Alice in Borderland Season 3 sees Arisu and Usagi enter another round of deadly games. With so many twists and a shocking cliffhanger ending, here’s what you need to know if Arisu dies.
The third chapter of the Netflix series moves beyond Haro Aso’s manga, meaning new games and new characters, including the mysterious Ryuji Matsuyama (Kento Kaku), who draws Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) back into the Borderland.
Sadly, fan favorites like Chishiya (Nijirō Murakami) and Kuina (Aya Asahina) aren’t back for the games, although there is a surprise for viewers at the end.
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As for Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), it should come as no surprise that he heads back into the world he escaped from to save his wife. He would sacrifice his life for Usagi, but does he? Warning: spoilers ahead!
Does Arisu die in Alice in Borderland Season 3?
Netflix
No, you’ll be pleased to know that both Arisu and Usagi survive after clearing the Joker games, as does their baby, with the pair discussing the name for their unborn child in the final act.
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Their peace is soon interrupted by an almighty twist (more on that shortly), but for now, they’re alive and well.
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It’s touch and go for a moment in the Alice in Borderland Season 3 finale when the team plays ‘Possible Futures’ – a game in which they roll a dice and move between different rooms within a grid to reach the exit.
There are plenty of rules that raise the stakes. For instance, the number on the dice indicates how many players can move into the next room, they have to choose between variants of their futures, and if their 15 points reach zero, they’re eliminated (aka killed).
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The question of Arisu’s survival comes up as he decides in the final round to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the team – including Usagi and their unborn child.
However, there’s a twist: it turns out that by sacrificing himself, he’s won the game. While trapped in the room, he sees Usagi, Ryuji, and the remaining players in a fake Tokyo as it collapses around them and starts to flood.
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Against all odds, Arisu manages to save the team, aside from Usagi and Ryuji. When he goes back for his wife, he’s faced with Banda – one of two players who decided to stay in the Borderland after the Queen of Hearts was defeated in Season 2.
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Banda is the whole reason Arisu is back in this place. He believes Arisu is the best player and so he drew him in by using Usagi as bait – essentially for his own entertainment.
In their final confrontation, Arisu says he’ll never accept his offer to stay and Banda goes to shoot him, thereby killing Arisu in the real world. But just before he pulls the trigger, he’s eliminated by the infamous beam of light.
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A mysterious new character enters: the Watchman, played by none other than Ken Watanabe. His arrival sees time itself stand still, with the Watchman inviting Arisu to one final game.
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This involves two cards placed face down on a table. If Arisu picks the Joker, the Watchman gets to choose his fate.
When Arisu discovers both cards are Jokers, the Watchman gives him the choice: jump into the vortex and die, knowing that he’ll be back here one day and that death means no more suffering, or live and endure the pain that life brings.
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Arisu chooses to return to the land of the living with Usagi, at which point time starts up again and he hears Usagi screaming. He’s able to find and save her, but Ryuji lets himself get sucked into the vortex while his real-life body flat-lines.
Usagi and Arisu survive and are seen preparing for their baby in the real world. But this is Alice in Borderland we’re talking about, and so of course there’s a twist.
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Season 3 cliffhanger ending explained
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Right at the end of Alice in Borderland Season 3, the world is about to be rocked by a prophetic natural disaster, with the camera closing in on a waitress in LA who is wearing a name tag: “Alice”.
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You see, during his conversation with Arisu, the Watchman claims that the space between life and death will soon be “flooded with many people” as something terrible will happen in the real world – something “much, much bigger” than the meteorite disaster.
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It’s hard to tell if this is just the Watchman trying to mess with his head (it wouldn’t be the first time in the Borderland), and Arisu thinks nothing of it when he makes it back home with Usagi.
However, after Arisu conducts a series of interviews with previous players – including Chishiya and Kuina – he heads back to his office when all of a sudden an earthquake hits.
They decide to switch on the news, where it’s revealed that unprecedented seismic activity has been recorded in regions across the planet, including in Japan, Europe, and the US.
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Alice in Borderland then pulls a Squid Game and cuts to America, where two men enter a bar and order a couple of drinks. The waitress, whose face isn’t shown, heads back to the bar and turns around, at which point the camera closes in on her name badge.
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So, what exactly does this mean? Well, firstly, we’re probably getting a Season 4. Secondly, the Watchman was correct – a disaster unlike anything the planet has ever seen is coming.
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It opens up a whole new world for the Netflix show, one in which we could see hundreds, if not thousands of new players entering the space between life and death.
But one big question you’ll no doubt have is: who the hell is Alice?
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Up until now, the “Alice” in the title comes from Arisu. His surname is a Japanese rendering of “Alice,” and the title is a play on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
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Given the series makes a point of showing us a woman named Alice, and an unprecedented natural disaster is set to impact the region she’s in the most, this could be seen as a setup for an American spinoff.
But like Squid Game’s ending, it’s unclear whether this is the true intention or if the creators simply wanted to end the series with an entertaining twist. Whatever the case, the cast and crew are game for more from this world – just keep in mind that no plans are set in stone right now.
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In a recent interview, the Radio Times asked director Shinsuke Sato about the potential for future seasons, to which he replied, “If you’re asking me whether I’d be interested or not, I would certainly say yes.”
Alice in Borderland Season 3 is streaming on Netflix now. For more on what to watch, check out the best shows of 2025 so far, the most binge-worthy series, and everything that’s coming up with our 2025 TV release calendar.
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