According to Decim, when we die we either go to heaven and hell. However, although the games in Death Billiards are predetermined and the outcome of the winner is predetermined – we are still in control of our own fate.
Welcome to Quindecim: The Death Billiards Prequel
Two men who died under similar circumstances walk into Quindecim to play a game that will decide their fate on whether or not they go to heaven, or hell. But, is the result already predetermined before they even arrive at the bar?
(Does that even make any sense?)
Although I’ve already watched Death Parade over a decade ago when it first came out, I couldn’t for the life of me remember if I had watched its precursor, Death Billiards. After watching the short film that feels more like an OVA…I still couldn’t remember if I had seen it already, or not – haha.
I don’t even really remember much of Death Parade, if I’m honest. I just remember the formula of two people arriving in “Purgatory” at Quindecim under similar circumstances (i.e., the mode of death), the black-haired assistant never knowing what is truly going on, and that I always thought the “Heaven” and “Hell” elevator doors were reversed – somehow.
Is Fate Predetermined? Analyzing the Billiards Game’s Outcome
Shockingly, I still feel the same way regarding the Heaven and Hell elevator doors, as I believe the Old Man somehow finessed his way into going to heaven when he should have gone to hell, despite what the younger guy did.
Decim never reveals the participants’ past despite knowing their full history, and mentioned to the young man that the game of billiards was already predetermined when they arrived, and that the old man should have been the winner. However, by the young man quite literally trying to kill the old man and therefore taking charge of the game, he ended up becoming the winner.
We were given the clues that nobody would die at the end of the game, no matter the outcome (because 1: the participants were already deceased, and 2: the old man’s heart was still beating in the pool ball, signifying that he hadn’t died but chose to stay down and let the young man win the game).
Swapped Destinies: The Old Man, The Young Man, and the Void
Given the fact that the young man died due to being stabbed by his lover and was so wracked with guilt and remorse for his actions (wanting to win the game to apologize for cheating on her with another woman) I think despite the old man being destined to win (due to his superior billiards experience), the young man was supposed to go to heaven to re-do his life or experience a second chance at life.
After all, when both men were remembering their lives, the young man remembered his life in reverse from the moment of his death to the time he was born, while the old man remembered his life from start to finish, which signifies, to me at least, that he had lived a full life and was at peace with his actions.
When juxtaposed to the young man, the old man mentioned that he wanted to “eat his wife’s pickles” before he died, which he apparently did. He had been “a vegetable” for days, and based on the younger man being stabbed, it is heavily implied that the old man was poisoned by his wife.
Aside from also playing billiards in his youth and becoming a champion, it seems like the old man was somewhat of a bully in his youth, but settled down after marrying his wife. I don’t really fault him for that though, since it seems he grew up and survived the bombings of World War II, and that was a tough period of time for many people in Japan, and so many people’s lives were uprooted and turned around due to that event.
So seeing flashes of memories from the old man remembering the bombs dropping as a child, wanting to be a pilot, and living in a fatherless home with just his mother makes me understand why he could turn into a bully, and take from those he perceived as “weaker” than himself in order to support his mother as a provider for his family and then eventually get married early (as they did in those times) and continue that attitude to support his wife.
Based on the old man’s cool and calm demeanor throughout the whole game, and being the first of the pair to press the button to play the game without a second thought, signified that he lived a full life without regrets. Then again, we have the young man whose false sense of confidence was shattered when the old man began winning the game, and in turn, the young man resorted to violence to artificially win the game.
The old man got to live and experience the wisdom of learning from the mistakes of his youth, while the young man ultimately, didn’t.
The Judge’s Revelation: Decim’s Line and the Pre-Determined Game
Decim’s grim “you changed fate” line further cements the idea in my mind that the young man was supposed to go to heaven, but based on what the old man said (maybe he asked to switch places with the young man) their fates changed and the old man went to heaven/on to reincarnation while the young man traveled to the void when he wasn’t supposed to.
Just writing this, I had a flashback again of always thinking the elevator doors the person entered reflected how they should have viewed themselves, but ultimately it was the opposite of where they went or were supposed to go.
The old man’s creepy, sly smile at the end truly makes me believe that he got reincarnated by manipulating the situation after seeing the young man’s desperation and feelings of doubt concerning his moral character due to the trauma of how he died. Decim hugging him and sadly telling him that he could rest would denote that the young man would not have another chance, while the old man would, despite not deserving one.
But, tell me your thoughts: If you’ve seen Death Billiards, do you believe the young man deserved a second chance? Did the old man lie to be reincarnated into a new life?
And…do you think the old man was poisoned by his wife, just as the young man was murdered by his girlfriend?
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☆ In Asian Spaces ☆ Ephesians 6:12 ☆
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