Volume 1 of Alice in Borderland (今際の国のアリス, Imawa no Kuni no Arisu) is part of the manga series written and illustrated by Haro Aso.
Overview[]
Arisu, Karube and Chota are displeased with their lives. One day, they are suddenly transported to an abandoned Tokyo after witnessing mysterious fireworks. Believing it to be a dream, they meet Saori Shibuki and are forced into their first deadly game. After barely surviving, they learn that their survival in Borderland depends on continuing to play.
Chapters[]
- Chapter 1, "Alice in Borderland"
- Chapter 2, "Three of Clubs, Part 1"
- Chapter 3, "Three of Clubs, Part 2"
- Chapter 4, "Visa"
Summary[]
Ryohei Arisu feels trapped in his boring life, so he spends his time on video games instead of studying. After reflecting on how ordinary he is, he meets with his friends Chota Segawa, a classmate, and Daikichi Karube, the owner of a small bar. The three discuss their aimless futures, and Arisu jokes that he will only become responsible if the world ends. Late that night, they walk through Shibuya and see what appear to be fireworks at 4AM. A blinding explosion follows, and they get transported into an empty version of Tokyo covered in dust.
Believing they may be dreaming, they wander the empty streets and walk into a summer festival, where they encounter Saori Shibuki, who warns them that they are now participants of a deadly game. Their first challenge, the Three of Clubs game, requires each player to draw a paper fortune and answer a question. Wrong answers result in a deadly rain of flaming arrows. Shibuki's calmness contrasts with Arisu's panic as they realize the scale of the danger. After several close calls, Arisu deduces the hidden logic behind the game and leads the group to safety, successfully clearing it.
A machine issues each survivor a playing card and a printed "visa", allowing them to sped the next three days in Borderland. Shibuki reveals what she knows about this world, where people who saw the same fireworks must play games to survive. At the hospital where they treat Chota's wounds, she warns the boys that failure or inaction results in death. At midnight, multiple lasers come down from the sky, killing all the players whose visas have expired, including the one Arisu sees in a closed room. The rules of the world become clear.