Alice in Borderland
Alice in Borderland is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haro Aso. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's 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 volumes. Alice in Borderland was adapted into a three-episode original video animation, released from October 2014 to February 2015.
A spin-off series, Alice on Border Road, illustrated by Takayoshi Kuroda, was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X from August 2015 to February 2018, with its chapters collected in eight 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 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.
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 fragile order collapses when it becomes the arena for the "Ten of Hearts" game. Following its completion, the mysterious gamemasters reveal this was merely the first stage—now survivors must face even deadlier challenges against the powerful face card opponents to escape Borderland. The revelation sets the stage for an even greater struggle for survival.
Characters
Main
;Ryohei Arisu Alice;Yuzuha Usagi The Rabbit
The Borderlands
Arisu's Friends
;Daikichi Karube The Walrus;Chōta Segawa The Carpenter
;Saori Shibuki
Allied Players
;Shuntarō Chishiya The Cheshire Cat;Hikari Kuina The Caterpillar
;Kōdai Tatta
;Akane Heiya The March Hare
;Hayato Dōdō The Dodo Bird
Beach
;Takeru Danma The Mad Hatter;Morizono Aguni The Knave of Hearts
;Rizuna An The White Queen
;Suguru Niragi The Jub Jub Bird
Gamemasters/Citizens
;Mira Kano The Queen of Hearts;Keiichi Kuzuryū The King of Diamonds
;Ginji Kyūma The King of Clubs
;Isao Shīrabi The King of Spades
;Enji Matsushita The Jack of Hearts
;Risa The Queen of Spades
;Sunato Banda The Bandersnatch
Others
;Arisu Kojima;"Joker" / The Watchman
Media
Manga
Alice in Borderland, written and illustrated by Haro Aso, was serialized in Shogakukan's 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 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.
Other stories
Six side stories, later included in the main series volumes, were published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 2012 to 2015:- "Four of Hearts"
- "Four of Clubs"
- "Six of Diamonds"
- "Seven of Spades"
- "King of Spades"
- "King of Diamonds"
Another series, titled Alice in Borderland Retry, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from October 14, 2020, to January 20, 2021. Shogakukan collected its chapters in two 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.
Volumes
''Alice in Borderland''
''Alice on Border Road''
''Alice in Borderland: Retry''
Original video animation
The series was adapted into a three-episode original video animation 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 i☆Ris.Sentai Filmworks licensed the OVAs for international distribution. MVM Entertainment licensed the OVA in the United Kingdom and Ireland.