10 Burning Questions Remaining After ‘Alice in Borderland’ Season 3

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Following three incredible seasons, Alice in Borderland has finished, sparking a range of reactions from viewers. Some were satisfied with how Arisu’s story concluded, while others hope there’s more to tell. A few even feel the show should have wrapped up after season 2. No matter how you feel about the ending, you likely have several unanswered questions.

Featuring Kento Yamazaki as Ryōhei Arisu, Alice in Borderland was set in a strange place between life and death, known as the Borderlands. In this world, people who had almost died were compelled to play dangerous games for a chance to return to life. However, as season 3 showed, even winning a round didn’t guarantee freedom-players could be brought back to compete again, and dying in a game meant real-life death.

With the second round of competition now complete, here are 10 of the most pressing questions still on our minds.

How Did Arisu Beat the Train Game?

As a huge fan of Alice in Borderland, I was really gripped by how the games demanded not just strength, but real smarts and grit. What I loved was that each challenge *always* gave you something to go on, some kind of hint. Like, in the first game of the new season, ‘Sacred Fortunes’, Arisu brilliantly figured out that the fortune slips were actually telling them where the flaming arrows would come from. But things got *way* more complicated when Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) and her team faced ‘Runaway Train’. They thought they’d cracked it, but it turned out they were totally off base! It was frustrating, but so good. And then, we *see* Arisu’s team succeeding at the game, which immediately makes you wonder: how did they do it? It’s that mystery that kept me hooked!

Possible Answers

The manga version also included a Runaway Train game, but it had only four train cars instead of eight. Players knew one of these cars was poisoned, unlike the manga’s four toxic cars. The test was designed so players had the best chance of survival when confronting death, making the last car the dangerous one. Following this idea, all four final cars in the show should have been toxic. However, the order turned out to be completely random, which leaves us wondering how Arisu knew when to put on his masks. Perhaps he observed the birds behaving strangely in the poisoned cars, or maybe he spotted clues on the train walls revealing each car’s true nature. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t ever directly explained, so we’re likely to continue questioning it. This remains a mystery, even after multiple viewings.

How Did Banda Choose Who To Bring Back?

Sundato Banda (Hayato Isomura) was a cunning and malicious character who first appeared in season 2. He quickly accepted the offer to become a Citizen of the Borderlands, but became disillusioned when he found the new players weren’t up to his standards. As a result, he organized a tournament featuring returning contestants, including Arisu, whom he considered the most skilled player. However, this belief wasn’t really justified, and he could have arguably selected several other players who were more qualified.

Possible Answers

It would have made the most sense for Banda to go after Shuntaro Chishiya (played by Nijiro Murakami), since they were rivals in the Jack of Hearts Game. There were reports that Murakami was taking a break from acting, which might explain why his character wasn’t seen as a player anymore, but that doesn’t explain things from *within* the story. Also, we don’t fully understand how Banda’s abilities work, or why he seemingly revived players who weren’t likely to survive. On top of that, Banda enjoys causing pain, and it seemed his goal was to torment players as a way to reach Arisu.

Why Was Ryuji so Obsessed with the Land of the Dead?

Ryuji Matsuyama, portrayed by Kento Kaku, joined the cast of Alice in Borderland’s season 3. He was driven to participate in the games by a fascination with the Land of the Dead, and he brought Usagi along with him. Initially, it appeared his goal was to study the Land of the Dead, but his death would prevent him from sharing his findings. He also seemed to be seeking death as a way to atone for something that happened to a student, though there were simpler ways to achieve that if that was his intention. Ultimately, his reasons were confusing-he spent the entire game trying to stay alive to understand death, only to choose to die in the end.

Possible Answers

Ryuji may have been afraid of dying, even though he was curious about it. He also tended to become fixated on things, which was noticeable in how he acted around Usagi. Once he understood he couldn’t be with her and Arisu, he perhaps felt that death was his only option, particularly because he believed it would bring him back to his student. If we consider this difficult possibility, we’re still left wondering: how did he manage to get away with unintentionally killing his student?

How Does Pregnancy Work in the Borderlands?

Arisu was horrified to discover Usagi was in a coma, and the news that she was also pregnant struck him even more deeply. What made it even worse was that Usagi didn’t know she was pregnant, and she suffered serious injuries while competing in the games – injuries that easily could have harmed the baby. Furthermore, the baby seemed to be treated simply as another player during the final round (no one mentioned the unusual player count earlier), leaving the rules around pregnancy in the Borderlands unclear.

Possible Answers

It’s understandable that people might not have been closely watching the player count, particularly because most of them were unfamiliar with each other. It’s also conceivable that the injuries sustained to her while pregnant didn’t translate to physical harm in the real world. However, Akane Heiya (Yuri Tsunematsu) experienced the loss of a leg within the Borderlands, and subsequently found she was also missing it in reality. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, death within the games results in death in real life, making it difficult to believe the baby could have endured the falls, near-drowning, and the overwhelming amount of stress.

What Happened to Usagi’s Father?

Usagi’s father was a mountain climber who reportedly wasn’t truthful about his final expedition. He then, supposedly, took his own life due to the shame he felt. In season 3 of Alice in Borderland, Usagi became fixated on discovering what happened to him and entered the Borderlands, believing he could still be there. The season concluded with a short reunion where she was able to say goodbye, though it’s unclear if this was a real encounter or a vision, leaving many questions about him unanswered.

Possible Answers

The simplest explanation is that Usagi’s father wasn’t truthful about his climb and then took his own life. However, this resolution feels unsatisfying because Usagi never fully acknowledges it. Furthermore, her father was the primary reason she traveled to the Borderlands. Given that significant setup, it seems like his story deserved a more substantial conclusion.

Who Is the Watchman?

In the last episode of season 3, Arisu encountered a puzzling character named the Watchman (Ken Watanabe). This figure explained that its role was simply to observe the space between life and death. However, it called Arisu a human, suggesting it wasn’t one itself. The Watchman seemed to do more than just watch, too – right after Banda died, it said he “wasn’t ready,” hinting that it had caused his death. We’re left wondering what it meant by “wasn’t ready,” and also what its true purpose is.

Possible Answers

Similar to many things in the Borderlands, the Watchman seemed like a mysterious entity that humans might not be meant to fully understand. While that’s interesting, as an audience, we were curious to learn more. Is it the one controlling everything that happens? What’s the reason for its constant observation? And why did it view Arisu as unique?

What Is the Joker?

During their conversation, Arisu questioned the Watchman, asking if he was the Joker. The Watchman firmly denied being the Joker, and went on to say the Joker wasn’t a person at all-it was simply a card. This exchange was not only puzzling, but also quite confusing. Since every other card represented a human player, what set the Joker apart, and what did it mean that it was *just* a card?

Possible Answers

Just like with the Watchman’s true identity, this is likely information we weren’t meant to uncover. However, it really makes us rethink everything we believed about how the Borderlands are organized. Who designed this system of using cards, and what’s their ultimate goal? It raises a lot of questions, doesn’t it?

What Do the Others Remember?

By the end of season 3, Arisu had counseling sessions with familiar faces like Chishiya and Akane. Interestingly, they didn’t recall him or their time together in the Borderlands, although they were clearly still troubled by how close they’d come to dying. Usagi and Arisu themselves had fuzzy memories that eventually returned with full force. This raises the question: will the others regain their memories as well? And if they do, what will be the consequences?

Possible Answers

As demonstrated with Rizuna Ann (Ayaka Miyoshi), players could sometimes leave the games retaining most of their memories. Although not explicitly mentioned, this probably happened because she effectively died in the Borderlands before the others were revived. While this doesn’t account for her ability to see Banda, or his surprise at her doing so, it-along with players regaining memories in the second round-hints that earlier players may share this potential.

What Big Event Is Going To Bring People to the Borderlands?

Just before Arisu went home, the Watchman hinted that a lot more people would soon be joining the Borderlands. Not long after, Arisu watched in horror as a major earthquake struck Japan, the US, and many other parts of the world. This strongly implies that a disaster is looming, but the specific nature of the event, and the reason behind it, are still a mystery.

Possible Answers

The Watchman might be psychic, and the earthquakes could be the only thing it predicted. Alternatively, these earthquakes may be connected to a larger global catastrophe. However, this doesn’t clarify if the Watchman is causing the impending disaster, or if it’s just aware of it. We also don’t know how severe the situation will become.

Will There Be an American Spin-Off?

In the closing moments of Alice in Borderland, an earthquake struck the United States, and the camera showed a restaurant full of people. A waitress was shown serving customers, and the episode concluded with a close-up of her name tag, which read “Alice.” This ending strongly suggests that a fourth season of Alice in Borderland is being planned, potentially set in the US. However, this raises a key question: is an American version actually something fans want?

Possible Answers

Okay, this is more of a viewpoint than a definite answer, but it’s worth saying: creating an American version of the show is likely a mistake. While it would be fantastic to see more of the Alice in Borderland world and expand on the story, a big part of what made the original series special was Arisu and his group of friends-not a new, unrelated Alice and her own companions. Also, it’s hard to imagine an American character in the Borderlands facing significantly different challenges or reacting all that differently from a Japanese player. Simply put, there isn’t much to be gained from an American spin-off, but there’s a lot that could go wrong, and sometimes, the smartest move-both in a game and with an audience-is to know when to stop.

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2025-10-02 00:39