The Games Have Just Begun

The inhabitants of the beach believe that they live in a kind of safe area … that is, until the beach itself becomes a playground and everyone trapped inside is literally forced to take part in witch hunting. Except, of course, they weren’t “forced” for anything; Instead, when Aguni (Shaw Ayogi) hears the rules of the game, he decides to cut the Gordian knot and starts killing and burning people until the game is over, indicating that the “witch” is dead.

This is a Ten of Hearts game, however, which means that the solution may not be as simple as direct violence – or as easy as killing it by suppressing the fire. After dozens of beach residents had already been killed, Arisu realized that the game could have been won without a single act of violence, as the “witch,” Momoka (Kina Yazaki), was a victim of suicide rather than murder. Like the Seven of Hearts game that Arisu previously played, which resulted in the deaths of his friends, the true anguish of the Witch Hunt game lies in knowing that all the deaths could have been avoided if the players had just paused and moved closer. Rationally the problem.

Even more interesting than the game, however, is the reason Momoka killed himself. As phone camera footage shows the final stages of the “Alice in Borderland” season, Momoka and Asahi (Mizuki Yoshida) came to Borderlands together and were hired as “dealers” – players who secretly work for game masters and perform various tasks. Arrange games and sometimes play against other players (whether they want to or not). Dealers cannot warn other players about their true nature, because when Asahi shows that she confesses to being a dealer and is immediately hit on the head with a laser beam.

Winning Witch Hunt and Ten of Hearts marks the end of Borderland’s quest for all 40 numbered cards in the pack. At this point, Hatter promised Beach residents that he would be allowed to climb and return to the normal world, and that everyone would be able to do the same in their turn. However, Hatter’s theory proved true when players could collect their cards to win the game, while the part about the game being “perfect” after winning all 40 numbered cards was absolutely off-base. In fact, all the rest of the players have made it to the next level.