What Is the Meaning of the Joker Card in Alice in Borderland? Explained

Season 2 of Alice In Borderland finally gave us answers to questions that we had in our heads ever since the first season. While we do understand what happened to Arisu and the others and what the nature of the Borderlands is, we were once again peppered with a more serious question in relation to the people or entities behind the Borderlands. This happened when we saw a Joker card that appeared at the end of the season. So, what is the meaning of the Joker card in Alice In Borderland?

The Joker card is an enigmatic entity that is shrouded in mystery, as the series is yet to show who or what this being is. In the manga, Joker appeared before Arisu and Usagi before they returned to the real world after refusing permanent residency in the Borderlands, as they believed him to be a god.

With the appearance of the Joker card at the end of season 2, it is possible that there are more things in store for Arisu and his friends, especially if there’s going to be a second season of Alice In Borderland. Even in the manga, the Joker is still shrouded in mystery, as we hardly know anything about it. So, with that said, let’s look at what or who the Joker card could be.

What/Who Is The Joker Card In Alice In Borderland?

While season 1 of Alice In Borderland focused more on introducing to us what Arisu and the others were forced to do in the Borderlands, season 2 focused more on introducing to us the Face cards. The second season also allowed us to see more of the nature of the Borderlands, as Arisu and the others tried to learn more about what’s in store for them in this mysterious land while they were up against the Face cards.

Of course, Arisu and Usagi were successful in beating the Borderlands when they cleared the Queen of Hearts game and defeated the Queen of Hearts, who happened to be Mira. Throughout the game against Mira, Arisu was tricked by the Queen of Hearts with several possibilities of what the Borderlands could be. But it was only after Arisu and Usagi defeated her that we finally learned more about the Borderlands.

When all of the games were cleared, the survivors were given the option to either stay in the Borderlands as permanent residents or return to the real world. Arisu and his allies chose to return to the real world, and that was when we learned what had happened to them.

The truth was that Arisu and all of the other players in the Borderlands were caught up in a real-world meteorite strike that destroyed a huge chunk of Shibuya and injured a lot of people. In fact, the injured people were caught between life and death, as they were brought to the Borderlands, which is suggested as the land that is between life and death. As such, the games that Arisu and the others were forced to play were what determined whether or not they would survive their life-threatening injuries in the real world, as we saw that all of the survivors in the Borderlands were alive in the real world but were unable to remember the things that they went through in the parallel world.

The ending was happy, although Arisu learned that neither Chōta nor Karube survived the meteorite accident. He was finally able to meet Usagi in the real world, as all of the other characters were able to find joy in the fact that they lived through a life-threatening situation. But a bigger mystery unfolded right at the end of the season.

A table with cards scattered on it was seen. All of the other cards started flying due to the wind. But the only card remaining was the Joker card, which has always been seen as an outlier in a deck of cards due to how it doesn’t belong to any suit and doesn’t have an exact purpose in most games. So, what or who is the Joker card?

At this point, we can’t say for sure what or who the Joker card is because there haven’t been any clues in relation to the nature of this card. But the manga has allowed us to learn more about what this card is and what it could be.

In the manga, when Arisu and Usagi defeated the Queen of Hearts and refused permanent residency in the Borderlands so that they could return to the real world, they met a mysterious entity called the Joker. This enigmatic figure didn’t say much, but Arisu thought that he could be the god of the Borderlands or even the Devil himself.

However, the Joker asks Arisu whether he sees him as a god or a Devil, and that is what leads him to think that he could be neither. Instead, Arisu thought that the Joker could be the ferryman that leads the dead to the afterlife, as the Borderlands is a place that’s between life and death. In that regard, the Joker most likely appears to ferry the dead to the afterlife after the players clear an entire suit of cards and have made their decision to either stay in the Borderlands or return to the real world.

What Does The Joker Card Mean?

At this point, we are uncertain what the Joker card represents or who the Joker is. But the possibilities are still out there, as there is a good chance that he is indeed the ferryman that guides the dead players to the afterlife. Then again, we are unsure of this because a lot of things are still possible.

In any card game, the Joker card has always been an outlier because how it doesn’t belong to any suit and has no exact purpose. As such, some games don’t even include the Joker card as a true part of a deck of 52 cards due to how enigmatic this card is. And there is a good chance that this is what the Joker card is in Alice In Borderland—an enigmatic figure with a purpose or identity that will forever be shrouded in mystery and is perhaps beyond the understanding of humans.

Of course, Alice In Borderland: Retry is a manga sequel that is a direct follow-up to Alice In Borderland. It features only one game that focuses on game theory. However, the story of the Joker was not explored in this one-shot. There is also a manga series called Alice On Border Road, and it features new characters in a world that is yet to be confirmed whether or not it is similar to the world of Alice In Borderland. 

If season 3 were to happen, there is a good chance that the story and identity of the Joker would be explored in a follow-up storyline. But, as of the moment, the nature of the joker card is still an enigma as we don’t know what it could mean for the future of Alice In Borderland or whether or not it could actually serve a purpose for the future of the series.