Alice in Borderland Season 3: Cast, Story and Everything We Know

While Alice in Borderland delivered a satisfying conclusion in Season 2, Netflix surprised some people when it announced in September 2023 that there would in fact be a Season 3 of the hit sci-fi thriller series.

Which characters might be returning, what’s the story going to be this time, and when will it be released? Here is everything we know so far about Alice in Borderland Season 3 before betting on it at top-rated sportsbooks. 

What Is Alice in Borderland?

For those unfamiliar with this franchise, Alice in Borderland was a Japanese manga series written by Haro Aso that originally ran from 2010 to 2016 and was collected in 18 volumes. There was also a spin-off series called Alice on Border Road.

The story follows a young video-game lover named Ryōhei Arisu and his group of friends who are looking to have a good time in Tokyo. But after they hide in a bathroom to escape police after causing a ruckus, they find an abandoned city. They are soon involved in a deadly game where they must complete different games to extend their visas. If the visas expire, the player is executed from a laser in the sky. The difficulty of the game is noted by its playing card (“Three of Clubs”).

The name is clearly a play on Alice in Wonderland, but in this case, the game world they are trapped in has them bordering between life and death in the real world. We have to learn who is behind the game and how Arisu and his friends can escape back to the real world.

How Good Is Alice in Borderland?

Alice in Borderland is definitely the type of story that fans of films and shows like Saw, Escape Room, Cube, and Squid Game would enjoy. In fact, Netflix released the 1st season of Alice in Borderland in December 2020, nearly a year before the South Korean series Squid Game came out and became one of the most successful streaming series ever. It has arguably overshadowed Alice in Borderland throughout its run.

While Season 1 of Alice in Borderland was good, it was blown away by Squid Game, which delivered a similar story with people having to complete deadly games. The difference is Squid Game was about desperate people trying to win money, and its cast was far more diverse in terms of the ages, backgrounds, and motivations of the characters.

With Alice in Borderland, the characters are quite young and not as deeply written. The series didn’t hit the same emotional beats that Squid Game was able to do.

The good news is Alice in Borderland Season 2 took things to a whole new level when it was released in December 2022. The games were more interesting, and the characters had more depth. They really delivered one of the finest 2nd seasons you’ll ever see and a clear improvement from the 1st season.

At Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave Season 1 an 82% fresh rating while Season 2 received a 91% fresh rating.

But with Seasons 1 and 2 covering most of the original manga, it felt like this show was completed. However, the Season 2 finale did focus on a Joker card, and that was referenced in the marketing by Netflix in 2023 to confirm that a Season 3 is in fact coming.

What Story Will Alice in Borderland Season 3 Tell?

Warning: Spoilers for Season 2 of Alice in Borderland included.

Given that the series has already told the story of Arisu and his friends from the manga, they can take Season 3 in many different directions. Game of Thrones fans will groan at the thought of writers doing their own thing after the original source material runs out, but the nature of this show should still be about the game world and people playing for their lives.

Also, the “happy ending” in Season 2 may not be everything it seems. If you recall, Arisu suffered a psychotic break during his final game against Mira, the Queen of Hearts. It wasn’t until Usagi cut her wrist that Arisu was able to snap out of it and complete the final game.

The players then all had a choice to stay in the game world permanently or wake up back in the real world where they would be survivors of a meteorite crash. When he wakes up, Arisu’s brother tells him his heart stopped for a minute as he bordered between life and death.

While the survivors don’t remember the game world they just experienced, they start to recognize each other. Arisu and Usagi go for a walk together. But the last shot in the hospital gardens is a table with playing cards and the camera focuses on the Joker card.

In the manga, there is a character named Joker who carries a Joker card. He is the ferryman of the world, responsible for carrying the souls of the players between the worlds. The Joker did not appear in either season of the series.

With the Joker card ending in Season 2 and the promotion of it for Season 3, it feels safe to say that the Joker character will be a big part of the Season 3 storyline. But it remains to be seen if it’s a brand-new story or if they’ll try adapting some of the spin-off manga series.

Who Is in the Cast for Alice in Borderland Season 3?

Details are unknown about any new characters and who will play them, but many familiar faces are confirmed to be returning for Season 3 of Alice in Borderland, including:

• Tao Tsuchiya – Ryōhei Arisu
• Kento Yamazaki – Yuzuha Usagi
• Aya Asahina – Kuina
• Nijirō Murakam – Chishiya
• Ayaka Miyoshi – Ann
• Dori Sakurada – Niragi
• Shô Aoyagi – Aguni
• Yuri Tsunematsu – Heiya
• Riisa Naka – Mira Kano

Arisu and Usagi have seemingly been confirmed to be the leads again. We also know that characters like Kuina and fan favorite Chishiya survived the Season 2 finale, so expect more of them.

Riisa Naka, who played Mira Kano (Queen of Hearts), also expressed her interest in coming back for Season 3 last year.

“If there were to be a season three, I wonder what would happen with the whole team that fought together so far,” Naka said. “You saw the ghost of Hatter introduced in the show so many times, so I have this feeling that he might come back again. So for Mira, you might also think that she could return.”

No word yet on who will play the Joker if they indeed go that route.

What Is the Release Date for Alice in Borderland Season 3?

There is no release date yet for Alice in Borderland Season 3, but it apparently finished production earlier in 2024. Based on the show’s release history, we could see it this December before 2024 ends. There is also no confirmation of the episode count, but the previous seasons were both 8 episodes.

When it does come out, the entire season will be available to stream on Netflix. You can stream Seasons 1 and 2 right now to catch up.