The Psychology of Decision-Making in the TV Series Alice in Borderland

Netflix, season1, episode 8

In the Netflix series Alice in Borderland, the main character, Ryohei Arisu, and his friends are thrust into a strange, violent, and lethally dangerous parallel reality. The series is based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. So far, two seasons have been released, and Netflix has just announced a third season. In the world of the series—Borderland—staying alive requires playing sadistic and deadly games. But playing alone is not enough; you also have to win. In this blog post, I focus on the psychology of decision-making as portrayed in seasons 1 and 2. The third season is set to premiere in the fall of 2025. This text contains plot spoilers, so I recommend watching the series before reading further.

 

The first significant decision has already been made for the participants. They were never asked whether they wanted to enter this parallel world. They were transported there, and at first, they didn’t even understand what was happening. The second major decision concerns whether to take part in the games. For many, refusing to play isn’t really a viable option—those who don’t participate die within a few days. By playing, participants extend their Borderland visas by a few days. If a visa expires, the player is killed. So, while refusing to play is a poor choice, it is still technically a choice. This existential dilemma pits certain death against participating in a sadistic game with a high risk of death and the potential for severe psychological trauma. Faced with the need to choose between death and participation, players begin to reflect on the meaning of their own lives.

 

The third type of decision is moral and concerns how players treat others during the games. Some focus entirely on maximizing their own chances of survival. Others are selfless and try to help fellow players. The protagonist, Arisu, clearly belongs to the latter group. He wants to help others survive. This seems to be a question of self-respect, which is challenging to maintain in dehumanizing circumstances. Those who survive at any cost, disregarding others, are forced to suppress the voice of their conscience afterward. It comes down to the price one is willing to pay for their own survival. Are you willing, for example, to kill another person to stay alive? How can you weigh the value of your own life against the lives of others?

 

The fourth kind of decision is ontological—it relates to one’s understanding of the entire situation and how one relates to reality. Does a person accept this new parallel world as it is, or do they seek to uncover what is real and what isn’t? Some people appear to surrender and take the new world as an unavoidable reality. But Arisu struggles to understand the game and the motives of those who created it. He is not content with merely surviving—he actively searches for answers. He wants to understand what’s happening and why he ended up in this situation. This leads him to reflect on his own existence and the nature of reality.

 

The fifth type of decision concerns ultimate goals—what a person truly wants. As in many other dystopian series, books, and films, there’s a recurring theme: the desire to return home, even if home was an imperfect place. In Alice in Borderland, the meaning of returning home varies greatly between characters. Even though Arisu and his two friends may have been underachievers in their real lives, they genuinely want to return. Perhaps going home represents a chance to correct past mistakes and start over. For others, Borderland offers an escape from the constraints of normal society. Some people even thrive in this new world in ways they never could. One example is a transgender girl who was not accepted in the real world but who is seen as a beautiful girl in the parallel one. Another is a deranged serial killer who has no place in the real world and doesn’t even want to return. These differing desires regarding return shape the characters’ decisions radically differently.

 

In addition to these philosophical dilemmas, players are constantly forced to make tactical decisions in the games—usually without any knowledge of the consequences. There is little time for regret, as wrong choices often lead to death. Watching how players weigh different options and choose their actions is fascinating. Alice in Borderland prompts viewers to consider how they might act in such situations—what moral code they would follow and what meaning they place on their lives. 

 

The series offers compelling material for anyone interested in decision-making. I highly recommend it.