Alice in Borderland characters have direct or indirect counterparts of the classic Alice in Wonderland story by Lewis Carroll, shared by either their personalities, the clothes they wear, or both.
From the lead character Arisu being the counterpart for Alice to Chishiya as the counterpart for the Chesire Cat, characters in Borderland share similarities to their Wonderland counterparts. In the original story, Alice ends up in Wonderland after falling down a rabbit hole and meets a wide variety of characters on her quest to get home.
This is similar to what happens in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the Alice in Borderland manga by Haro Aso. Alice in Borderland follows the story of a Japanese man named Arisu as he goes through Borderland, a virtual reality of Tokyo. Unlike the original fairy tale, Alice in Borderland‘s characters face more violence and death in their version of Wonderland but keep to the same principles as the original story.
Out of the many characters featured in Alice in Borderland, some have counterparts that are from the original story that inspired the manga.
Arisu Ryohei Is Alice
Portrayed By Kento Yamazaki
Arisu is the main character in Alice in Borderland. In Japanese, Arisu’s name is the phonetic version of Alice. Like the main protagonist in the original Alice in Wonderland fairy tale, Arisu walks into an alternate version of Tokyo known as Borderland or, in Alice’s case, falling down the rabbit hole.
Like Alice, Arisu goes through multiple games to survive Borderland just like Alice goes through challenges in Wonderland to get back home. While Arisu’s version of Borderland involves fights to the death, Alice’s version is more psychological than deadly.
Arisu’s version of Borderland is based on an alternate plane of existence, similar to Alice’s Wonderland. Arisu also wakes up from Borderland wiser and more aware of his surroundings.
While he is not a child going through Borderland, his curiosity, and determination to finish the games mirrors Alice’s curiosity to find out what the white rabbit is up to as well as to find her way home.
Usagi Is The Rabbit
Portrayed By Tao Tsuchiya
While the Rabbit never falls in love with Alice in Wonderland, it is because of him that Alice ends up in Wonderland in the first place. In Alice in Borderland, Usagi is a skilled player and is often involved in a lot of the action in the show.
It also helps that the word “usagi” is Japanese for rabbit, describing Usagi’s personality well. The rabbit in Alice in Wonderland is constantly on the move, determined not to be late for anything and always being chased by a curious Alice.
Arisu is always chasing after Usagi and, since she is a trained runner, it is not easy for him to keep up with her. This was actually more pronounced in the book. In the second chapter, Arisu is in a deep depression.
When Alice asks for help, the rabbit runs away and hides from her. This lines up with Alice in Borderland, where Usagi sees Arisu and also leaves and hides away. However, the two give each other the strength to play the games again and accept their reality, which is the role the rabbit plays in the story.
Takeru Danma “The Hatter” is the Mad Hatter
Portrayed by Nobuaki Kaneko
Just as the name suggests, Takeru Danma, or “The Hatter,” is the counterpart of the Mad Hatter. He constantly throws parties to help distract from the downbeat drudgery of the games and builds his escape, known as The Beach.
Like the Mad Hatter’s constant tea parties and “unbirthdays,” The Beach is an escape for those who do not want to deal with the reality of death and violence in Borderland.
Borderland’s Hatter is willing to do anything to keep The Beach going, even if it means killing people to keep up the facade of parties. In Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter asks riddles, but does not know the answers.
This is also similar to The Hatter in Alice in Borderland, who also doesn’t have the answers and does not know how to escape the game’s world. However, in both cases, the Hatters pretend to know the answers, and this leads people to follow them in both instances.
Chishiya Is The Cheshire Cat
Portrayed By Nijirō Murakami
Chishiya is the counterpart of the Chesire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Mysterious, quiet, and full of riddles, Alice in Borderland‘s Chishiya teams up with Kuina to steal the Hatter’s deck of cards in season 1.
Like the Alice in Wonderland character, Chishiya gives out riddles and is very mysterious, sometimes being a troublemaker for Arisu as he makes his way through the games. Just as the Chesire Cat’s true motives are unknown and often leave people baffled, Chishiya’s true allegiances are not revealed at first.
However, in Japanese, his name means “fatal.” The atmosphere that Chishiya causes is also a strong similarity to the Cheshire Cat, as he often shows up when no one expects it, and strongly influences the mood of the scene and the people around him. He is often able to blend in and not stand out, allowing him to manipulate the situation.
Mira Kanō Is The Queen Of Hearts
Portrayed By Riisa Naka
Introduced in Alice in Borderland season 2, this icy woman is revealed to be one of the brains behind the games in Borderland. Mira is Japanese for “queen” and she lives up to that role with no problem at all.
Her role as the Queen of Hearts parallels the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Like her Alice in Wonderland counterpart, Mira’s chosen game in the Queen of Hearts game is “croquet,” one of the best games in Alice in Borderland.
With plenty of psychological undertones in place, Mira’s croquet game tests Arisu to his limits and nearly breaks him.Much like the Queen, Mira is also very manipulative, as her main goal is to convince Arisu to retire from the competition and even causes hallucinations to achieve this goal.
As the revealed Game Master, she was clearly the Queen of Hearts from the start, but unlike her counterpart in Wonderland, she is much more calm and cunning.
Militants Are The Card Soldiers
The Beach’s Militants Are Initially Loyal To The Directors
For every evil Queen, there are minions ready to do her bidding and this Queen is no different when it comes to her soldiers. The Beach’s militants in Alice in Borderland are initially loyal to the directors, one of whom was the Queen of Hearts.
Similar to their Alice in Wonderland counterparts, some of the Militants have a card suit on their clothes to represent their status in the games and what games they are involved with.
In Alice in Wonderland, the Card Soldiers are loyal, obedient, and oftentimes cunning soldiers who always obey their Queen’s orders. They also do so out of fear of retribution rather than loyalty.
When looking at the people on The Beach in Alice in Borderland, it is clear they are there out of fear, as they don’t want to die, but want to somehow find a way out of the game. They follow orders and do as they are told in the hope that it will one day pay off for them.
Kuina Is The Caterpillar
Portrayed By Aya Asahina
Similar to Absolum the Caterpillar in the original story, Kuina is almost always seen smoking and solving game problems in Borderland. Absolum is seen smoking and has an obsession with mushrooms, and he gives cryptic clues to Alice to help her get out of Wonderland and figure out how to get back to her normal height.
While there is no shrinking in Alice in Borderland, Kuina helps out her allies and gets them out of a situation safely, sometimes even stealing to achieve her goals. There were some thoughts that Kuina could have been the White Queen based on her name.
However, since Alice in Borderland is based on Alice in Wonderland and not Alice Through the Looking Glass, she is the Caterpillar, both in appearance, and in her actions and habits. Her positive portrayal of a transgender individual also fits the change of a caterpillar.
Niragi Is The March Hare
Portrayed By Dori Sakurada
Niragi represents the March Hare, a firecracker character who acts on impulse and drives Alice crazy during her time in Wonderland. Ironically, he almost died by fire in season 1.
Niragi eventually returns despite being badly injured by Chishiya and continues to cause a lot of trouble, making him one of the most lethal and vile parts of Borderland. While the March Hare is mostly harmless in the original story, his way of doing things is enough to drive Alice away just like Niragi.
This makes him the equivalent of the Alice in Wonderland character, but on a very different level. He is a lethal human version of the hare, who was mostly just the cause of trickery in the story.
Instead of using the tricks of the Hare, he uses violence and anger to solve his problems, although that is almost always to his detriment in Alice in Borderland. He fits the entire description of “mad as a March hare” in Borderland, even more so than in Wonderland.
Ann Is The White Queen
Portrayed By Ayaka Miyoshi
Wearing a white shirt and known for her perspective attitude on the games, Ann represents Alice in Wonderland’s White Queen. As a forensic scientist pre-Borderland, Ann uses forensic methods to examine the games and help Arisu and his allies get through them, especially the Witch Hunt.
Ann’s voice of reason mimics the White Queen’s all-knowing wisdom and aptitude for problem-solving. While the white shirt as a visual reference is a big part of her character’s adaptation from Alice Through the Looking Glass, she is also the voice of reason and the one person who is calmly and methodically trying to figure out how to get through the game.
She also examines her evidence and ensures that she helps others along the way. While the White Queen didn’t appear in Alice in Wonderland, the Borderland show found a way to include her anyway.
Ann also returns in Alice in Borderland season 3, and, yet again, proves to be both a guiding force and voice of wisdom for Arisu. She helps him return to the Borderlands to save Usagi and even protects him from Banda.
Chota & Karube Are Tweedledee & Tweedledum
Portrayed By Yuki Morinaga & Keita Machida
Aristu’s two best friends, Chota and Karube, are always working in sync, similar to Tweedledee and Tweedledum from Alice in Wonderland. Like the twins from the original story, Chota and Karube tend to argue with one another, but always playfully.
In the original Lewis Carroll story, the twins tell Alice the story of the walrus and the carpenter. In Alice in Borderland, Karube bears a resemblance to the walrus’ trickster behavior while Chota works hard to get what he wants, like the carpenter. While they may not look alike, the two are best friends and willing to sacrifice themselves for Aristu during the game of Hide and Seek.
In both Alice in Wonderland and Alice in Borderland, they often provide a bit of comic moments to ease the tension. However, they are also beloved characters who both the readers/viewers and the other characters want to see survive.
Alice In Borderland Season 3 Introduces A New Alice
She Could Be Arisu’s Replacement In A Potential Reboot
Arisu and Usagi’s arc reaches a well-rounded conclusion towards the end of Alice in Borderland season 3. However, the show hints that it still has more stories to tell and more parallels to draw to Alice in Wonderland.
Did You Know: For the week of September 29 to October 5, 2025, all three Alice in Borderland seasons held places on Netflix’s Top 10 list of Non-English TV shows.
Before the season’s credits start rolling, it hints that an imminent global disaster will send many humans to the world between life and death. It also features a final sequence that unfolds in the US, where a waitress named Alice is hinted to be the next protagonist.
Alice in Borderland reveals nothing about this new character, but it seems like she could be the lead of a potential American reboot of the Japanese series. Like Arisu, she, too, will end up in the titular Borderlands and become an effective allegory for the main character from the Lewis Carroll story.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
