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Jack of Hearts

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This article is about Jack of Hearts game, otherwise known as Solitary Confinement. Click here for the Jack of Heart person, SPOILER ALERT!


Jack of Hearts (ハートのジャック, Hāto no Jakku), also known as "Solitary Confinement" (どくぼう, Dokubou), is a game featured in Chapter 45-49 of Alice in Borderland.

As a Hearts challenge, the game tests players' emotional resilience and psychological insight. Due to its higher difficulty level, the Jack of Hearts also requires the ability to read others.

Overview[]

Set-Up[]

  • Location:
    Penitentiary
  • Player Limit:
    20 (including the Jack of Hearts)
  • Time Limit:
    1 hour per round (no round limit)
  • Starting Condition:
    There is a half year's supply of food stocked.
  • Starting Items:
    Players have to equip an explosive collar upon entry.

Rules[]

  • Players need to guess the card suit symbol that appears on the back of their collar at the end of each round.
  • Players may not bring reflective surfaces or materials into the venue. Before the game begins, a mark appears on the back of each player's collar, making it impossible for anyone to see their own symbol (Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts).
  • Players are free to move and talk during the round. In the final five minutes, all players have to return to their cells and announce their symbol.
  • Three actions are prohibited:
    • No more than one person may be inside a locked cell.
    • Players may not obstruct others from entering a cell.
    • Players may not prevent another player from announcing their own mark (including killing them).
  • It is GAME CLEAR for all remaining players once the Jack of Hearts dies.
  • It is GAME OVER for a player who attempts to cheat using a reflective surface.
  • It is GAME OVER for a player who guesses the symbol incorrectly or fails to give an answer.
  • It is GAME OVER for a player who uses weapons or violence to kill another player.
  • It is GAME OVER for the last remaining player alongside the Jack of Hearts.

Details[]

In the prison, there are no reflective surfaces. All knives in the kitchen are ceramic, the faucets dispense tomato juice instead of water, and there are no mirrors. Because the penitentiary is large and spacious, it naturally encourages players to have discreet conversations to discuss claims and strategies.

Solution[]

The identity of the Jack of Hearts is Enji Matsushita. This is firstly deduced by Eiji Mitsurugi after he tells Kunio Kariya. Then both Sunato Banda and Oki Yaba after they form a sudden but strong alliance, see that Enji is the last remaining player, and uncover his tactics.

Strategy[]

Near the first few rounds of the game, three apparent factions begin to form: the main group, partnered players, and loners. The loners are the first to be gradually eliminated. The main group soon follows, as Urumi begins manipulating everyone into lying to those who show even the slightest suspicious tendencies. In the end, the partnered players are the ones who last the longest.

  1. The most successful strategy is to find a partner and stay with them. Near the beginning of the game, both players will announce the correct mark, since lying too early would draw heavy suspicion. Later, if they maintain trust, they can potentially deduce the identity of the Jack of Hearts by observing who remains in the final rounds.
  2. Staying with a larger group may seem practical at first, but it does not last long due to how easily suspicion spreads. Once one person in the group is killed, trust collapses, and no one can rely on anyone else, whether alone or together.
  3. Towards the end of the game, a fourth faction forms, led by Mitsurugi. His intent is to prolong the game until the food supply runs out. Even if the Jack of Hearts is within this group, they could survive peacefully for several months. However, this plan contains a major flaw: prolonging the game would cause all players outside of the "Solitary Confinement" game to die within a month, as their visas would expire with no way to clear the final game. Yaba ultimately collapses the faction by deceiving Kariya and pushing him into Mitsurugi's cell, knowing that only one person is allowed in a cell at a time. As both Urumi and Mitsurugi point out, the longer the game continues, the worse it becomes for everyone. Even when nothing appears suspicious, the Jack of Hearts is planning from the very first round. Therefore, while it is unwise to drag the game out for more than a dozen rounds, players still have to remain cautious at all times.

Game Result[]

Players[]

Yaba
A man named Oki Yaba with slicked back black hair with a few strands poking out, wearing professional attire and looking at the viewer in a sinister manner 		GAME CLEAR
Jack of Hearts was eliminated 		Banda
A cropped bust shot of a man named Sunato Banda with light-colored hair, wearing a grey shirt, giving a sociopathic look by staring at the viewer with a Kubrick Stare—his head tilted down, eyes glaring upward 		GAME CLEAR
Jack of Hearts was eliminated
Seto
A worried young man named Akifumi Seto. He has freckles, neat black hair and a few seperated bangs, paired with a dark grey long-sleeve shirt 		GAME OVER
Killed by a collar explosion over a fight with Kiryu in Round 3 		Kiryu
A buff and intimidating man named Genki Kiryu, with his light-colored hair swept to the right, a large darkened scar on his left cheek, and wearing a white t-shirt 		GAME OVER
Killed by a collar explosion over a fight with Seto in Round 3
Mino
A young man named Akimoto Mino with spiked hair and buzzed sides, wearing a grey busy-patterned scarf with a white closed sweater 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 3 		Unnamed older woman
A cropped image of an older unnamed woman with fluffy short black hair, two thick bandages covering her hairline and right ear, and a padded square plaster on her right eye. She wears a dark-colored shirt 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 3
Unnamed younger woman
A cropped bust shot of a panicking woman with no name. She wears a grey hat with a white band and broad visor, and a horizontally thin striped shirt with a black and white v-neck 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 3 		Kaneko
A cropped bust shot of a tired older man named Minor Characters/Jack of Hearts#Motohiko Kaneko. He has black hair styled in a bowl cut, a stubble beard, and he is dressed in a gray jacket with a white undershirt and black tie 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 5
Meisa
A young woman with a beauty mark below the left side of her lip and wearing lipstick named Meisa Tokui. She has light hair framing her face, one strand in the middle, and the rest of her hair done in a messy bun. She wears a lightly patterned white shirt with thin straps 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 6 		Hibino
A focused school girl named Rui Hibino with a short blunt hime cut, chin-length side locks and a light grey headband, wearing a dark-colored school uniform 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 6
Kakeru
A bust shot image of a man named Kakeru Kishoin, with buzzed black hair, a trimmed but full beard, and wearing a hoodie with a grey leopard pattern and solid black combination 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 7 		Aizen
An older man named Masaki Aizen with neatly combed hair, dressed in a grey jacket with a white undershirt and black tie, portraying a gentle face 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 7
Unnamed woman
A young unnamed woman looking intently at the viewer. She has short light hair with rough strands, eyeliner and black lipstick, and she wears an open black leather jacket 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 7 		Urumi
A young girl named Urumi Akamaki wearing an open white bear hoodie hiding most of her hair with the exception of her neat bangs. Akamaki looks at the viewer with a sweet and innocent expression 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 7
Mitsurugi
A cropped image of a focused man named Eiji Mitsurugi. He has light-colored hair done in a casual and carefree manner with a small horizontal scar below his left eye. He wears a white shirt with a sharp collar and a few buttons undone 		GAME OVER
Trapped with Kariya in a cell; killed in Round 9 		Kariya
A bald man with a short trimmed beard named Kunio Kariya angled at the right side of the bust image, wearing a dark grey blazer with a white undershirt 		GAME OVER
Trapped with Mitsurugi in a cell; killed in Round 9
Rokudo
An older man named Katsusai Rokudo with buzzed black hair, a calm expression, a full tapered black beard, and dressed in a grey shirt with an outlined white v-neck 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 9 		Ippei
A man with a black afro, square jawline, and a serious expression named Ippei Ooki. He wears a grey sweatshirt with a white collar and has a rounded square plaster on his right cheek 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 9
Kotoko
A nervous woman named Kotoko Shiga with neatly swept shoulder-length hair tucked behind her ears, wearing a black blazer with a shirt of the same color 		GAME OVER
Declared a wrong symbol in Round 10


Citizen[]

Matsushita
A tense man named Enji Mastushita with thick black hair that covers the right side of his face, wearing an open tight black blazer with a white undershirt 		GAME OVER
Deliberately declared a wrong symbol in Round 11 to end the game

Trivia[]

  • Even if he is given the wrong mark, Matsushita has a prosthetic eye covered by his hair that is directly linked to his collar.
    • Although this may seem unfair, it does not break any rules, since the prohibition specifies that players may not bring reflective materials into the venue.
  • Jack of Hearts is the only game extensively explained in the manga that does not feature any major characters, and none of the survivors have significant relevance later on.
  • Matsushita's monologue hints that there were previous unsuccessful attempts to beat his game prior to the sixth day of the Second Stage.

See also[]

Games featured in the manga
Clubs [♣] Three of Clubs Four of Clubs King of Clubs
Spades [♠] Three of Spades Five of Spades Six of Spades Seven of Spades King of Spades
Diamonds [♦] Four of Diamonds Six of Diamonds Jack of Diamonds King of Diamonds
Hearts [♥] Two of Hearts Four of Hearts Seven of Hearts Nine of Hearts Ten of Hearts Jack of Hearts Queen of Hearts
Others [⚂] Unknown Cards · Unknown Venues
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