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| “ | Arisu: You're the sole ruler over all life in the Borderlands, right? Faceless entity: Do I... look like a God? Or do I... look like a devil? Arisu: Neither... You're just the intermediator, right? |
„ |
| ~ Arisu and the mysterious entity after all games of the current cycle were cleared (in the manga). |
| “ | A deck of cards has four suits with cards numbered from 1 to 13. If you add up all those numbers, you get 364. Add the Joker, and it becomes 365... the same as the number of days in a year in the human world. Add one more Joker, and it becomes 366 — a leap year. The two Jokers are indispensable cards based on the truth of time in the human world. The Joker exists in the gaps between cards, in the gaps of time — a jester who fills the space between life and death. | „ |
| ~ The Watchman to Arisu on the significance of the Joker card. |
| “ | I simply stand guard here, watching over the space between life and death. All humans die. I only remain here as a watcher — because by doing so, I do not have to pass through the gate of death myself. | „ |
| ~ The Watchman explaining why he remains in the Borderlands. |
The Watchman (also called the Elderly Gentleman in the TV series, or the "Joker") is the overarching antagonist of the series Alice in Borderland. He is a mysterious entity who is the owner of the Joker card and appears before Arisu and Usagi after all face card games are cleared.
Arisu recognizes the entity as an intermediator who acts as the "ferryman" (like the Charon, who carries the souls of the deceased to the afterlife in Greek mythology). It is heavily implied that this entity is the ruler of the Borderlands, which is the land between life and death.
Although the entity doesn't appear in the second season of the TV series, the ending alludes to him by showing his card. Throughout season 3, his card is handed out to people by Sunato Banda, although the latter confirms he isn't the "Joker". At the end of the season, the entity who is the true holder of the Joker card does eventually appear in the form of an elderly man.
He is portrayed by Ken Watanabe, who also portrayed the Decoy of Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins.
Quick Answers
Who does the Joker character in Alice in Borderland represent in Greek mythology?
What is the role of the Joker in the series Alice in Borderland?
What is the significance of the Joker card in Alice in Borderland?
What is the meaning of 'intermediator' in the context of the Joker's role in Alice in Borderland?
What is the Borderlands in Alice in Borderland and what is the Joker's connection to it?
Biography[]
Background[]
This entity is the one who transports people between the world of the living and the afterlife. When someone is left in a near-death state, the entity takes their consciousness to the land in between, the Borderlands. There, they will play death games to decide if they will die and move on or survive and possibly return to the world of the living. People who entered the Borderlands normally have no memory of the event that left them close to death because their memories are replaced. Instead, they remember seeing giant and shiny fireworks just before arriving in the Borderlands.
After a game cycle is completed, the entity transports all the survivors that refused to remain in the Borderlands permanently (as citizens) back to the world of the living. Just before returning, these survivors see the fireworks again as their memories are once again modified. They wake up in the original world after being miraculously revived by doctors and with no memories of the games and the Borderlands.
Alice in Borderland[]
Manga[]
After a meteor hit Shibuya, thousands of people were left in a near-death state and were transported to the Borderlands to participate in the death game cycles.
The entity first appears after Arisu and his friends finally cleared all the games, completing a game cycle. As Arisu and Usagi defeated the last game, the Queen of Hearts, the survivors are asked if they accept or refuse to stay in the Borderlands forever as citizens. After Arisu and many other survivors refused, the entity, in the form of a faceless human, appears before Arisu and Usagi. Arisu realizes that the mysterious entity is the "Joker" when he sees his card, which appeared on the table.
Arisu asks if the entity is the ruler of the Borderlands. Instead of answering this question, the entity asks if he looks like a God or a devil. Arisu then thinks about the Sanzu River and deduces that this entity is the intermediator who has a role similar to Charon from Greek mythology (the ferryman that carries the souls of the dead to the afterlife). After this brief interaction, Arisu sees the giant fireworks as the entity transports him and the other survivors who refused the citizenship back to the world of the living.
TV series[]
Although the entity doesn't appear in Season 2, like he did in the manga when all the games were cleared, the final scene alludes to him by showing his card, the Joker. In the hospital where the survivors are being taken care of, it is shown a table with a bunch of playing cards. The wind blows away all of them, except the Joker, which was hidden behind the other cards. The camera zooms in on the Joker card as ominous music plays and the second season ends, indicating that the "Joker" was the one behind the events of the series.
In Season 3, however, the entity who holds the Joker card finally appears in the form of an elderly man. He saves Arisu by killing Banda, then invites Arisu to play one last game with him to decide his fate. Despite Arisu coincidentally picking two Joker cards from the deck, the man decides to let him choose if he wants to return to the world of the living or move on to the world of the dead. When Arisu asks if he is the Joker, he explains that "Joker" is actually simply a card, not a person.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Joker is not a person. It is neither a being that rules this world nor one that oversees the games. It is simply a card. | „ |
| ~ The Watchman on whether he is the Joker. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
.jpg "Joker appears (AIB Manga).jpg (306 KB)")
.jpg "Joker card (AIB TV series).jpg (43 KB)")
Videos[]
External Links[]
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 Villains
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