Queen of Hearts

Queen of Hearts
ハートの女王, Hāto no Joō
Title
Queen of Wonderland
Personal Information
Alias	Joker (ジョーカー, Jōkā)
Gender	Male
Height	174 cm
Hair	Black
Eyes	Mauve
Status	Alive
Nationality	Wonderland
Occupation	Entertainer (Former) Queen
Debut
Manga	Chapter 1
Voice Actor
Drama CD	Tōru Ōkawa
Relationships
Aide-de-camp	Knave of Hearts
Concubines	Trump Soldiers

The Queen of Hearts (ハートの女王, Hāto no Joō) is the monarch of Wonderland and the enforcer of rules in Wonderland, executing those who do not obey. He also, technically, sets the game in motion and is in charge of telling Alice how to win the game.

Background

The Queen of Hearts as an entertainer in the past

In his past, the Queen either worked for or often came to a casino, playing cards with rich men and flirting with women. However, he took to killing women who fancied him via decapitation, making a total of 52 kills. He chose the number specifically for it being the number of cards in a deck missing the Joker; for this era of his life, the Queen often thought of himself as the Joker, a man who was unusual compared to everyone else. Presumably, it was during this era that the Queen grew to hate the colour red, which he associated with blood. When he wandered into Wonderland, the White Rabbit gave him the title of the Queen of Hearts, something which did not change how he felt about life. Believing his sorrow was unmatched by anyone living in Wonderland, he soon realized he was not the "Joker", as he was more normal than anyone else in Wonderland.

It is unknown how long the Queen spent alone, but it can be inferred that he was the first person to come to Wonderland and has been present at the beginning of every game (to a point where the current Alice guessed he had said the same opening speech to all the other Alices). The second person was the Knave of Hearts - right off the bat, the Queen hated the Knave for being a male and working under him, assuming he had been sent mistakenly. When the Trump Soldiers arrived, the Queen dressed their uniform to look like mourners from the past; the reason he gave for this was because he grew to love disturbing recollected memories.  Oddly enough, though, Jack dresses more as a soldier, though the White Rabbit is the one who gave him that costume.

The Mad Hatter asks the Queen of Hearts to stop his time

When the Mad Hatter arrived in Wonderland, the Queen gave him a weapon and told the Hatter his role, which is to kill anyone hostile towards Alice. He questions this ridiculous role, having to kill for someone he does not even know, but the Queen ordered him to follow him whether he liked it or not. He also gave him a choice to have his accurate time stopped by the Queen himself anytime. As the Hatter witnessed the numerous deaths of the previous Alices, the Queen stopped the Hatter's time upon the request of the latter.

During the 88th game, the Queen had some tea with the erstwhile Duchess, describing the candidate to be a carefree one. He asked the Duchess if she did not resent Alice for causing the Duke to run amok all the while not being expressed gratitude from Alice herself. The Queen then offered her a present and reminded the Duchess that her pet cat had not greeted him yet, still straying around the streets.

Appearance

The Queen of Hearts' full appearance in the latter part of the series

The Queen of Hearts is a fair-skinned and androgynous man with black neck-length hair, topped with a fascinator having a rounded structure and leaned towards the right side of his head. He has mauve eyes where under his right eye are two heart-shaped markings, where one is bigger than the other; initially in the manga, they appear to be colourless or transparent until they became presumably black later on. He also wears a simple black choker with no designs on his neck.

Early in the manga, the Queen wears a white ruffled shirt with ruffled sleeves and a black dinner jacket buttoned up until his chest area where it reveals the ruffles on his shirt. He tops it over with a black upturned-collar cloak, tied in front with a ribbon, and he wears long chequerboard-patterned skirt that is usually seen to be floor-length. On the few occasions that his feet are shown, he wears black high-heeled boots. However, on the cover of the twelfth chapter, he wears calf-length lace-up boots with elaborate design, under which is seemingly black trousers.

After the Alice Fixed Holiday and throughout the rest of the series, as well as in the PSP game and the drama CD, the Queen wears a black upturned-collar cape that is partitioned into two in front and tied with a grey ribbon, under which is a white upturned-collar shirt whose sleeves are shown to be ruffled. While his cape covers most of the Queen's torso, it reveals a grey corset-like belt on his waist, beneath being a grey flounce skirt that reaches his lower calf and long black high-heeled boots with silver toe caps. He also sports a double-layer belt with circle-shaped ornaments around his lower hip.

One of the Queen's outfits during the Alice Fixed Holiday

During the Alice Fixed Holiday, the Queen changes outfits at least five times. One notable outfit he wore was an elaborate and voluminous dress, where the bodice consists of a square neckline at the back and an asymmetrical peephole on the upper chest area, surrounded by a design assembled to resemble acacia leaves at the bottom, where a rose-triad design rests at one point, as well as an upturned collar at the top of the hole, connected to a lace veil at the back and a lace body; the black sleeves appear to dangle lace cloth, especially when raising or partially flexing the elbow. On his waist, there is a featherlike-designed part of the skirt; from this, the skirt flows in a petticoat. The skirt consists of overlapping cloths which resemble rose petals, where each end of an overlap is an array of lace; at one point of the skirt, there is a layer of various rose designs. He also sported a thick choker with two layers, where the top layer is an array of rose designs, and the bottom layer is a horizontal layer of lace. To slim down his waistline, the Queen wore a corset, though noting that it "does not fit [him]".

In his past when he worked as an entertainer, the Queen had shorter hair and unkempt bangs. He wore a suit consisting of a white shirt, long black tailcoat, and black pants. He also wore a black necktie tucked inside his buttoned tailcoat, white gloves, and white dress shoes with black toe caps.

Personality

The Queen of Hearts is calm, reserved, and very intellectual for his youth who was able to manipulate Alice in becoming the Alice of Wonderland. He smiles almost as much as the Cheshire Cat, only seen frowning on very rare occasions and usually those are short-lived, and he generally has a pleased attitude.

He is more straightforward than anyone else in Wonderland, usually stating immediately instead of dancing around the topic. He's also incredibly honest, only ever lying to the Mad Hatter about who really killed the Dormouse. However, the Queen is sensitive to others, and dodged telling the truth to the 89th Alice about what happens to useless people in Wonderland, as well as enforcing the Duchess' words to Alice to keep moving forward. He has been shown doing nice things once in a while, such as the occasional treatment to the Knave of Hearts and his frequent favouring of his Trumps and Alice.

Though he is an open pervert, he treats women far better than men, even flat-out stating he dislikes men, and it can also implied that he's slept with his Trumps before. Frequently, he has a harem of his Trumps around him, even seen groping one of them secretly. The 89th Alice believes that he gave the previous Alices similar treatment, and the Queen remarks that he would have "thought of more ways" for the 89th Alice to prove his loyalty had he been born a girl.

Despite this, he does not seem to care for cross-dressing, flatly stating to the 89th Alice to exchange the former dress he was wearing (a prank done by the Mad Hatter to possibly torture Jack) for something else. However, during the bigger parties, the Queen usually appears in extravagant dresses.

In general, he is depressive and almost lonely. He admits sadly that he's used to men hating him after showing Alice an execution, and he often remarks that Wonderland is a "trash can". He looks down on the whole game, and he almost seems eager when he'll die, hoping for it to be by Jack's hands. He encourages Alice and the Knave to hate him, and he often feels like throwing parties to escape the game.

The only way that he even somewhat is similar to the literary Queen of Hearts is his anger, though very hard to anger. Being very capable with a scythe, he abandoned conversing with the three children when Rogy pointed out his hate for the colour red and nearly killed them there, and Jack has had the blunt of most of his anger, if for a more comedic affect. However, the Queen is also more than capable of hiding his emotions, masking them with a smile. Furthermore, similar to the Queen of Hearts in the original work, he alludes to the famous catchphrase "off with [his] head", which refers to decapitation – an act performed by the Queen himself with his scythe to people who fail to do their roles.

Plot

Arrival of the 89th Alice in Wonderland

Surrounded by his Trump Soldiers and his ace at the throne, the Queen "commends" the Mad Hatter for his tardiness, exactly 15 minutes and 37 seconds late. After the Hatter explains his reason, the Queen tells the former that the stray cat has made its move, coming to the implication that "Alice" has been found. As the Hatter takes his leave, the Queen orders for the White Rabbit's execution.

The Queen orders Alice to kill the White Rabbit

The Hatter finally brings the 89th Alice to the Queen of Hearts at his castle, ordering Alice to state his name himself. As soon as Alice formally introduces himself, the Queen asks him if he has already met the White Rabbit, the one who brought him to Wonderland in the first place. Alice becomes confused, so the Queen expounds that the White Rabbit has a rather strange hobby of bringing people who have thrown away their past into Wonderland and bestows them a new name, though they are confined in Wonderland, just like "Alice". Despite Alice's confusion (as he did not receive this kind of welcome upon his arrival), the Queen asks him to join the game to kill the White Rabbit and explains the basic rules of the game. Because of its nature, Alice protests and says that he may not be the Alice they are looking for, but the Queen contests him, saying that the rules came into force once he said he was Alice. When Alice mumbles, seemingly giving him no choice after all into joining the game, the Knave prepares to attack Alice at his disrespect, but the Queen immediately stops him, warning Alice to watch his words so as not to get hurt by the Knave. He chides Alice for being unlike the obedient "Alice in Wonderland" that the Queen knows. Though knowingly thrust into the game, Alice still struggles to back out, even remarking the White Rabbit to be even more important than the Queen himself. However, the latter explains that the game originated from the White Rabbit himself in an effort of finding something he is searching for; finally, the Queen orders Alice to kill the White Rabbit. Holding his scythe onto Alice's neck, the Queen notices Alice with an intent to shoot him, but comforts him by advising him to not give into his fear of the past, just like the Regrets who are attached to their past and, just then, are clinging to the castle's glass window. As he officially welcomes Alice into the game, Alice shoots the Queen, but is left unfazed. Shooting for a second time, Alice manages to graze the Queen on his cheek, but immediately disappears. To answer the confused Alice, the Queen explains that one's name in Wonderland gives a specific power to kill certain people; for instance, he, as the Queen of Hearts, can behead anyone disobeying his orders. Alice then opens a negotiation with the Queen to reward him should he win the game, to which the Queen accepts. As Alice leaves, the Queen tells the Knave that the 89th Alice is an interesting man, wondering if there has been any Alice who has made a deal with him before, and happily remarks that he looks forward to what shall transpire next.

Ruckus at Town Square

With the Duke going berserk at town square, the Queen inquires his Trump Soldier on where the "substitute" is; the Trump tells him that she is confined in her mansion. She adds that the Duchess has been stopping the Duke since last night after swallowing all of his regrets. As he dismisses the Trump, he looks at the filth of Wonderland and gets reminded that the country is a trash can, having to abandon unnecessary pasts and lock them in oblivion. The Knave gets shocked at this perception, but the Queen reassures him that there is no need to worry, as the Hatter is with Alice; he is actually more interested in how the Duke knows where the real Alice is. He reveals that it is the first time it has ever happened in Wonderland, much to the point that even the White Rabbit might be surprised; he challenges the 89th Alice on how he is going to take responsibility for the situation.

Aftermath

The Queen as the Duchess' executioner

As the White Rabbit arrives at the scene, he slashes the Duke and retrieves Alice. As he departs, the Cheshire Cat mentions to the Hatter that the Queen is unaware that the 89th Alice came to Wonderland out of his own will. After the Duke has been killed by the White Rabbit, the Queen orders the Knave of Hearts along with his Trumps to fetch the Duchess at her mansion for her execution. Before the Queen executes her, the Duchess asks a favour from him to tell the Cheshire Cat her last words meant for her pet. The Queen agrees to tell the Cheshire Cat; he then beheads the Duchess for her failure as Alice's substitute.

Alice, dressed as a woman, is brought to the Queen by the Hatter to offer his loyalty to the monarch as a way to enter Caterpillar Lane. He acknowledges his loyalty and looks for the Hatter; upon knowing that the latter went back to his flat, deduces that he might not have the intention to keep his fealty to the Queen. He seeks the help of Alice in his official duties and promises him a reward after. He then asks Alice to get dressed back to his usual clothes, making the Knave burst out laughing; seemingly annoyed, the Queen physically strikes him.

The Three Children

The Queen and Alice travel Wonderland in locating an abandoned house. During the travel, the Queen receives gifts from several women, resulting in Alice's annoyance and the Knave's jealousy. In the carriage, the Queen becomes inquisitive of Alice's identity, but decides to stick with him as the current Alice candidate. Upon their arrival, the Queen strikes a child, but Alice saves him from the Queen. Alice demands an explanation as to his action, so the Queen tells him that the children had violated a taboo in Wonderland, breaking the rules. He adds that he brought Alice with him to prove his loyalty to him in exchange for his reward, suggesting to him not to interfere with his occupation of handing down consequences to those who break the laws.

The Queen executes the three children

Rogy exclaims his hate towards Alice and blames him for the Duchess's death. The Queen justifies his reasoning behind the Duchess's necessary execution, but Rogy becomes enraged and blackmails him, claiming that he knows who the real Queen of Wonderland is and says that he would spread this information throughout Wonderland. With the Queen provoked despite dismissing Rogy's threat, the Queen prepares the strike him with his scythe, only for Alice to shield the child. Alice, distraught at the knowledge of the Duchess's death, tells the Queen that he does not need the reward anymore, but the Queen snaps him out of his misery, quoting the Duchess herself that he "must keep moving forward no matter what". In the end, Alice yields, and the Queen carries out his duty by executing the three children himself. Afterwards, he orders his Trumps to clean the place and to inform the White Rabbit of the incident so as to replace the children. The Knave, breaking his order, asks whether the Queen brought Alice with him to witness the incident, but the Queen orders him to be quiet. Picking up and criticising the paper left by Rogy, he realises that the 89th Alice has made a farce in the story.

Trivia

• In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), the Queen of Hearts is named as the Ruler of Wonderland alongside a meek King of Hearts. She was well known for her fiery temper which often lead to her ordering everyone's execution through decapitation. If she held a trial, it was a kangaroo court, and that is only if she held a trial at all. She was also a friend of the Duchess (but still executed her), having sent an invite to her for croquet. 
  • It is more than likely that the manga's Queen of Hearts is more of the Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass (1871), who was very civil and held all the power; where the Queen of Hearts wouldn't debate over anything and was very antagonistic towards Alice, the Red Queen was helpful and even pulled Alice along to one of the squares.
• According to the character profiles:
  • He dislikes ambiguity.
  • His favourite colour is anything but red.
  • He had his first love while he was a student, but the story's been omitted.
  • During his free time, he forgets about Alice and the game; the rules; and everything else, and hosts a party.
  • He dislikes the game tug-of-war.

Quotes

• "The White Rabbit... Off with his head."
• (To the Knave of Hearts) "We live on scraps of paper that failed to become stories. In order to tell a proper story, we live by abandoning the past and pretending not to see it. I was reminded of it again. Wonderland is a trash can."
• (To the Mad Hatter) "You will listen to my orders, whether you like it or not."
• (To Rogy) "There are countless replacements available for you guys; we'll have to dispose of the bodies and so it'll be more annoying... since I don't like the colour red."
• "I chose the women who were fond of me for targets and went about killing them. Fifty-two... the same number as a deck of cards missing its Joker. Was I the joker? [...] My sorrow is unmatched in all of Wonderland. Everyone has their fate chosen for them, and those who deviate from their paths are never forgiven. Humans who do not have any ability to make choices are the only ones 'allowed to live'. And then I realised... I wasn't the Joker."
• (To the Knave of Hearts) "Jack... Be quiet."
• (To Alice) "I am like a beast who feels arousal and pleasure from disturbing people's recollections and sentiments, even those pulled from the bottom of the grave."
• (To the Knave of Hearts) "You are certainly just a normal human who shouldn't have come to Wonderland."