Five of Spades (Netflix)

Manga
OVA
Netflix
Netflix S1
Netflix S3

The Five of Spades (スペードの5, Supēdo no Go), also known as Game of Tag (おにごっこ, Onigokko), is a game featured in Episode 2 of Alice in Borderland.

Players have to find a safe zone and press buttons while avoiding a Tagger in the hallways of an apartment building.

Overview[]

Set-Up[]

Location:
Toei Sendagaya Apartment Building
Player Limit:
14
Time Limit:
20 minutes
Starting Condition:
Players are given time to choose their starting position, and the game begins 2 minutes later.

Rules[]

Run away from the "Tagger" and find the safe zone.
It is GAME CLEAR if two players hit a switch at the same time in the safe zone.
It is GAME OVER for the players if they fail to find the safe zone before the bomb explodes.
It is GAME OVER for the players if they attempt to escape the game venue.
It is GAME OVER for the players if they get killed by a Tagger.
It is GAME OVER for the Taggers if they fail to stop the players from reaching the safe zone.

Details[]

The apartment complex consists of seven stories and is shaped in a T. There is one stairwell at the end of the longest corridor. Although never stated in the rules, two players are needed to clear the game. To deactivate the bomb, there are two buttons on opposite ends of the safe zone which have to be pressed simultaneously.

There are two armed Dealers wearing horse masks. One of them acts as a Tagger and patrols the halls, shooting players with a machine gun and hiding a machete under his clothes. The other one hides inside the safe zone, prepared to strike when the players walk in.

Solution[]

The safe zone is room 406, located on the fourth floor. This is deduced by both Arisu and Chishiya, who notice the Tagger's unusual behavior, likely meant to scare players away from the door that leads to the safe zone: when Tatta appears on the fourth floor making his way to the door, the Tagger shoots at him from above, which is the only time the Tagger shoots from such a long distance.

Strategy[]

Participants can bring their own weapons, as Chishiya is armed with a concealed taser, while Karube carries a small knife.
Chishiya goes to the corner of the highest floor to observe the rest of the apartment building. This is the most powerful passive position to take, as the entire perpendicular branch can be seen from there. Through relatively safe observation, the location of all players and the Tagger can be tracked.
Players can escape the Tagger by climbing between floors. This is not forbidden by the rules, as Usagi does so several times.
Players can help each other by shouting out the Tagger's location. This allows players near the Tagger to evade the area in advance. Usagi stated later on that Arisu arguably saved her life with this strategy.
Working together has been proven to be useful in games like these as shown by Karube, Aguni and Jin.

Game Result[]

Arisu	GAME CLEAR Reached the safe zone and pressed the button	Usagi	GAME CLEAR Reached the safe zone and pressed the button
Chishiya	GAME CLEAR Reached the safe zone	Aguni	GAME CLEAR Players found the safe zone successfully
Karube	GAME CLEAR Players found the safe zone successfully	Tatta	GAME CLEAR Players found the safe zone successfully
Unnamed Player	GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1	Nitobe	GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1
Doi	GAME OVER Attempted to leave game venue	Aya	GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1
Mai	GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1	Hirai	GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1
Jin		GAME OVER "Tagged" by Horse Head #1

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

The Netflix adaptation of the Five of Spades game has a lot of game and plot differences compared to its manga version:
- the time limit is 20 minutes instead of 30;
- the inclusion of land mines surrounding the apartment building is omitted. Instead, players who attempt to leaved are lasered in the head;
- the safe zone is entered through a second door in the unlocked room;
- there is a second Tagger who is hiding between the unlocked door and the safe zone;
- the apartment building is T-shaped instead of L-shaped;
- the apartment building has 7 floors instead of 9;
- the apartment building only has one stairwell instead of three;
- the patrolling Tagger exits from the elevator instead of the safe zone;
- Morizono Aguni and Kodai Tatta debut in this game;
- the two new beginner unnamed players are replaced with Aya and Mai;
- Arisu attempts to rally everyone to work together to clear the game instead of Karube;
- Karube never assumes that Arisu has been killed;
- Karube teams up with Aguni and Jin to fight the Tagger;
- after the game is cleared, Karube finds out about the existence of the Beach through the deceased Beach member's walkie-talkie;
- Chishiya loots the Tagger's body and finds an ambiguous sketch, which he later discovers is the subway map leading to the Dealer's hideout.
This is the second game played and the first Spades game.
This game has the highest debut of characters who become major later on.
Arisu witnessing the Tagger's head getting blown off after receiving a Game Over might be the sole reason he is so reluctant to cut his collar off in the later Seven of Hearts.