If You Loved Alice in Borderland, Don’t Miss These Other Gripping Japanese Survival Films

Japan has produced many intense and captivating survival-themed movies that rival the suspense and brilliance of Alice in Borderland.

After the recent release of its third season, Alice in Borderland once again set the internet ablaze with its high-stakes death games and psychological tension. Viewers followed Arisu and Usagi through perilous rounds as they fought to return to the real world — and in doing so, uncovered new truths about the mysterious “Borderland,” which might not be so illusory after all.

If you’ve fallen for Alice in Borderland and still crave more Japanese survival stories, here are some must-watch titles you should definitely add to your list.

Battle Royale

Released in 2000, Battle Royale is considered the “godfather” of Japanese survival films. Adapted from Koushun Takami’s novel of the same name, the movie follows 42 high school students stranded on a remote island. Their mission is brutally simple: eliminate each other until only one remains alive within three days.

Upon release, the film sparked major controversy for its shocking violence and was banned in Japan and internationally for nearly a decade. In 2009, director Quentin Tarantino publicly declared Battle Royale one of his favorite films, which reignited global interest. The movie also went on to inspire modern survival games such as PUBG and Free Fire.

The Werewolf Game

The popular party game Werewolf has also been adapted into a Japanese movie series — in fact, a whole franchise of eight films and one TV adaptation. Typically, 10 participants are gathered to play the deadly game, where they must identify who among them are villagers and who are wolves. Each “night,” at least one person is killed — for real.

The 2014 installment The Beast Side gained attention for featuring Tao Tsuchiya — the actress who plays Usagi in Alice in Borderland. Uniquely, this version centers on a protagonist who’s actually a “wolf,” forced to slaughter all the villagers to survive.

As the Gods Will

Premiering in 2014, As the Gods Will became a phenomenon thanks to its creative storyline and terrifying survival games that challenge both mental and physical strength. The film begins with protagonist Shun as the sole survivor of a mysterious classroom massacre, after being forced into a deadly children’s game. He is then dragged into even deadlier rounds designed to determine humanity’s next “chosen one.”

Interestingly, As the Gods Will features Nijiro Murakami — the actor who plays the cunning Chishiya in Alice in Borderland. The movie stands out for transforming traditional Japanese children’s games into lethal survival challenges, a concept later echoed in Squid Game.

Tomodachi Game (Friendship Game)

Another brilliant entry in the survival genre, Tomodachi Game (literally “Friendship Game”) has both anime and live-action adaptations that stay faithful to the manga’s spirit. It follows a group of five students forced into a series of psychological challenges to erase a massive debt owed by one of them.

Unlike Battle Royale’s physical carnage, Tomodachi Game focuses on mind games and manipulation. Friendship and trust are put to the ultimate test — and as greed creeps in, allies turn on one another, leading to shocking betrayals and emotional breakdowns.

Liar Game

If Battle Royale is the pinnacle of physical survival, Liar Game reigns supreme in the world of psychological warfare. Adapted into a drama in 2007, it revolves around a debt-erasing game where contestants must deceive and outsmart each other to win large sums of money.

The story centers on Kanzaki Nao, a naive and honest girl who accidentally becomes involved and nearly ends up owing 100 million yen — until she’s rescued by Akiyama Shinichi, a genius con artist who once bankrupted an entire corporation with a single pen. Together, they advance through multiple rounds, determined to help others escape debt while uncovering the mastermind behind the “Liar Game.”