Alice in Borderland is one of Netflix’s best gritty survival/thriller shows, delivering such an engaging story that it can be considered to be right up there with the likes of Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, and Sweet Home. Netflix’s Alice in Borderland is a live-action adaptation of a manga series/ anime special of the same name, telling the story of Arisu, a gamer who soon finds himself trapped in a sick survival game within a parallel universe known as Borderland. Interestingly enough, the show takes major influences in its themes, plots, and characters from the iconic Alice in Wonderland. You may just be wondering where these links exist, so here’s all Alice in Borderland characters and counterparts, explained.
Arisu & Alice
It is no surprise that Alice in Borderland’s main protagonist, Arisu, is based on the character of Alice. This is the most obvious comparison in the show, as Arisu is the Japanese name for Alice. Arisu’s story also unfolds similarly to Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. This is shown with him starting the show as an unmotivated, stay-at-home gamer freeloading from his family. Soon this all changes, though, and Arisu finds himself transported to and lost within the parallel universe of Borderland, where he must participate in a sick survival game, try to win his freedom, and return home.
This is similar to how Alice accidentally falls down the rabbit hole and winds up lost in Wonderland, wandering around and meeting quirky characters on her journey to find her way home. Of course, while there are subtle elements of Alice’s story in the Alice in Borderland plot, the latter is a much darker, morbid setting. This is what makes it so great, transforming Wonderland from something whimsical and wonderous into a horrifying and fascinating world of survival.
Usagi & The White Rabbit
Usagi is Arisu’s first trusted ally in Borderland, and main partner throughout the duration of the games they play. As it turns out, Usugi’s character is a parallel to the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, which makes sense given how much time Arisu and Usagi spend together.
Further cementing the details of this comparison is her name, as Ugasi means “rabbit” when translated to English. The White Rabbit is known to be nervous, and always in a hurry. This somewhat translates over to Usagi’s character. While she isn’t exactly nervous, she is seriously worried and concerned about making it out of the game, and doing so as soon as possible. Usagi seems to be in a hurry, always ready to dive into the games and try to get one step closer to home.
Chishiya & The Cheshire Cat
Chisiya is introduced to the plot of Alice in Borderland as a highly intelligent, mysterious individual, always maintaining a calm and collected composure. He isn’t as bright and colorful as his Wonderland counterpart though, sticking to neutral tones and whites compared to the Cheshire Cat’s bright pink color scheme. Still, it’s easy to see where his cat-like qualities come in, staying under the radar and using his sly, cunning personality to outwit his opponents during challenges.
Let’s not forget that from the moment Arisu first crossed paths with him, Chishya was willing to sacrifice others to achieve his own goals, somewhat similar to how the Cheshire Cat enjoys speaking in riddles and leading poor Alice in circles during her time lost in Wonderland. Chishiya’s slight smirk is also an excellent point in the direction of the Cheshire Cat’s iconic grin, ensuring the trait remains entirely in character to Chishiya without bending him too far into being a clone of his Wonderland counterpart.
Chishiya is one of the most interesting and well-done Wonderland incarnations, as he is somewhat different in mannerisms and personality from the Cheshire Cat. Yet, the link between them is still so clear. It’s impossible to explain, so you’ll just have to give Alice in Borderland a watch to see what we mean.
Chota & The Carpenter
Chota is one of Arisu’s best friends and was transported to Borderland alongside him and Karube while enjoying a day out together. Chota’s character is most easily compared to the Carpenter from Alice in Wonderland. Alongside this, Karube fits the role of the Walrus, completing the Carpenter and Walrus duo featured in the story.
Chota’s mannerisms mimic the Carpenter’s high focus on work over life. The Carpenter is shown to be very trusting and loyal, believing the Walrus’ word and following through his end of the plan as intended. This is very much Chota’s personality, always taking the word of others at face value. Chota’s similarities to the Carpenter are also found in the fact that he always seems to be by the Walrus’ side.
This remains true in Alice in Borderland, as Chota and Karube are introduced together and remain a duo at Arisu’s side. Similarly to the Carpenter and the Walrus’ feud over the Oysters, the whole situation of Borderland causes Karube and Chota to butt heads, their contrast in personalities within the high-stress situation drawing a wedge between them.
Much like how the Carpenter retaliates against the Walrus’ actions, making him see the error of his ways, Chota has the same effect on Karube’s selfish mindset during the Hide and Seek game, forcing him to see the errors of his greedy-for-survival thinking.
Karube & The Walrus
Karube’s character fits the comparison of Alice in Wonderland’s Walrus character, completing the duo of the Carpenter and the Walrus alongside Chota. While the Carpenter is a work-oriented guy who’s loyal to his word and follows the rules, the Walrus is greedy, selfish, and sly; all characteristics Karube has shown in one way or another.
Karube has shown to be inconsiderate, bold, and impulsive, much like the Walrus from his very first moments in Alice in Borderland. This can be seen in Karube’s debut, immediately being fired after being caught in an on-the-spot hookup with his boss’s girlfriend. Karube is also introduced alongside Chota as the essential duo that makes up Arisu’s best friends.
This parallels the duo of the Walrus and the Carpenter Alice hears about in her adventures in Wonderland. Still, the similarities in contrast of personalities between the Walrus/ Carpenter and Karube/ Chota make this link more believable. During Alice in Borderland, Karube can be seen putting himself before others, greedy for survival. He continues to act this way until Chota finally has enough of this in the Hide and Seek game and retaliates, making him see the error of his ways and finally put others before himself.
Hatter & The Mad Hatter
Standing out as another one of the most apparent Borderland/ Wonderland counterparts is Hatter, referencing the character of the Mad Hatter. Hatter is an interesting character with many qualities that indicate his connection to the Mad Hatter. First, there’s his name, which is about as bold of a reference as it can get; after all, even Arisu’s name is at least the Japanese variant.
Aside from his blatantly obvious name, Hatter is also most commonly dressed in orange-colored beach attire, mirroring the Mad Hatter’s color palette. On top of this, just as the Mad Hatter is the one in control of the Tea Party, Hatter is the one in command of the utopia-like Beach community, operating as their eccentric and quirky leader.
It’s also somewhat hinted that Hatter’s relationship with Aguni as his best friend of over 10 years resembles the Mad Hatter and March Hare, the iconic duo responsible for the chaos and lack of rules at the Tea Party, or in Borderland’s case, The Beach. When you see the bizarre way the Beach functions on a day-to-day basis, this connection becomes much more understandable.
Aguni & The March Hare
Aguni most closely resembles the iconic, crazy March Hare. This all begins with Aguni’s link to Hatter as his best friend for a long time, drawing the parallel to the Mad Hatter’s relationship with the March Hare. Aguni and Hatter also operate the Beach under their standards and rules, creating a bizarre way of living.
The Beach is also very party-focused when residents aren’t out renewing their Visa in gruesome games of life and death, with Aguni and Hatter leading this somewhat crazy lifestyle, controlling their party. This is a clever link to the Mad Hatter and March Hare’s Tea Party, in which they are both in charge during Alice’s journey through Wonderland.
Aguni is also there to witness Hatter’s spiral into madness first-hand, becoming lost in what the Beach has made him become. This is just the same as the March Hare, who is always sitting at the Tea Party, stuck behaving as if he’s in a continuous loop of tea time, due to the Mad Hatter’s antics.
Kuina & Absolem
Kuina is one of the characters Arisu and Usagi meet and befriend during their time at the Beach. Kuina’s character parallels Absolem, the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, who is seen spending most of his time smoking a hookah. This is indicated both by Kuina’s blue beach costume and the fact that she always has a mock cigarette in her mouth to try and help her quit smoking.
Alongside this, in Alice in Wonderland, Absolem goes through a beautiful transformation, becoming a butterfly. This is a direct connection Kuina has to the character. She has a literal transition of beauty herself, being born a biological male and choosing to leave her family to embrace who she is inside. Another transformation Kuina goes through in Alice in Borderland is facing her troubled past with her father, redefining herself from a Clubs player to a Spades player, thanks to her newfound confidence in her strengths.
Mira & The Queen of Hearts
Mira undeniably resembles the Queen of Hearts, as stated by her title in Borderland. At the end of the Witch Hunt game, it is revealed that alongside the games to win the cards, there are also the Face Card bosses to defeat. This is unveiled by Mira, who reveals herself as the Queen of Hearts and becomes ecstatic with glee at the thought of the players finally reaching the more challenging games; which seems ridiculous, given how many horrible, gory deaths have occurred thus far.
Mira’s character portrayal of her Wonderland counterpart goes even further than just names and face cards. This is indicated in her boss game, which features a game of croquet. This same game of croquet is a direct parallel to Alice in Wonderland, where Alice participates in the exact match against the Queen of Hearts. It’s also strongly indicated regarding Mira that the wider range of various Dealers she has appointed represent the Queen of Hearts’ Card Guards, further tying her connections to the antagonist of Wonderland.
An & The White Queen
The polar opposite of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland is her sister, the White Queen. While Mira and An aren’t sisters, An most definitely makes up the duo’s latter half as Borderland’s White Queen. This is showcased in the qualities she displays as one of the highest-ranking Beach members, carrying a high level of intelligence, empathy, and righteousness.
An is someone people look up to in the darkest of times, much like the White Queen. A prime example of this is during the chaos and slaughters of the Witch Hunt; An was the only one capable of working as a detective to determine the true culprit, thanks to her background as a forensic scientist.
An’s confrontation with Last Boss in the Ten of Hearts game also parallel’s the White Queen’s dynamic against the Jabberwocky in Alice in Wonderland, which the Queen of Hearts used to try and gain the upper hand in their battle. Knowing Mira is the Queen of Hearts, Last Boss was likely operating under her orders. Thankfully, Kuina was there to assist, allowing An to escape and end the game of the Witch Hunt.
Momoka and Asahi & Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Momoka and Asahi are a unique incarnation of the Tweedledee and Tweedledum characters in Alice in Wonderland. At first, Momoka and Asashi seem to be average teenage girls and the best of friends. However, during the Ten of Hearts game, there proves to be much more to these girls than what appears on the surface. The Ten of Hearts creates a game of Witch Hunt, sending the Beach residents into a craze to try and find the ‘witch’ responsible for killing Momoka and burn their body on the bonfire before time runs out.
After much chaos and slaughter occur, it is finally revealed that Momoka is responsible for her own death, followed by a confession by Asahi, revealing that the two of them were Dealers, operating for the Face Cards to set up the games and keep tabs on the participants. Momoka couldn’t bear that she contributed to such atrocities and ended her life out of desperation for it all to stop.
After this, Arisu finds a phone with video footage of the two when they first stumbled into Borderland, detailing their exploration of the parallel universe together and how they wound up becoming Dealers. This footage shows the two’s links to Alice in Wonderland’s Tweedles more clearly. Firstly, Momoka and Asahi never left each other’s side, and before becoming residents of the Beach, they wore matching outfits in the form of their school attire. The two were also very bubbly and upbeat but far too trusting of others, allowing them to be manipulated by the Queen of Hearts.
Niragi & The Jubjub Bird
Niragi is a character introduced in the Beach ark of Alice in Borderland, operating as the second-in-command of Aguni’s Militant Faction. As far as Wonderland counterparts go, Aguni fits the role of the Jubjub bird, a powerful and dangerous being that Alice is supposed to watch out for.
Niragi more than matches the temperament of this beast and makes up one of the core dangers/ antagonists that Arisu and his friends have to face off against in Borderland. His crazy behaviors and actions were enough to cause concern to Aguni and force him to approach Hatter about permanently closing the Beach due to fears of no longer being able to control Niragi and others he was beginning to inspire.
Niragi makes his mark as a villain during the Witch Hunt, opting to massacre as many people as possible and throw them all on the fire instead of deducing the rightful culprit as a team. Because of this, he continuously kills innocent people, even when the game has been solved. The only thing that stopped Niragi’s deranged behavior was Aguni, who managed to grab him and charge directly back into the burning Beach resort building.
Last Boss & Jabberwocky
Takatora Samura is an Alice in Borderland character operating under the alias of Last Boss, a dark and bloodthirsty member of Aguni’s Martial Sector at the Beach resort. Last Boss very much bares a resemblance to Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland, a fearsome dragon-like creature that Alice, the White Queen and friends go up against in a boss-battle style of combat.
Out of all Alice in Borderland characters, there are very few characters who fit the counterpart of the Jabberwocky as well as Last Boss. Firstly, there’s the dragon-like tattoos that cover his body, making him bare an uncanny resemblance to the fantasy creature. And of course, his confrontation with An and Kuina and deadly battle with the latter could be linked as a parallel to the final battle at the end of Alice in Wonderland.
Last boss is very powerful and deadly with his weapon, but much like the Jabberwocky, it was the way that he undermined the abilities of his opponent (Kuina) that led to his defeat, much like Jabberwocky undermining Alice in the battle between the White Queen and Queen of Hearts.
That completes all Alice in Borderland characters and their Wonderland counterparts. For more television features, lists, quizzes and news check out the rest of our content here at Twinfinite. We have a wide range of topics to keep you up-to-date on your favorite movies and TV shows, and help you dive into topics or queries that catch your interest, such as 10 best quotes in Avatar: The Way of Water, 10 reasons why Skins UK desperately needs a reboot, and 10 best Star Wars couples, ranked.
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