Alice in Borderland Season 3 is finally coming! Discover the confirmed cast, plot details, release date, and everything else fans need to know.
After the heart-stopping cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, we have all been waiting impatiently for Season 3 of Alice in Borderland. Netflix’s high-stakes dystopian thriller, based on Haro Aso’s manga, has captivated audiences at home and abroad with its psychological suspense, twisted survival games, and deeply emotional storytelling. Ending Season 2 with the vague Joker card and Arisu and Usagi seemingly getting returned to a “real” world had everyone buzzing about what was going to happen next. So, here is everything we’ve got so far regarding Alice in Borderland Season 3: cast updates, plot theories, confirmed release date, and beyond.
Season 3 Confirmation: Netflix Greenlights Season 3
In September 2023, Netflix officially confirmed the third season of Alice in Borderland: a teaser announcement showcasing the Joker card (the same Joker card we saw in the Season 2 finale). The teaser card generated a lot of theories about what this final card would mean for Arisu and his friends after the crazy finale. Since the first two seasons garnered substantial notoriety—Season 2 even briefly surpassed Squid Game in popularity in Japan—Netflix was always going to renew the show.
Release Date Prediction: When is Season 3 Coming Out?
As of mid-2025, Netflix has yet to announce an official air date for the series. However, based on the production windows and schedules of Season 1 and 2, we can predict a potential 2025 release for Season 3.
The teaser featured the Joker card (from the finale of Season 2) and sent theories into overdrive on what this last card may have in store for Arisu and company. Given the success of the first two seasons, and that Season 2 outperformed Squid Game in Japan for a bit, Netflix didn’t have a choice but to renew.
Release Date Speculation: When Is Season 3 Coming?
As of mid-2025, Netflix has yet to give a specific release date. However, we can somewhat deduce the timeline based on the previous seasons production timelines:
Season 1 premiered December 2020
Season 2 premiered December 2022
These dates suggest that if the pattern continues, Season 3 will likely premiere in late 2025, meaning the end of 2025.
Who’s Returning in Season 3?
Many characters left Season 2 with uncertain fates especially since the last game ends with the main characters literally “waking up” back in the real world. However, the show has a surrealistic tone that suggests things are not what they seem. Here is who we expect to see back.
Expected/Confirmed Cast:
Kento Yamazaki as Ryohei Arisu – The emotionally wounded gamer and reluctant action hero.
Tao Tsuchiya as Yuzuha Usagi – The mountaineer and Arisu’s partner.
Nijirō Murakami as Shuntarō Chishiya – The mysterious calculating former doctor.
Aya Asahina as Hikari Kuina – The fierce, loyal fighter.
Dori Sakurada as Suguru Niragi – Though believed to be dead, Niragi’s return in the second season surprised many viewers.
Riisa Naka as Mira Kano – A face card who manipulates time and memory; her psychosocial games may have had an impact on others on a deeper level than shown.
The Joker card can introduce new characters, including a character portrayal of the Joker or members from an even worse level of the game.
Plot Speculation: What Will Season 3 Be Like?
Spoiler Alert: Season 2 Recap Below
At the end of Season 2, after a long, fierce battle with face cards, Arisu and the rest have been offered permanent residency in the Borderlands. All of them refuse. They “wake up” in a hospital back in Tokyo, and have been told that a meteorite exploded over the city and caused a wide scale blackout. Arisu, Usagi, Chishiya, and others survived but do not recall the games. Just as the screen goes black, a Joker card appears – weaving the idea that there is more to this story.
What does it mean? The Joker card is intended to be viewed as the “ferryman” of life and death, not a master of games, but rather it’s a metaphysical being. To provide some context, in the Alice in Borderland manga, The Joker card signifies liminality and purgatory, or reincarnation, facing themes previously unexplored. Have Arisu and the rest of the party ever really been alive? Did they escape or are they simply in another layer of the game?
Potential storylines for Season 3:
A final game Run by The Joker, more than a test of physical strength, but rather psychological endurance.
The ultimate twist reveal is that the “real” world is just another illusion.
Imagine the backstories of lesser known characters. Possibly crossing timelines.
An encounter for Arisu’s reality vs. the deeper rules of Borderland.
Production & Creative Team
The series is being directed by Shinsuke Sato, who has shown his ability to balance emotional arcs while simultaneously throwing some action into the mix. The success of his work on Kingdom and I Am Hero prove his ability to take very complex manga stories and adapt them onto the screen.
In terms of material, the original manga, written by Haro Aso, has already ended, which means that the writers have a whole arc to draw from. It’s important to note that Netflix’s adaptation has largely been unbound from the manga, so each season has had the liberty to more or less stray to aid pacing and character development.
Psychological Themes: It’s More Than Survival Games
While Alice in Borderland is popularly compared to Squid Game, the series’ deeper sense of meaning, presence of philosophical elements, and character driven drama. Season 3 will likely continue to explore:
The nature of free will as opposed to fate
Shared trauma and memory
Existential meaning in life after experiencing moments of near-death
Survival and moral ambiguity
The Games: Are There New Games?
Face cards represented the highest level of danger in Seasons 1 and 2 without mistake, where each game was more complex than the last. If Season 3 featured the Joker Game, what could we expect?
A game centered on morality where there were no absolute winners or losers.
Team betrayal mechanics that compel allies to act against one another.
Puzzles that deal with reality distortion, dreams versus illusions.
A “choose your ending” scenario: do will the players die, live or start again?
Netflix could potentially innovate beyond the manga, creating original games created specifically for the series.
Do You Need to Read the Manga for Season 3?
If you’re truthfully dying for answers, you might want to read Haro Aso’s manga, but Netflix has already diverted from several plot beats, so there may be some level of surprise with the ending even for manga readers. The manga ends at 18 volumes, and there are also spin-offs like:
Alice in Borderland: Retry – which features Arisu entering a new game
Alice on Border Road – which features a different cast of characters, but with a similar setup
Final Season? Or Final One?
As Netflix has not clarified if Season 3 is the end, there are signs that this is the glorious end for Arisu’s journey. The joker is the end of the game deck, but Netflix is venturing beyond just anime, live-action, and games (Bandersnatch rule), so potentially Alice in Borderland could be an anthology or it could be part of a shared universe.
A Mind-Bending Ending is coming
Alice in Borderland Season 3 is poised to be a mind-bending, emotionally-driven experience that will wrap up everything people love about the series — incredible character relationships – deadly games – and existential questions. Netflix is preparing for what might be the last season of this series, and people are getting excited. Whether you love Alice in Borderland or just want to check it out for the first time, it is clear that Alice in Borderland Season 3 will be one of the biggest streaming event of the year.
FAQs
Is there a trailer for Alice in Borderland Season 3?
Not just yet, but there is currently a teaser going around featuring the Joker card. We are expected to see a full trailer in mid-to-late 2025.
Is the Joker going to be a new villain or just a concept?
It could be both. The Joker could be an idea of the final test, or possibly a villain acted out or simply a spiritual choice.
Can I watch Alice in Borderland Season 3 without Seasons 1 & 2?
Probably not. Season 3 is built upon the emotional arcs established in the previous seasons and the twist from previous seasons.
Is Alice in Borderland better than Squid Games?
Both are great shows. Alice in Borderland is more psychological horror and fantasy, while Squid Game is more grounded and social.