Hearts (ハート, Hāto) is one of the types of games played in the Alice in Borderland series, characterized as psychological games.
Hearts games require "playing with the hearts of others". Citizens who create Hearts games use the natural desire to live, that most people have, forcing players to manipulate and betray their allies, eventually killing them. Rules of many Hearts games also tend to mislead the players into believing that sacrificing other players is required to claim victory, but would otherwise be unnecessary if all participants could calmly deduce the true nature of each Hearts game[1].
Many of the higher difficulty Hearts games forbid violence, so players can only progress forward through manipulation and psychology and not by sheer force.[2]
Hearts games are commonly agreed by players to be the hardest, cruelest suit[3].
Venues[]
Hearts games take place in the widest array of venues compared to any other suit: indoors or outdoors, large or small. Most Hearts games do not include any physical activity, however, sometimes players are forced to believe that they need to chase each other or attack each other[4].
List of Known Games[]
Games that appear both in manga and in the Netflix adaptation:
- Seven of Hearts: "Hide and Seek";
- Ten of Hearts: "Witch Hunt";
- Jack of Hearts: "Solitary Confinement";
- Queen of Hearts: "Croquet".
Manga only[]
Games that appear only in manga:
- Two of Hearts (manga only);
- Four of Hearts: "Survey" (manga only);
- Nine of Hearts: "Earth Invasion" (manga only).
Netflix only[]
Games that are exclusive to the Netflix adaptation:
- King of Hearts: "Silent".
Specialties[]
The following characters specialize in Hearts games:
- Shuntaro Chishiya (Netflix)
- Ryohei Arisu
- Mira Kano (Netflix)
- Enji Matsushita
- Mira Kano
- Enji Matsushita (Netflix)
- Hayato Dodo
Notes[]
- ↑ Chapter 28 and Season 1, Episode 7-8; Aguni and the militants cause multiple innocent deaths during the Ten of Hearts game.
- ↑ Chapter 44 and Episode 3 Season 2; physical fights are forbidden in the Jack of Hearts game.
- ↑ Chapter 6 and Season 1, Episode 2; Nitobe calls the Hearts games the cruelest suit.
- ↑ During the Seven of Hearts game players are presented with a lot of various tools on the table, which hints at needing them to attack each other, as well as a big venue that implies the necessity to run away and hide.
