Rei Morikage (モリカゲ レイ, Morikage Rei) is a supporting character in Season 3 of Alice in Borderland. She is part of Arisu's Team. She is portrayed by Tina Tamashiro.
Appearance[]
Rei is a young woman with a short, two-tone bob, cyan at the top and darker blue at the ends, and bangs. She is dressed in a black and white sports-style zip jacket with patch details, a pleated checked blue skirt with a belt around her waist, detached wide-leg gaiters, and boots. To emphasize her personality and style, she wears layered necklaces including a black choker with an O-ring, a silver chain, and a longer necklace with a padlock pendant. Her nails are also painted cyan to match her hair.
Personality[]
Rei is portrayed as a playful and sadistic individual, who enjoys difficult, "more real" games. She does not care about the casualties as long as her own survival is guaranteed, and she does not mind deceiving other players. However, over the course of the story, she develops a certain attachment towards her teammates, and their fate visibly affects her.
Rei is good at both following instructions and designing strategies to clear the games.
History[]
Prior to her arrival in the Borderland, Rei was a university student interested in anime. Same as the other participants of the Joker Tournament, Rei had played the games before, making her Sojourn in Season 3 a return to the Borderland rather than her first visit. However, the games she experienced in the past were not the same ones faced by Arisu and his group. Since Borderland games are created and overseen by individual Citizens, their scale, rules, and format vary depending on who hosts them. Therefore, Rei's earlier participation took place under different Citizens, resulting in a distinct set of challenges.
Story[]
After getting transported to the world of deadly games, Rei participates in multiple challenges of various difficulties. In order to join the "Zombie Hunt" game, she should have finished at least one more challenge beforehand. When Arisu finds two women with Zombie cards and brings them to his team, searching for a way to cure them, Rei joins the group and introduces her survival plan that does not involve killing anyone.
Rei's introduction during the "Zombie Hunt" game
"Just make a group where everyone promises to always use the vaccine card to cure each other. Even if one of the members turns into a zombie, you will make sure to cure that person. Then, have them tell you who infected them with the zombie card, and threaten that you will definitely shoot that person. If you do that, the zombies will be too scared to approach this group."
— Rei's plan
She uses Tetsu as an example for further explanation and gives him two conical flasks with differently colored contents, labelling one as a Zombie card and the other as a Vaccine card. She points out that if, while being a zombie, a player promises to use their Vaccine card on another zombie, they would open themselves to being attacked by a Shotgun card. Arisu quickly summarizes that Rei's proposal is to make an alliance with their opponents by using some players as hostages. She confirms this understanding and elaborates that refusal to follow the plan later on will result in death. She also hugs Tetsu during her monologue, and he is visibly uncomfortable.
"We repeat the same process and promise with multiple people. And in this way, we create a unified group built on trust. If you become a zombie, we will cure you with the vaccine."
— Rei's further clarification
In response to Arisu's observation that they have only one Vaccine card, Rei intends to invite other players who have the same cards. When Tetsu objects that there are not enough cards for everyone, she confidently points out that the actual number of Vaccine cards is unknown, which means it is enough to make everyone believe that the number is sufficient. At the end of her speech, she confesses to being a Zombie with a Vaccine card herself.
Rei amused to hear that the game is getting harder
Arisu and the others spread out and explain Rei's strategy to the different participants. Rei continues to be an observer and witnesses the first victims of her plan when players start killing the zombies instead, but remains indifferent to their fate. Later, she finds another body near a game table, smiles, and claims to care only about the safe barricade they have created. Arisu insists that the barricade is in danger now, which amuses and excites Rei.
"Now it's starting to feel like a game!"
Rei is present when Ikeno orders Nobu to kill the zombie who infected Masato, but she avoids eye contact with the others indifferently and does not participate in the argument.
Rei explaining how fast the zombies multiply
While casually walking around the facility, she encounters Masato, who is running away and asking her to use her Vaccine card on him. She does not have enough time to react before the players catch Masato, while Ikeno and Kazuya corner her. Ikeno puts his hand on her shoulder, fully intending to play a mini-game against her and eliminate her.
During the game, Rei is relaxed and cheerful, spinning in her chair. She informs Ikeno that the infection has spread far more widely than he assumes, so becoming a zombie is a better decision from the point of survival.
"Humans have emotions, so they can't just shoot someone so easily. They also hesitate to use a precious Vaccine card for someone else. But while they hesitate and hold on to their cards, the number of zombies keeps increasing. Once someone becomes a zombie, there's no reason to hesitate to use a Zombie card."
— Rei explaining how human psychology works in the "Zombie Hunt" game
According to Rei, if the infection were to spread exponentially, it would take only three turns for the zombies to surpass the majority. With that in mind, she offers Ikeno a deal: become a zombie instead of killing her. Ikeno decides to use his Shotgun card instead, and Rei smiles.
Rei playing against Arisu
After Ikeno comes back to the common room in shock, he states that Rei deceived him. Then Arisu finds Rei sitting in the same chair with her head down, so he assumes she was eliminated, but the moment he calls her name, she turns around and looks at him. Then Arisu and Rei play a mini-game against each other, and Rei wonders why Arisu decided to choose her as an opponent. Arisu asks who will win in her opinion, and Rei confidently claims that the zombies have all the chances, because the game implies only two outcomes: either the number of zombies increases exponentially, or all the humans kill all the zombies. Arisu seems to have come to the same conclusion, so he attempts to make Rei admit that she has never been a zombie. He breaks down her strategy of building trust based on a lie, securing her spot in the safety barricade, and reveals that Ikeno was not able to shoot her because she was not a zombie. Then Arisu turns over a Zombie card, and Rei is visibly shocked. She explains that her barricade plan was not meant to be a trick, and she genuinely believed that humans had a chance, so she preferred not to turn into a zombie too early. She thanks Arisu for saving her by turning her into a zombie and asks when he became one himself, surprised to learn that he has been a zombie from the beginning.
The game ends, and the zombies win. Rei walks towards the exit alone, but Natsu sees her from downstairs and invites her to join their group. Then they all leave the venue and see another noticeboard with directions to a new game two days later. They find a quiet, safe place to get some rest, and Rei notices Arisu's anxiety that the others mention, but she does not comment on it.
Rei and Nobu before the train crashes
Rei and the other members of Arisu's team participate in the "Runaway Train". Their train approaches the end of the line, and an announcement instructs the players to stop it. Rei and Nobu rush towards the last car, but they have no idea what to do. Then Kazuya yells that something has to be done urgently, and Arisu decides to pull a lever. Rei points out that it is an accelerator, so he pulls another one, but it is too late, and the train crashes, leaving everyone with injuries of varying severity.
Having reached safety, everyone is worried about Arisu's well-being because he took the biggest hit. His wounds are bleeding, and he is unconscious. Natsu brings a sewing kit from a store, and Rei questions the plan to use it to stitch up Arisu's wounds, but Natsu claims to have found nothing else.
When Arisu wakes up the next morning, everyone rushes towards him to see how he is feeling. Learning that the next game starts soon, Arisu asks his teammates to go without him, but Rei and the others refuse to leave him behind because he has saved them more than once in previous games.
The next game they join, a semi-final challenge, is called "Kick the Can". After Round 1 begins, Rei and Kazuya run together and discover that the escalators have been shut down, and the entrance to them is blocked by a noticeboard. By the end of the round, Rei attempts to stop other participants from returning the can to the base but fails, and they also fail and blow up.
Rei thanking the others for helping her clear the game
During Round 2, Rei finds a can and runs along the hallway, chased by another player. She spots Natsu and passes the can to her while struggling with the others, and then Natsu throws it to Shion.
Sachiko clears the game first, but the next round ends in failure, and Rei watches Shion explode. Thanks to Kazuya, Tetsu, and Arisu, Rei manages to return the fifth can to its base, clearing the game and joining Sachiko in the elevator. From there, they see Natsu and Kazuya die.
Devastated and exhausted, the remaining five players, including Rei, walk towards Shibuya Crossing, where the final game, "Future Sugoroku", is about to unfold. Rei states that it might be a game of betrayal where they will have to turn against each other. They find a staircase, and Rei asks who wants to go first, then she watches Arisu with admiration. When they get up, they realize that they are in the real-world Shibuya, with commercial screens moving and people walking.
Rei is with Arisu, Nobu, Tetsu, and Sachiko when they walk into the game venue and end up in the real-world Shibuya. They quickly realize that all those around them are screens depicting pre-recorded images, and Rei assumes they are CGI. Each of the players sees themselves walking across the street, then they go through a door that closes behind them without a trace and end up in Ikebukuro during the evening. Rei and the others watch Arisu reunite with Usagi.
The screens turn off, revealing a dark-gray room, and three more players join them. One of the walls turns white, displaying the game name, and the players are instructed to equip collars and wristbands. The announcement states that there are ten registered participants, and Arisu reveals that Usagi is pregnant. Rei agrees that the number of participants makes sense in this case.
Round 1
Rei's vision of applying for a job as a manga artist
The game rules are explained, and Arisu introduces Rei and the rest of his team. The starting room, C3, turns fully white, and four doors appear behind the players, with C2 (the blue one) behind Rei and Sachiko. The players realize that the dice on the white platform in front of them are connected to the doors. They roll the dice, the room turns black, and the screens on the walls start flickering with multiple videos of each player's future. Arisu insists on minimizing point loss and splitting into two big groups to reunite next turn, and Rei supports the idea. Arisu instructs Itsuki and Yuna to be on a team with Rei and go through the red door to D3, while he, Usagi, Ryuji, Tetsu, Sachiko, and Nobu go through the blue door to C2 and regroup later in D2. Everyone agrees, but Ryuji questions why they all trust Arisu without asking any questions. Rei bluntly cuts him off by stating that he can choose another door if he has an issue with the plan.
Then Rei uses one point on her wristband to open the red door. Before walking through, she sees the future that is displayed on the corresponding wall: her introducing herself and expressing her love for anime, trying to apply for a job as a manga artist, and the recruiter asking how quickly Rei can draw, to which she explains that it takes her three days to fill a page.
Round 2In D3, Rei, Itsuki, and Yuna end up rolling all twos on the dice, so they are forced to split up. Rei chooses to go north to room D2, while Itsuki and Yuna head east to room E3. Rei sees a vision of herself getting a job she really wanted. Arisu uses the wristband to communicate with Rei and tells her to meet up in D2 as planned, to which Rei replies with confirmation.
Round 3
Rei's lockdown
Rei realizing the siblings are not coming to save her
Rei giving up on humanity while tortured
Arisu, Usagi, and Rei are all in D2 when they roll the dice. The result is 2 (D1, blue) and 1 (E2, red). Since Usagi is pregnant, she counts as two players, but only three can pass through the doors. Rei sees a vision of herself being introduced to her new work colleagues. She says she owes Arisu for the zombie game, so she volunteers to stay behind in the same room. Arisu asks Itsuki and Yuna to stay in E3, where they currently are, because Rei will have to stay behind, so he wants them to return to D3 next round and unlock her room.
D2 turns red, various terrible futures start flickering on all the walls, loud alarming noises surround Rei, and she is forced to cover her ears to avoid going insane.
Round 4Rei, still in D2, begs Arisu to save her because the noise and colors are unbearable, and Arisu informs her that Itsuki and Yuna are heading to D3. Usagi suggests staying in D1 in order to help release Rei from lockdown, because players have to be present in at least two rooms on different sides of the locked one.
Round 5Arisu communicates with Rei through the wristband and asks if she is out, but she informs him that she is still trapped in D2 and that she lost another point for staying in a locked room. Rei sits down on the floor, covering her ears, while multiple visions of the future keep calling her useless. Arisu keeps calling for Itsuki and Yuna, but Rei tells him that they have made their choice and decided to save themselves instead of helping her.
"When it comes down to it, people choose the future they want for themselves rather than helping others."
— Rei commenting on the siblings not helping her out
Then Rei sees a vision of the future that mentions her mother and wonders how she is in the real world.
Round 6The screeching sounds stop, the room turns white again, and the announcement states that room D2 has been unlocked. Rei breathes heavily and sees three doors appear in four directions: C2 (yellow), D1 (blue), E2 (red), and D3 (green). She thanks Arisu for saving her and agrees to meet him next round.
Round 7Rei and Arisu meet up in D3.
Round 8Rei and Arisu enter C4 and witness Yuna's unsuccessful attempts to open the door to B4.
Round 9Arisu acknowledges that B4 is a minus two room and tells Rei to take Yuna to C5. He assumes that Yuna and Itsuki must have passed through E5, which means it is not the exit, and the only corner room left is A5. Arisu intends to meet with Usagi, Nobu, Sachiko, and Ryuji in B4. Yuna keeps lying on the floor and crying, so Rei picks her up and encourages her to go to C5. Just after Rei unlocks C5 and Arisu unlocks B4, Yuna sees her brother's dead body and rushes towards Arisu's door. Rei calls Yuna to come back, then Arisu warns her to be careful since the door automatically shuts, and Rei barely manages to get out of the way. She ends up alone in C5, and her anxiety kicks in, so she starts sweating.
Round 10Rei is in C4. Arisu suggests clearing the game together, and Rei approves of the plan.
Round 11
Rei communicating with Arisu through the wristband
Rei proposes meeting up with Nobu in C3, but Arisu insists that the two of them would not be able to reach A5 even with their combined points. Therefore, he instructs Rei to stay in C4, while Usagi goes to A2 to form a horizontal line with Rei and free Sachiko from the lockdown. After Usagi suggests retrieving her baby's wristband from A2, Rei points out that they would be back where they started, location-wise. She tells Nobu to move across to C4 and meet up with her.
Round 12–13Rei and Nobu walk to C5 off-screen.
Round 14In C5, Rei sees a vision of herself in hospital, where her mother comes to her room and slaps her across the face.
All players reunite in A5, and the announcement states that they have all reached the exit room successfully. The collars and wristbands are automatically released and can be removed. However, one last roll is required to leave the venue, and Arisu rolls only seven, while there are eight of them in the room. Rei points out that someone has to stay behind. Arisu volunteers, the rest leave the venue, and the doors lock.
Rei talking to her mother
The Borderland collapse, and a huge wave washes the players off the platform. They grab onto the metal frame and manage to survive with Arisu's help, hiding inside the game venue. After Arisu saves Usagi, everyone returns to the real world.
Later, Rei is shown to have become successful in animation, as she talks to her mother on the phone, thanking her for watching the show and breaking the news that she is going to participate in a movie production.
Games Played[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The forename Rei is commonly written as "玲" (sound of jewels) or "礼" (courtesy). The exact kanji depend on the official spelling, which is not provided in the show, as the name is written in katakana.
- The surname Morikage can be written as "森影" (mori) (forest) and "影" (kage) (shadow). The exact kanji depend on the official spelling, which is not provided in the show, as the name is written in katakana.
- Rei is a new character that did not appear in the original manga source.
References[]
- ↑ The information about Rei's occupation is presented in the Netflix TUDUM article named "Alice in Borderland Season 3 Ending: Who Is the Joker?"
- ↑ Revealed in the promo materials.