Manga- Netflix
Isao Shīrabi (稚羅日 勲[1], Shiirabi Isao) is the primary antagonist in Season 2 of Alice in Borderland. He is a Citizen who serves as the King of Spades (スペードのキング, Supēdo no Kingu) in the Borderland. He is portrayed by Ayumi Tanida.
Appearance[]
Shirabi is an old man with a bald head and an athletic body. There is a distinct scar on his right cheek, and his left eye is completely blind. He wears a military uniform with multiple layers of protection, including a bulletproof vest, a fireproof cloak, and a balaclava.
Personality[]
Shirabi is seen as brutal and unforgiving, murdering players with no sign of remorse. However, at the very end, he is revealed to be a caring and deeply traumatized individual, whose close friend begged him for a quick death once before, and ever since then it has been the only way Shirabi knows to save another person.
Story[]
Shirabi's first appearance catches players off-guard, because his game, "Survival", is not properly announced. Just as everyone gathers at the Shibuya Crossing preparing for the Second Stage to commence, Shirabi shoots Hiro and Mizuki out of nowhere, shocking and terrifying the others, who scatter and attempt to escape. His first weapon is identified by Chishiya as an anti-tank rifle, which corresponds with the size of the victims' wounds. However, he then quickly switches to an assault rifle.
Shirabi's game venue is the whole of the Borderland, meaning he is free to move around Tokyo in order to murder players, and his blimp follows him, indicating his location and serving as an early warning sign of his arrival.
Shirabi catches up with Tatta and the others
While chasing after those who have escaped, Shirabi jumps onto the boot of one of the former Beach cars, then climbs on top and shoots Lily through the roof. Shortly afterwards, Yui becomes another victim, then Tamotsu, and then eventually the driver, Shota, whom Shirabi kills through the open window in order to take over the vehicle. He catches up with the car driven by Tatta and opens fire. The group successfully escapes the pursuit, while Shirabi drives over confused players on the sidewalk. Then another car drives into Shirabi's vehicle in an attempt to eliminate him, but he survives and starts shooting players again, forcing Ann and others to split up and run away.
After having killed an entire community of players, as Usagi and Arisu see on Kaito Kameyama's tape, Shirabi leaves the area for a very short duration but returns upon locating the duo there. He opens fire, forcing them to flee into the forest, where they separate. Usagi slides under a hill, and Arisu hides behind a tree. Then Arisu distracts the King's attention to stop him from shooting at Usagi and runs away, making Shirabi follow him. As Shirabi is about to shoot Arisu, someone else attacks him from behind, saving Arisu and escaping in unrevealed circumstances, which Arisu cannot witness due to being knocked unconscious.
At night, Shirabi finds a camp on a cliff, having followed Aguni, Heiya, and Arisu through the forest. Avoiding their traps, he quietly approaches the tent and points his gun at Arisu, preparing to kill him in his sleep. However, he does not realize that luring him there was exactly the plan, so Heiya launches an explosive arrow into a nearby tree, creating a fiery blast and distracting him long enough for Aguni to make consecutive shots to his chest. Shirabi falls to the ground, seemingly defeated, and even Arisu jumps out of the tent to see whether the plan was successful. Aguni and Heiya watch him with caution, fully aware of his toughness. He remains immobilized for a moment, so Aguni begins to slowly approach his body, but Shirabi suddenly gets back up and opens fire. His surprise attack forces all three opponents into hiding. Aguni takes cover behind a tree, joined shortly by Arisu, while Heiya jumps off a tree branch and escapes into hiding.
Shirabi about to shoot Aguni
Shirabi continues shooting, never ceasing fire long enough for the others to counterattack. Then he throws a grenade towards Arisu's feet, and Aguni yells for him to run. The explosion blasts Arisu into the water, disrupting the formation and ruining Aguni's original plan.
Seeing the opponents' confusion and disadvantage, Shirabi gets the opportunity to attack Aguni at close range. They fight for a short duration, and Shirabi easily overpowers Aguni, but, as he prepares to shoot him, Heiya intervenes at the last second, striking Shirabi with her Flex-Foot Cheetah prosthetic and knocking him off balance. She also pushes Aguni down the hill to save him.
Shirabi searches for them with a flashlight, but Heiya covers Aguni's body with her own and tries to stay low. Unable to locate them in the darkness, Shirabi eventually gives up the search and leaves the area.
Shirabi about to shoot Ann
Shortly after the personal conflict resolution, Arisu and Usagi see the blimp of the King of Spades looming overhead and notice multiple players running towards Shibuya, while trying to escape Shirabi's gunfire. Arisu and Usagi reunite with Kuina and Ann, and the four attempt to escape from the King, designing a plan to kill him. Ann separates from the others, trips, and falls, and the King comes dangerously close to her, shooting another player nearby and pointing his gun at her. Arisu attempts to shoot at Shirabi to stop him, but Shirabi immediately turns and fires at Arisu and Usagi instead, forcing them to take cover and retreat. Kuina kicks a mirror from one of the cars, and the mirror hits Shirabi in the head, which changes his target to her, allowing Ann to escape.
Before the King can pursue the survivors further, another player drives a car directly into him, which results in a massive accident followed by a fiery explosion. Though engulfed in the blast, Shirabi survives, removes his fireproof cloak and balaclava, and resumes shooting without hesitation. He turns to Arisu, gives him a long look, and opens fire on him again, but Usagi drags Arisu away just in time. Usagi then runs off on her own, jumping between cars to distract Shirabi, while Arisu uses the opportunity to try shooting him with a rifle, but Shirabi dodges and jumps into hiding. As he finishes reloading and prepares to attack Arisu again, he is shot with an arrow from Heiya's gigantic bow, which halts him momentarily and allows the others to escape and regroup.
Shirabi walking into a narrow alley
Later, Shirabi continues chasing after the group, killing everyone he sees, so Aguni and others decide to lure him into a narrow alley where his blimp cannot drop supplies. Kuina is the first to shoot at him, but she quickly realizes that her gun is ineffective, as he fires back tenfold. While she escapes the counterattack, Ann opens fire on Shirabi from behind, allowing Kuina to hit him with a wooden sign using her martial arts jump attack. Then they engage in close combat, and he is about to shoot her, but Ann uses her gun just in time to save Kuina and allow her to run away. The shots are not lethal, since he is wearing a bulletproof vest, which he removes while walking deeper into the alley. Aguni opens fire on him from around the corner, and Shirabi tries to counter, but Kuina and Heiya work together to disrupt his response: Kuina pushes a cafe table to block him, and Heiya drops a vending machine onto him. Then Usagi runs on top of air conditioning units, attached to the building, dropping them one by one on Shirabi. Seeing an opening, Ann takes a few shots at him again, but Shirabi fires back at her until he runs out of ammo.
As Aguni and Shirabi engage in hand-to-hand combat, Shirabi proves physically stronger, pushing Aguni across the alley and temporarily immobilizing him. Seeing that the King has defeated Aguni, Usagi jumps at him from the top, holding him down, but as soon as Kuina runs towards them, the King throws Usagi at her. Then Heiya attacks him with a knife, but he effortlessly pushes her away and points his gun at her. Before he can shoot, Ann fires at him from behind again, saving Heiya. Heiya responds by hitting him with her fists, creating enough of a distraction for Ann to drag Usagi to safety.
Shirabi shooting Heiya in the chest
Now focused on Aguni again, Shirabi raises his gun to finish him off, but Heiya throws herself in front of Aguni and takes multiple bullets to the chest at point-blank range. Enraged by her sacrifice, Aguni screams and charges Shirabi, landing multiple punches to his face and attempting to shoot him in the head. Shirabi knocks his arm away and ejects the magazine, rendering the gun useless. Aguni continues punching him, kicks him in the stomach, grabs him by the neck, and slams his body into a pile of garbage before throwing him toward a nearby building.
Despite the assault, Shirabi remains armed and shoots Aguni in the shoulder. While reloading, he is attacked again when Aguni slams him against a wall and strips bullets from the magazine. Shirabi grabs Aguni by the neck, throws him to the ground, then mounts him and punches him repeatedly. Aguni shields his head with his arms and shoulders, minimizing the damage. Then the King tries to strangle him, but Kuina intervenes, rushing toward him and kicking him off. She straddles Shirabi and begins punching him in the face, full of grief and rage. Shirabi pulls out a knife and stabs her abdomen multiple times, making her scream in agony. Usagi grabs his arm to stop him, but Shirabi kicks her into the wall and stabs Kuina again, causing blood to pour from her mouth. Despite her condition, Kuina tries to keep helping, but Shirabi kicks her in the stomach and sends her flying towards Ann's body. Usagi loses her composure entirely and jumps at Shirabi, punching him chaotically and wrapping her legs around his body. Shirabi stabs her thighs with his knife, making her scream, and then throws her across the alley. He then makes a point of wiping her blood off his knife, and his face is shown up close, revealing a blind eye.
Meanwhile, Aguni, barely conscious, reaches for a bullet on the ground and loads a gun with trembling hands. He and Shirabi shoot at each other at the same time, and Aguni falls with blood pouring from his head, while Shirabi dodges the shot.
Later, Arisu tries to lure the King into a trap inside a nearby drugstore rigged with an improvised bomb. As Shirabi approaches the door, he senses something suspicious and refuses to enter. At that moment, Aguni, who followed them despite his injuries, pushes Shirabi into the building and tells Arisu to execute the plan. They leap through the window, and Arisu throws the bomb mid-air while Aguni shoots it, causing a massive explosion that propels them both away from the drugstore, while Shirabi stays inside.
Shirabi's last words
Though severely injured and immobilized, Shirabi ends up outside the drugstore in the debris, still alive. As Aguni approaches him, the King unexpectedly offers his own gun, seemingly asking to be finished off. This triggers a flashback, in which Shirabi's friend begged him for a quick death, but the details surrounding the event are only revealed in the manga. Shirabi quietly apologizes, but it remains unclear whether his words are directed at Aguni or someone from his past. He claims that "this" was the only way he knew how to save someone, which becomes clearer from the manga version of the character, since Shirabi sees his murders as a way of helping people pass on to the afterlife, rather than him inflicting pain on them. Aguni interprets the apology as meant for him and replies that he never hated Shirabi. Then he pulls the trigger, finally killing the King of Spades and clearing the game.
Etymology[]
- The forename Isao is written with the kanji "勲" (medal, meritorious deed, merit).
- The surname Shiirabi is a combination of the kanji "稚" (shii) (immature, young), "羅" (ra) (lightweight fabric, gauze, thin silk, Rome), and "日" (bi) (sun, day).
References[]
- ↑ The kanji for his name 稚羅日 勲 can be read in a few different ways, and the one meant in the TV show might not be the first that comes to mind. JP wikipedia lists his name in both kanji and hiragana to indicate the correct pronunciation: 稚羅日 勲（しいらび いさお）and adds another spelling option in katakana for just "Shirabi": シーラビ.