karube barely make it out alive with the help of other players who become more prominent such as Yuzuha Usagi, Morizono Aguni, and Shuntarō Chishiya. In the group's next game, the devastating "Seven of Hearts", Karube, Chota and Shibuki make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure Arisu's survival. Emotionally shattered, Arisu eventually teams up with the resourceful climber Yuzuha Usagi from the game "Five of Spades". Together they seek the Beach, a player stronghold led by the eccentric "Mad Hatter" who believes collecting all game cards will grant freedom.
The Beach's order collapses when it becomes the arena for the "Ten of Hearts" game. Following its completion, the mysterious Game Masters reveal this was only the first stage—now survivors must face even deadlier challenges against the powerful "Face Card" opponents to escape the Borderland. The revelation sets the stage for an even greater struggle for survival.
Characters
Main
Ryohei Arisu (有栖 良平, Arisu Ryōhei) / Alice
Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Jeremy Gee (English)
Portrayed by: Kento Yamazaki
A video-game obsessed third year high school student (24 years old in the Netflix series) who "does not fit in with his family". Due to his addiction to video games, he was shown to be a skilled analyzer, solving puzzles and patterns on the games, and specializes in playing heart games.
Yuzuha Usagi (宇佐木 柚葉, Usagi Yuzuha) / The Rabbit
Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki (Japanese); Olivia Swasey (English)
Portrayed by: Tao Tsuchiya
A mountain climber who was transported into the Borderlands shortly after the death of her father, whom she deeply respected. Usagi teams up with Arisu shortly after the deaths of his friends. Due to her experience in mountain climbing, she specializes in spade games. In the third season of the Netflix adaptation, she and Arisu are married and are expecting their first child together.
The Borderlands
Daikichi Karube (苅部 大吉, Karube Daikichi) / The Walrus
Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese); Joe Daniels (English)
Portrayed by: Keita Machida
In the original manga, Karube is a high school student who owns a bar. The Netflix adaptation reimagines him as a bartender preparing to propose to a coworker, who is secretly involved with his boss. He is a close friend of Arisu and Chōta.
Chōta Segawa (勢川 張太, Segawa Chōta) / The Carpenter
Voiced by: Tsubasa Yonaga (Japanese); Greg Ayres (English)
Portrayed by: Yūki Morinaga
A high schooler (IT technician in the Netflix series) and friend of Arisu and Karube. He is immature and slightly perverted, although he means well and is loyal to his friends. In the Netflix series, he is sensible, highly religious and under pressure due to his mother taking his money for her cult.
Saori Shibuki (紫吹 小織, Shibuki Saori)
Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Rachael Messer (English)
Portrayed by: Ayame Misaki
Shibuki is the first player encountered by Arisu and his friends in the deserted city. In the manga, she is a determined individual who develops a genuine care for the group, ultimately choosing to sacrifice herself. The Netflix adaptation portrays her as a skilled but manipulative player who assists the group primarily for her own benefit.
Shuntarō Chishiya (苣屋 駿太郎, Chishiya Shuntarō) / The Cheshire Cat
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese); Blake Jackson (English)
Others
Arisu Kojima (小島 亜里朱, Kojima Arisu)
A high school student and softball player from Tokyo. She is transported to a desolate version of Kyoto. In this Borderland, she becomes the holder of the Queen of Hearts card.
"Joker"
Portrayed by: Ken Watanabe
An enigmatic entity appears to Arisu, places the Joker card on the table, and asks whether it reminds him of a god or a devil. Arisu realizes that the entity is actually neither, it is an intermediary that helps humans pass on to the afterlife, and the entity smiles.
Media
Manga
Alice in Borderland, written and illustrated by Haro Aso, was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Sunday S magazine from November 25, 2010, to March 25, 2015, and later moved to Weekly Shōnen Sunday on April 8, 2015, and finished on March 2, 2016. Shogakukan collected its 65 individual chapters in 18 tankōbon volumes, published from April 18, 2011, to April 18, 2016.
On July 9, 2021, Viz Media announced that it had licensed the series for English publication. It was published in nine two-in-one volumes published from March 15, 2022, to March 19, 2024.
Six side stories, later included in the main series volumes, were published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 2012 to 2015:
"Four of Hearts" (はあとのよん, Haato no Yon) (July 11–25, 2012)
"Four of Clubs" (くらぶのよん, Kurabu no Yon) (January 16–23, 2013)
"Six of Diamonds" (だいやのろく, Daiya no Roku) (May 22–29, 2013)
"Seven of Spades" (すぺえどのなな, Supēdo no Nana) (August 21 – September 4, 2013)
"King of Spades" (すぺえどのきんぐ, Supēdo no Kingu) (December 11, 2013 – June 18, 2014)
"King of Diamonds" (だいやのきんぐ, Daiya no Kingu) (October 15, 2014 – February 4, 2015)
A spin-off series, titled Alice on Border Road (今際の路のアリス, Imawa no Michi no Arisu), written by Aso and illustrated by Takayoshi Kuroda, was published in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X from August 19, 2015, to February 19, 2018. Shogakukan collected its chapters in eight tankōbon volumes, published from January 18, 2016, to March 19, 2017.
Another series, titled Alice in Borderland Retry (今際の国のアリス RETRY, Imawa no Kuni no Arisu Retry), was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from October 14, 2020, to January 20, 2021. Shogakukan collected its chapters in two tankōbon volumes, released on December 11, 2020, and February 18, 2021. In October 2025, Viz Media announced that it had licensed Alice in Borderland Retry for English-language publication that is set to debut in Q3 2026.
Original video animation
The series was adapted into a three-episode original video animation (OVA) produced by Silver Link and Connect and directed by Hideki Tachibana. The first OVA episode was bundled with the limited edition of the 12th volume of the manga on October 17, 2014. The second OVA episode was bundled with the limited edition of the 13th volume of the manga on December 18, 2014. The third and last OVA episode was bundled with the limited edition of the 14th volume of the manga on February 18, 2015. The opening theme is "NEXTAGE", performed by the Japanese female idol group Iris.
Sentai Filmworks licensed the OVAs for international distribution. MVM Entertainment licensed the OVA in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Live-action series
A live-action series, produced by Netflix and directed by Shinsuke Sato, premiered on December 10, 2020, in over 190 countries worldwide simultaneously. It stars Kento Yamazaki as Ryohei Arisu and Tao Tsuchiya as Yuzuha Usagi. In December 2020, a second season was announced, which premiered on December 22, 2022. In September 2023, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season. It premiered on September 25, 2025, and features an original story beyond the manga.
Reception
By March 2016, Alice in Borderland had over 1.3 million copies in circulation. Volume 11 reached the 48th place on the weekly Oricon manga charts and, as of June 22, 2014, has sold 21,496 copies.
The anime entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction observed that the OVA "ends just as the viewer becomes engaged", whereas the later television series adaptation was "moderately well received".