| This article is about the character, Alice. You may be looking for her twin sister Alice, Alice (Chapter) or Alice&Oz. |
| “ | I won't let anyone take what's mine! I'll protect you until the very end! | ” |
—Retrace LXXIV: Broken Rabbit | ||
Alice (アリス, Arisu) was the heroine of Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. She met Oz Vessalius, the story's protagonist, after he had been dropped into Abyss. The two formed an Illegal Contract, unsealing Alice's power as the B-Rabbit and allowing the two of them to escape the Abyss. They would then work for Pandora, a government research organization, under threat of arrest. Pressured to release Oz from his contract, Alice revealed her desire to escape Abyss was in hope of regaining her lost memories. She agreed to terminate her contract with Oz once her memories were recovered.
She, along with Oz, and his childhood friend Gilbert Nightray, were the central protagonists of Pandora Hearts.
Uwaaaaah! That is such a spoiler!
This article contains plot and/or ending details for Pandora Hearts.
Read at your own risk.
In truth, Alice was not a Chain, but the human child of Lacie and Levi Baskerville. Her birth was part of an experiment created by generations of Glen Baskervilles, hoping to gain control of Abyss by providing its Core with a physical body. As a young child, Lacie agreed to her guardian's request to impregnate her before her impending execution as a Child of Ill Omen, in hopes that a child would allow the Core companionship after her death. Upon Lacie's death, the Core took what was in Lacie's womb and raised them in her own, becoming the surrogate mother to her children. Alice was birthed a few days later, along with her twin sister/alternate self the Intention of the Abyss, though the union was not meant to have produced twins. Her aging accelerated due to having been born from a place unbound by time, she was raised by her mother's brother, Oswald, now the new Glen, alongside Gilbert and his younger brother Vincent, another Child of Ill Omen.
As her birth was a taboo, the only person Alice was allowed to see outside her surrogate family was Oswald's best friend, Jack Vessalius. She thus became very attached to her stuffed rabbit Oz, a gift left behind by her mother. After Jack destroyed Oz, Alice developed an intense hatred and distrust for him. This led to an antagonistic relationship between her and her sister, who grew increasingly obsessed with Jack, believing him to be the only person who did not hate her. When Alice's fears culminated during the Tragedy of Sablier and Jack demanded that she allow him to meet her sister, Alice committed suicide, destroying the physical body of both herself and the Intention. She then absorbed the power of Oz the B-Rabbit, who had become Jack's Chain, in hopes of using his power to destroy her sister's memories of Jack and prevent them from reuniting. The Core interfered with this, not wishing harm to come to the Intention of Abyss, and thus Alice's memories were given to her sister once she tore apart the Intention's memories and killed Jack. Alice was subsequently left with no knowledge of her identity, excluding her name and the misplaced conviction that she was the B-Rabbit.
Contents
Appearance
As a human, Alice took the appearance of an adolescent girl with purple eyes and long, dark hair. A cowlick turned up at either side of her head, giving the appearance of devil horns. Two long plaits descended from behind her, each ending in a chained hairpiece. Her hair is sometimes painted as black, and sometimes as brown. She stood at only 150cm (4'11"). Jun Mochizuki notes her defining feature as her shapely legs, followed by her quickly changing expressions.
Her outfit for most of the series consisted of a long, red coat with white details, a white shirt with a large white bow, a black miniskirt, and white laced boots. Prior to the Tragedy of Sablier, Alice would wear a black dress to differentiate herself from her sister, but otherwise looked the same.
As the B-Rabbit, she took the form of a large, somewhat anthropomorphized rabbit with black fur and red eyes. This form was sometimes given more predatory features, such as sharp teeth and a muscular frame. In this form, she wore the red and white checkered coat as seen in Alice's normal outfit, and wielded a large, black scythe.
Personality
Alice was initially presented as an enigmatic, sardonic girl with an inclination towards violence that characterized her as beyond humanity. She is shown to be somewhat casually cruel, domineering, and assertive. No matter the situation, Alice would plainly express her thoughts, even if this did not serve her well. On occasion she would experience mood swings, suddenly expressing deep sadness or joy before returning to a neutral state only a few minutes later. Violence appeared to be cathartic to her, many of her early appearances characterizing her as rude and somewhat sadistic. Her quest for identity drove her to great lengths, deliberately manipulating Oz and even taking Sharon hostage to achieve her ends.
Alice doesn't know what friends are.
However, unlike nearly all Chains, Alice felt no drive to kill. When interrogated by Xerxes Break, she remarked she did not kill or eat humans simply because she did not want to, and the thought had never struck her until Break brought it up. Instead, Alice appeared to be a normal adolescent girl, if a rather pugnacious and tomboyish one. While her aggressive manner and desire for domination were certainly important parts of her character, her childishness made it plain she was not a true threat to humans as a whole.
Alice behaves brashly towards her superiors.
Instead, Alice was frequently characterized by her naivety, being completely unaware of even basic concepts such as friendship, family, romance, or sex. Alice had a habit of interpreting things in an overly literal manner, or asserting expertise in areas she knew nothing about. This innocence contributed to Alice's lack of self-image, and Alice would, at times, become deeply insecure. It was through Oz's love and support for her that Alice was able to remain faithful to her own emotions, despite Alice's tendency to self-aggrandize.
Nonetheless, Oz's support proved invaluable to her, and Alice was able to stay true to who she was. This allowed her to eventually recuperate her relationship with the Intention of the Abyss, her twin sister and alternate self. Oz's respect and platonic love for her facilitated her warming up to Gilbert Nightray, whom she had been at odds with. Alice always felt for others to the fullest capacity, and though she often had difficulty articulating this, she loved her companions far beyond their usefulness to her. In fact, Alice was extremely protective of those she thought "belonged" to her, as in the cases of her sister and Oz, to the point of taking her own life to save them.
Alice lacks table manners.
She and the Intention of the Abyss were repeatedly stated to be two versions of the same person, though this relationship and its implications for Alice's character are never explicitly elaborated on. Of the two sisters, Alice was far more disconnected from romance and femininity, ignoring these concepts entirely in favor of protecting her sister, Oz, and herself. She at times expressed a deep loathing for the Intention of Abyss, and had this hatred reciprocated, but ultimately did everything in her power to protect her.
Abilities and Powers
Alice communicates through direct means.
As a Chain
Alice was, in theory, extraordinarily powerful while using the powers of the B-Rabbit, and is repeatedly demonstrated to be one of the most formidable combatants in the series. It is unclear whether she could use the full extent of the B-Rabbit's powers, but even what limited abilities she used made her frighteningly competent.
Alice as the B-Rabbit
Transformation - If Alice did not or could not transform into the B-Rabbit, such as when her power was sealed by the Raven, she was only as capable as a normal adolescent girl. By transforming into the B-Rabbit's true form, a large, anthropomorphic black rabbit, she could use a wider range of powers.
Weapon Summoning - She was able to manifest a large, red scythe which she could manipulate intuitively.
Chain Summoning - She was able to summon thick, pointed chains, which could be used as a projectile weapon.
Invulnerability - Like all Chains, Alice was invulnerable to most physical attacks in her rabbit form.
- Possession - In one of her early appearances, Alice takes possession of Oz, her contractor. She never uses this ability again, and it is unclear whether she was able to use this ability under normal circumstances.
As a Human
Interplanar Travel - Prior to Alice's suicide, she was able to switch bodies with her twin sister and alternate self, the Intention of Abyss. This allowed her to freely move between the material world and Abyss, though whenever she left her original body in the material world, her sister would come to replace her. Once her body in the material world was destroyed, this was no longer possible for her.
Interplanar Communication - Alice was capable of communing spiritually with the Intention of Abyss, as her alternate self. This communication appeared to continue after Alice's suicide and subsequent memory loss, though less frequently, due to her increasingly antagonistic relationship with her sister.
Telepathy between Alice and The Intention in Cheshire's Dimension
Quotes
To Oz
- "I'm in a contract with you. You are my manservant, and as a manservant, what were you thinking, leaving me behind!?"
- "In the book Sharon showed me, there was a man who became more energetic after his cheeks were bitten!!
- "I'll protect you with my own hands!"
- "You've been by our side since the beginning. Having you with me...made me extremely happy. Thank you..."
- "Don't worry, Alice and I, we are one and the same....But you...are mine."
- " If you don't get accepted by anyone, does that mean there's no significance for you to live on?"
- " Oz! You're a special person to me. You're a very good friend. So please... promise me that...When I'm in trouble... or if there are people that want to hurt me...you will... come and save me. I love you, Oz. "
- "Even I can tell... that being alone makes you cold. You must be sad that the brat's feeling alone, then?"
To Jack
- "I'm not sure... what's going on... but I could hear Oz's sorrowful voice...calling me over and over again, And I bet you're the one to blame for that, Jack! Get out of that body this instant, There's only one person in this world who's allowed to make Oz cry. and that's me!"
- "I won't let anyone take away what is mine!"
- "What? You didn't expect me to put on one of her white dresses and wait for you, did you?"
- "If I can remember who you are... Then I can know who I am... Just who am I?"
- "Jack! I'll never forgive you! NEVER! EVER!"
- "Can't you see it? Can't you hear it? Can't you see Oz screaming through his tears?!!"
To Oswald
- "Yes, she hates you so I took the opportunity to switch places with her!"
- "You set a bad example. If you want me to speak more elegantly, you should watch your own mouth!"
To Rufus Barma
- "But I will seek for it... the reason why I exist. In order to continue being who I am now! If fear clings on to me, then I will bring the fear with me! Snatch whatever I want! Beat up whoever's in my way!! This is who I am now--- The Blood-Stained Black Rabbit, Alice!!! Permanently mark this up in your so-called knowledge!! You disgusting looking meatball!!!"
To Herself
- "I'm scared that I'm not human. I'm scared that I'm different from other chains... I fear the things I don't know. I fear the things I already knew... and at every moment... I always... more than anyone... fear myself the most!"
- "If this body disappears... Jack won't be able to meddle with her anymore. And Oz and Alice won't have to suffer anymore."
Appearances
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia
- Alice's zodiac is Cancer.
- Her character song is called Kinjirareta Asobi.
- Her likes are, in order: beef, chicken, and pork. She dislikes the Intention of the Abyss.
- Her skills include dance, kick attacks, and looking down on others. She is weak when it comes to coffee and bitter foods.
- Where confusion may arise as to which version of Alice is being referenced, this Alice is usually called "Black Alice" (黒アリス, Kuro Arisu) in Japanese.
- According to the Official Guide Book Pandora Hearts 8.5: Mine of Mine, Alice was originally meant to wear trousers. However, this version of her design was considered too masculine, and she was given a short skirt instead.
- In the one-shot version of Pandora Hearts, she and Ada were the same character, making her Oz's younger sister by blood.
Alice's profile from vol. 18.5 ~Evidence~.
- Alice does not hold alcohol well.
- Alice nicknames almost everyone she meets. Some examples are "Seaweed Head" (Gilbert), "Shaggy Glasses" or "Four-Eyes" (Leo), "Clown" (Break), "Mole" (Elliot), and "Brat" (Phillipe).
- "Alice" is an anagram of "Lacie," a bit of wordplay used in the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- `Once upon a time there were three little sisters,' the Dormouse began in a great hurry; `and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--'
- Alice is the third shortest character, after Lily and the eight-year-old Ada.
