The Borderlands in Alice in Borderland are implied to be created and overseen by a mysterious entity known as the Joker , but the story keeps this figure deliberately ambiguous rather than giving a clear, concrete origin.

Quick Scoop

  • In the manga , the Joker appears at the end as a shadowy, humanoid figure sometimes called the “Watchman” of the Borderland.
  • The Joker is described not as a god or ruler, but as an intermediary that exists in the gap between life and death , maintaining that realm where people’s consciousness gathers when they are on the verge of dying.
  • Because of that, the Borderlands are less like a man‑made game world and more like a liminal space or “waiting room” where souls are tested before returning to life or passing on.

So who “created” it?

The story never outright states a human mastermind who literally built the Borderlands from scratch; instead, it hints that:

  • The Joker is the one who “set up” or sustains this high-dimensional realm between life and death, which is why many fans credit the Joker as the creator of the Borderlands.
  • In spin-off material and discussions, the Borderlands are often described as a natural border between worlds , with the Joker functioning as its keeper rather than a typical villain mastermind.

In the Netflix series , the focus is more grounded:

  • Mira (Queen of Hearts) is revealed as the main architect and manipulator of the games themselves, designing and running many of the deadly challenges, but she is not portrayed as the ultimate creator of the Borderlands as a metaphysical realm.

Story view vs fan theories

Fans and readers tend to fall into two main viewpoints:

  • Text-based view (from the manga):
    • The Borderlands are the border between life and death , and the Joker, as Watchman, is their closest thing to a creator or custodian.
  • Mythic/metaphorical view:
    • The Borderlands “exist” to test a person’s will to live and their sense of meaning; in that sense, some interpret the “creator” as fate, God, or the collective human unconscious rather than any one character.

Because the author never spells it out with scientific detail, the mystery is intentional: the Joker is the credited in‑story origin figure , but the ultimate “who made this place?” is left partially unanswered.

TL;DR:
The Borderlands are a liminal world between life and death, overseen by the enigmatic Joker , who is implied to have created or at least maintains that realm, while characters like Mira only create and manage the individual games inside it.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.