Thrilling games and suspenseful scenes are brought by the final season of Alice in Borderland. Arisu and Usagi are back again in the Borderland, and with the last card on the line, will they survive the deaths brought by the games once again?
Headlining Alice in Borderland Season 3 are Kento Yamazaki as Ryohei Arisu, Tao Tsuchiya as Yuzuha Usagi, Hayato Isomura as Banda Sunato, and Tina Tamashiro as Rei. Among them are Kotaro Daigo, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Risa Sudo, and Kento Kaku.
The beginning of season 3 explores the life of Arisu and Usagi in the real world as a married couple. The two had no memories of what happened in the Borderland. But then they meet Ryuji Matsuyama, a researcher obsessed with the land of death.
Ryuji’s obsession led him to meet Banda (a citizen of the Borderland). Banda asked him to bring Usagi back to the Borderland, and in exchange, Ryuji would be able to see the land of death. Without hesitation, Ryuji agreed and set his plan into motion.
When Arisu learned that Usagi was missing, he went to the police. But instead of receiving help, he found himself with Ann (a former player in the Borderland), who tried to assist him. His memories were triggered, and eventually, he chose to return to the Borderland to save Usagi.
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The New Games in Alice in Borderland Season 3
Deadlier. Nerve-wracking. Heart-pounding.
This was what it felt like to watch the new games of the final season. With six games threatening the lives of Arisu, Usagi, and the other players, Alice in Borderland season 3 became more exciting than ever.
Sacred Fortunes became the first game in the Borderland this season. Arisu and the other players had to draw 10 fortune slips, where they needed to answer questions accurately. Each answer was numerical, and if the player failed to give the correct one, flaming arrows would rain down on them based on the total margin of error.
The next game Arisu had to survive was Zombie Hunt. At first, this game seemed boring, but as tensions rose, it became more intense. The game master gave players random cards, including the zombie card, the shotgun, and the vaccine. The match turned into a brutal fight of zombies versus humans, and the group with fewer members after 15 rounds faced automatic elimination.
Usagi’s team, on the other hand, played the Runaway Train. Players started in the last car of the train and needed to advance to the main car to stop it from moving. Each car contained either oxygen or poisonous gas. With only five canisters and gas masks, they had to identify which cars were safe. During this game, Arisu and Usagi saw each other—but frustratingly, they were on different trains.
Later, Tokyo Bingo Tower tested Usagi and her team. They had to play bingo on a tall tower where a “free” button waited at the top. To win, they needed to press the button, but only after completing a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal bingo line.
Kick the Can marked the second-to-last game of the season and was probably the most heartbreaking. Players were given ten chances to kick a can and return it to its base. Arisu’s team fought hard to survive, but only a few of them succeeded.
The last game, Possible Future, brought Arisu’s and Usagi’s teams together. Players had to wear a collar and a handcuff. Each started with 15 points and had to find the exit door among 25 rooms. Some rooms deducted points upon entry, so they had to strategize carefully. One wrong move meant elimination.
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What Happened to Ryuji in the Borderland?
Ryuji survived all the games in the Borderland—even while in a wheelchair. He teamed up with Usagi in some of them and even became her ally. However, his plan to kill her (because of Banda) still lingered.
In one of the episodes, Ryuji’s backstory was revealed, showing his obsession with seeing the land of death. During his research, one of his students died in an experiment he conducted.
In the present, after surviving all the games, Shibuya was flooded, forcing Ryuji and Usagi to struggle against the waves. In the middle of it, Ryuji saw an opportunity to kill Usagi by dragging her into the vortex of death. But after seeing Arisu fight so hard to save her, he eventually let her go.
Still, Ryuji chose to drown himself. When the real world appeared, Ryuji was declared dead.
Did Arisu and Usagi Survive the Borderland?
With the skills, decision-making, and strategies shown by Arisu and Usagi in each game, there’s no doubt they survived the Borderland—yes, again!
Although the hurdles were pure chaos, the two managed to ace all the trials.
After Arisu chose to live his life back in the real world with Usagi, he was shown to be living well—employed and married. Apart from Arisu’s happy ending, some of the previous players from seasons 1 and 2 also appeared.
Arisu interviewed Kuina (Asahina Aya), Chishiya, Heiya (Yuri Tsunematsu), Aguni (Sho Aoyagi), and Niragi (Dori Sakurada) during counseling sessions, asking them what had become of their lives and their purpose.
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The Thrills and Cheers of Alice in Borderland Season 3
Alice in Borderland season 3 definitely proved that waiting for almost three years was not a waste of time. Each episode delivered impressive scenes, the dialogues and plot were well-written, and the characters added even more suspense to the series.
Arisu and Usagi’s characters remained interesting until the final season. But apart from them, season 3 introduced new faces that piqued curiosity. Each one brought unique skills that intensified every episode.
With six episodes for this final season, each highlighted different emotions. One episode made you feel like you were part of the game, while another broke your heart. One gave you hope for survival, while others filled you with dread of loss.
Alice in Borderland season 3 undoubtedly exceeded our expectations!
Alice in Borderland Season 3 Ending Explained: Life or Death—Which One Will You Choose?
After time stopped, Arisu met Ken Watanabe (the Watchman). For the last time, Arisu had to play a game against the Watchman. Two cards were placed in front of him, and if he picked the joker card, the Watchman would decide his future.
But Arisu was clever, claiming that both cards were jokers. The Watchman explained that he wasn’t the Joker at all—he was simply watching over the rift between life and death.
Amid their conversation, the Watchman let Arisu choose: return to the real world where chaos always exists, or rest in the eternal peace of death.
Arisu still chose life. He wanted to build a future with Usagi. Despite the uncertainties, he decided to risk living in the real world.
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Between life and death, what would you choose? All seasons of Alice in Borderland are available on Netflix.
Source: Time Magazine, Radio Times, Netflix,
