Seven of Hearts

Seven of Hearts

• Manga
• OVA
• Netflix
• Netflix S1
• Netflix S3

Hide and Seek
Information
Difficulty	7
Category	Hearts
Game venue	Botanic Garden
GAME CLEAR	Ryohei Arisu
GAME OVER	Daikichi Karube†, Chota Segawa†, Saori Shibuki†
Debut
Manga	Chapter 11

The Seven of Hearts (ハートの７, Hāto no Nana), also known as Hide and Seek (かくれんぼ, Kakurenbo), is a game featured in Chapter 11-13 of Alice in Borderland.

Players have to participate in a hide-and-seek (one wolf and three lambs) game that takes place in an indoor botanic garden.

Overview

Set-Up

• Location:
  Indoor Botanic Garden
• Player Limit:
  4
• Time Limit:
  10 minutes
• Starting Condition:
  Before the game begins, all players have to equip a headset, which includes an eyepiece and microphone connected to an explosive collar.
• Additional Conditions:
  There is a large array of gardening tools and weapons, any of which may be used.
• Prize:
  Mutton

Rules

• One player is randomly designated as the wolf, and the remaining three players become sheep.
• If the wolf makes eye contact with a sheep, the sensor activates and the sheep becomes the new wolf.
• After a new wolf is selected, the previous player cannot become the wolf again for the next three seconds.
• When the time limit is reached, the collars of all sheep will explode, and the wolf will survive.
• It is GAME CLEAR for the player who is the wolf when the time limit reaches zero.
• It is GAME OVER for the players who are sheep when the time limit reaches zero.

Details

The eyepieces contain an advanced eye-tracking system, which allows the game to function precisely and enables the wolf role to be transferred upon eye contact. Additionally, the headsets include microphones and transmit what each player says to everyone else, adding a psychological element to the game.

The venue is one of the largest Hearts game locations in the series: a massive indoor botanical garden filled with insects, birds, plants, and even lakes. In the entrance hallway, there are two tables: one with a wide variety of weapons and the other with four collars. Once inside the garden, a pathway leads to the central plaza, surrounded by greenery, with a large screen that explains the rules and displays the current status of the game (which player is the wolf and the remaining time). Beyond the plaza is a network of concrete paths, dirt trails, and bridges, many of which intersect, creating a garden that is easy to get lost in. With hundreds of bushes and trees, there are hiding places in every direction.

Solution

Arisu theorizes that there is a solution in every Hearts game that involves no deaths. However, this theory is unconfirmed, and there is no definitive answer for the Seven of Hearts game. The solution was never found by any character in the manga, and Haro Aso declined to provide a conclusive explanation when asked directly.

Fan-made theories

Certain fan theories, although entirely speculative and unconfirmed, have gained notable popularity among readers.

1. Reflection Solution: This theory proposes that all participants should look at one another simultaneously through a reflective surface, which would supposedly cause the headsets to register multiple wolves. However, since the rules specify direct eye contact between two players, a reflection would not satisfy the condition. The reflective workaround would not bypass the headset's tracking, as human binocular vision remains unchanged.
2. Sheep-Cutting Solution: At the start of the game, a pair of hedge clippers is placed on the table. In theory, a player could use them to cut the wire of their collar, preventing the collar from exploding and allowing it to be removed. However, cutting one's own collar would likely be detected as an attempt to remove it, which would trigger an immediate explosion, making this method highly risky.
3. Sheep-Wolf Cutting Solution: A widely discussed theory suggests that cutting the wolf's collar wire is safe, since the wolf's collar does not carry a risk of explosion. In this scenario, the sheep would cut the wire of the current wolf, disabling their collar. The wolf role would then be transferred to another player, and the new wolf's collar would also be cut. Once three players have had their collar wires removed, the process would be complete, since the final remaining player would be the wolf and would not need their own collar disabled. Supporters of this theory point to the rule demonstration illustrations, where the sheep are shown positioned behind the wolf, suggesting the idea of dismantling the wolf's collar rather than hiding behind them.

Strategy

1. Taking the game at face value, the sheep need to trick the current wolf into making eye contact. This is easiest at the beginning of the game, when players are still processing the rules. Once a player becomes the wolf, the optimal strategy is to run and hide. Bringing a weapon can help in emergencies, but direct combat should be avoided, since a single accidental glance at a sheep could immediately cause a role reversal.
   • Weapon choice depends on the player's role. A player acting as the wolf benefits from heavy, defensive weapons. Players acting as sheep benefit from lighter, faster weapons, such as hammers, which allow for quicker pursuit and mobility.
2. Since the game takes place in a large greenhouse, there are many hiding places among the plants.
3. If a sheep corners the wolf with no room to escape and no weapon to defend themselves, the safest option is to shut their eyes, withstand the assault, and wait for the timer to reach zero.

Game Result

Arisu	GAME CLEAR Cleared the game as the wolf	Chota	GAME OVER Was one of the three sheep
Karube	GAME OVER Was one of the three sheep	Shibuki	GAME OVER Was one of the three sheep

Gallery

The group hears the rules

Mutton prize

Arisu blowing up the venue

Trivia

• This game is essentially a reverse form of hide and seek; instead of one person seeking and the rest hiding, one person hides and the rest seek.
• The game is designed by Mira Kano, specifically intended to be played by Arisu and his friends after she observes how close the four of them are.
• Contrary to popular belief, when asked about it on Twitter, Haro Aso never confirmed or denied whether "Hide and Seek" has a no-death solution.
  • Some readers point out that Mira, who designed the game specifically for Arisu and used her role in the Queen of Hearts to provoke him, would have had strong incentive to tell him that he could have saved his friends if a no-death solution existed. Since her goal was to push Arisu into despair and yet she still did not mention any such solution, this may imply that there was no intended alternate solution.
  • On the other hand, if every other Hearts game has had a no-death solution, including both the Nine and Ten of Hearts, which are generally considered more difficult than "Hide and Seek", then it would be reasonable to assume that this game may also have had one.
• In the OVA, Karube's lit cigarette accidentally sets the venue on fire, whereas in the manga Arisu deliberately does so using a lighter.

See also

Games featured in the manga
Clubs [♣]
Spades [♠]
Diamonds [♦]
Hearts [♥]
Others [⚂]	Unknown Cards · Unknown Venues