Manga- Netflix
Mira Kanō (加納 未来, Kanou Mirai) is a secondary antagonist in Alice in Borderland. She is a Citizen who serves as the Queen of Hearts (ハートのクイーン, Hāto no Kuīn) in the Borderland. She is portrayed by Riisa Naka.
Appearance[]
Mira is a woman in her thirties with long, straight, black hair and dark, hooded eyes. She stands out due to her blunt-cut bangs and a unique style of clothing. While at the Beach, Mira wears a short black shoulder-split top that reveals her abdomen, and a long, asymmetrical skirt, likely veiling a swimsuit, with stiletto heels. At the end of Season 1, she appears on screens wearing a black sleeveless dress with long gloves of the same color.
In Season 2, Mira waits in the rooftop garden, wearing a black strapless dress with a white floral pattern, lace-up gloves of the same color, and a large silver necklace with matching earrings.
Personality[]
Mira is a mysterious and manipulative character. She moves very slowly and gracefully, and has a sadistic smile on her face for the majority of her screen time, seemingly enjoying other people's suffering. She excels at reading players and seeing through their insecurities, which becomes the basis for the Queen of Hearts game, where she convinces Arisu that she has answers to all his questions and then tricks him into self-hatred and despair, which almost makes him give up and lose the game.
Story[]
Season 1[]
Mira first appears at the Beach after Arisu and Usagi get kidnapped and brought over. She greets and welcomes them alongside Kuzuryu, and remains in the room during Hatter's explanation, adding details to his story.
At the end of the day, when Hatter calls an executive meeting, Mira is present among the members, walking around and naming the cards that have been collected during the last games. She points out that no face cards have been found yet and sits down, which prompts Kuzuryu and others to start a discussion about their potential location. Apart from the face cards, the Ten of Hearts also seems to be unobtainable for now, and other members assume it needs a special condition to appear. Hatter mentions the need to replenish his visa days, and Mira suggests an easy way to do so: bring those who do not mind dying along with you to a Hearts game and sacrifice them for your own survival. She then makes a remark that could potentially reveal her position as the Hearts mastermind, since otherwise she could not have known the details of the game Arisu participated in:
"Even in the Seven of Hearts game that Arisu cleared. The same thing happened, did not it? It's a game that does not even require you to use your brain!"
Mira is threatened by Niragi into voting for Aguni
Mira is present when Hatter's body is revealed, and she is the one to suggest keeping it a secret from the others in order to avoid chaos. She does not vote for Aguni to be the new leader at first, and, when Niragi and Last Boss start threatening Ann and Kuzuryu, she claims that this is not how a majority vote should be handled. Niragi disagrees, puts his gun next to her face, and claims that she is free to vote, while also making her feel uncomfortable with his tongue movements. She feels forced to raise her hand in support of Aguni. After everyone is "convinced" to vote, Mira points out that Hatter would never have allowed such a course of events if he was alive, which prompts Niragi to beat his corpse.
While Aguni is opening the black envelope that contains the password for the safe with Hatter's cards, Mira is present at the meeting as a witness along with other executives. Later, she is also present on the balcony when Aguni gives a speech in front of the Beach members.
As Momoka's body is revealed in the lobby, Mira is among the players who rush downstairs to see it.
When the militants grab Asahi under the assumption of her being the Witch, Mira steps in front of them, blocking the way, and orders them to let her go. As Usagi and Ann start suggesting strategies, she silently walks away and stands with Kuzuryu, and a few moments later, the duo can be seen calmly leaving the room after Aguni orders a massacre. They are not seen for the rest of the episode, likely having left the game venue.
After Arisu, Usagi, Chishiya, and Kuina meet in the Dealers' base of operations, dozens of monitors turn on, and Mira appears on all of them, broadcasting herself and announcing the beginning of the Second Stage. She is revealed to be one of the game masters, who watch the players and organize number card games for them.
"Congratulations to all players. With the exception of the Face Card games, you have cleared all the numbered games thus far and emerged victorious. A sweet victory you've grasped by sacrificing numerous lives. I wonder how many of your allies have died? Do you remember those that were shot dead with a gun... the girl you burnt alive... those struck with the lasers, those that drowned, and those whose heads were blown off? Your friends? The despair you've felt so far and those dying moments that you can never forget. That really touches me! Dear players, we would like to give you a present. There will be new games! You will play games against us, the Face Cards! We've still got many more wonderful games prepared for all of you, so look forward to it! The next stage will commence tomorrow at noon. Let's have some fun together!"
— Mira's announcement to all players
During the announcement, Mira first sits on a chair, then stands up and starts walking between the screens, while playing footage of various people's deaths. She looks sadistic and excited as she announces more games in the near future.
Season 2[]
Arisu remembers Mira on the screen, while he, Ann, and Usagi talk about whether she is human or not.
In Kuzuryu's memories of the day the Beach fell, Mira and Kuzuryu were talking while looking at the burning hotel building. Mira claimed that it was their turn from that moment on, wondering if it excited Kuzuryu.
Mira appears in the final moments of the episode, smiling and welcoming Arisu and Usagi into the final game arena.
Mira introducing her game
Mira happily and playfully introduces the game as "Queen of Hearts: Croquet", explaining that it used to be called "lawn billiards" in 19th-century England and admitting that it was never as popular in Japan. To Arisu's confusion, Mira claims that not knowing the rules does not matter, because winning or losing does not affect anything, and the only condition to clear the game is to play three rounds with her without quitting. She also clearly allows firearms. Having repeated a few times that the game is simple, she invites the duo to enjoy it.
Mira explains what to do and starts by hitting a blue ball, which goes through the wicket with perfect precision, but Arisu's next attempt fails, which makes Mira laugh. Her next move makes the blue ball hit the black one, then both her and Arisu's next moves are successful, which makes her the winner of the first set.
Mira, Arisu, and Usagi playing croquet
Seemingly happy with the result, Mira moves the balls around and announces the second set. She purposely misses a few times to slow down the game and claims it to be enjoyable. Motivated, Arisu wins the second set, and Mira compliments his talent. To Arisu's surprise, she calls the game exhausting and suggests having some tea. She pours the beverage into white teacups with a floral pattern and moves them closer to Arisu and Usagi, who sit down at the table in front of her. The duo refuses to drink the tea, and Arisu instead asks whether they are going to go home after clearing the Queen of Hearts game, to which Mira mysteriously responds with the "you will find out" phrase, same as other Citizens before her. Hearing Usagi's advice not to engage, Mira provokes Arisu's further interaction by asking him why he wants to know more, which works in her favor, as he shares his feelings.
Attempting to confuse Arisu further, Mira hints at the possibility of the "real world" no longer existing and pretends to be offended at Arisu's claim that she simply does not know anything. Then she suddenly becomes serious and agrees to "tell him everything" about the Borderland. Despite her clearly stated intention to finish after she starts, which sounds like an ominous promise to have a very long story, Arisu's curiosity takes over so he lets her proceed.
Arisu and Usagi playing the game in a virtual reality
Mira wonders whether Arisu and Usagi have ever pictured the world of the future: nanotechnology, renewable energy, pluripotent cells, virtual reality, cryonics, terraforming, all of that became real within the next 1000 years of human history. Science and technology advanced at an explosive pace, and 30 years after the time Arisu and Usagi think they are from, developing nations grew economically, gradually removing the gap in living standards. 50 years later, genetic engineering extended human lifespan. With greater intelligence, humanity began to unravel the world at an unstoppable rate. Avatars and virtual reality became a prominent part of people's daily lives, and all terminal diseases were cured through genetic engineering. 100 years later, advances in climate control technology eliminated natural disasters. 200 years later, the brain's mechanisms were fully understood, so memory and thought could be transplanted. 300 years later, humanity finally conquered natural death and reached an average lifespan of 300 years. 400 years later, science learned to explain fate and coincidences. By 500 years in, irregularities were impossible, everything in human life was perfectly managed, and humans became nearly immortal. In the 500 years that followed, people could survive as long as they kept taking brain pleasure stimulants. And now, according to Mira, Arisu and Usagi are playing a virtual game, so they have forgotten all of history due to being immersed in virtual reality, while Mira herself is the system administrator.
Seeing as Arisu and Usagi really believe her, Mira laughs and calls it all a joke. However, she claims to be telling the truth in her next description.
Rich people betting on androids with artificial memories to play the games
Genetically modified plants developed sudden mutations and exploded with growth, which can be observed by the overgrown city. Moreover, people ended up surrounded by mountains. That was all the work of aliens. They wiped the memories of the humans they captured, conducting experiments by throwing them into numerous games. However, a rumor started circulating among the players: after a nuclear war, the surface became uninhabitable, and the wealthy people moved underground where they made androids with artificial memories play games on the surface, betting on which model would survive the longest. Arisu and Usagi are simply androids with artificial memories.
Arisu threatening Mira
Arisu slaps the table angrily, questioning the validity of the story, and Mira admits that it is another joke. She taunts him by speaking of his dead friends and mocking his feelings, and then claims that she was the one who created the Seven of Hearts game, because the three of them were too close. Arisu jumps from his seat and points the gun at her, but she does not mind it and encourages him to use it. However, he sees through her plan and realizes that killing her would break the game rules to play with her, and the game would never finish, so all the remaining players would get stuck in the Borderland until their visas expire. He accuses her of willing to make everyone lose hope and fall into despair, and the assumption seems to excite her. She wonders whether he ever thought about the rest of the world while playing the games, but claims that his answer does not matter. The manipulation works, and Arisu demands true answers despite Usagi's better judgement, so Mira starts another explanation.
Mira as a psychiatrist in Arisu's vision
Mira offers Arisu some pills
With a confused and scared facial expression, she asks whether Arisu has ever doubted the world around him: the desolate city, the advanced science, the mysterious games. According to her, all the games are childish, and nothing beyond Arisu's imagination is possible, including his ultimate survival, because everything happening in the Borderland is an illusion created by Arisu's mind. She wonders if he remembers what happened when he lost his dear friends and claims that the shock wiped his memories. According to her, he is in a mental hospital with memory loss, and she is his psychiatrist. Her calm and soothing voice makes Arisu's imagination create the story she is describing, and he starts seeing himself in a hospital with pills in front of him. They are sitting in a white empty room, and Mira is wearing a white medical uniform, wondering how he is feeling and whether his memories are coming back. Then Mira claims that Usagi is another patient in the same hospital who comes to check on Arisu. She makes him remember what happened on the day of the fireworks, and his imagination creates a road accident, involving his friends, which Mira then confirms, convincing him it was his fault. She insists that the answer he is searching for is not about the world but about why he was born, which pushes him further into despair. Seeing as he falls for her tricks, Mira pushes further into his self-loathing, making him think that he should not be alive at all. When Usagi attempts to interfere, Mira keeps the professional attitude and instructs her to wait for her turn outside. Usagi starts shaking Arisu, so Mira yells at her and explains that Arisu is trying to remember his past in order to recover from it. Then she tells Arisu to accept defeat and give up to end the game. Usagi realizes that they are in an illusion after all, so her wounds start bleeding, and she falls down, allowing Mira to continue pressuring Arisu into quitting the game. She offers him a couple of pills with a glass of water, promising that he will feel better. Usagi pushes Arisu to the floor, and the glass breaks, allowing her to take one of the shards and slit her wrists in order to prove that Arisu cares about her, and their relationship was not made up by his imagination. Watching their struggles, Mira calls it a beautiful sight, but she is convinced that love has no true power. After Usagi loses consciousness, Mira pats her head, assuming that she has won, laughs, and asks Arisu once again to forfeit the game. However, Arisu reaches out for Usagi's hand, and they confess their feelings for each other, making Mira realize that she has lost to true love. Determined to protect Usagi, Arisu gets up and tells Mira to proceed with the game. Mira cries, and the illusion breaks.
Mira's last moments
She offers Arisu a handkerchief to put on Usagi's wound and stop the bleeding. She is impressed by how beautiful the situation is, so she suggests finishing the game quickly for Usagi's sake. This time, Mira seems to be playing seriously with her previous sadistic facial expression no longer showing, and the round ends with her victory. She looks genuinely happy for a moment, but then she declares the game cleared and congratulates Arisu. He asks her about the Borderland once again, but she simply says that he will be given two choices, and he will know the truth regardless of what he chooses.
"Life is like a game. Enjoy it more."
— Mira's last words
Since Mira is defeated, the laser shoots through her head, sealing her fate.
Games Played[]
as a Citizen in the Current Immigration Period
Trivia[]
- The forename Mirai consists of the kanji "未" (mi) (not yet, un-, non-) and "来" (rai) (future, arrival, next).
- The surname Kanou is a combination of the kanji "加" (ka) (add, increase) and "納" (nou) (settlement, obtain, reap, pay/payment, supply, store).
- Mira sometimes slips up during Season 1 and makes comments that can reveal her position as the Queen of Hearts, who is responsible for organizing Hearts games. However, no other characters notice it, and viewers usually pay attention to that only during the second or third re-watch.