Netflix dropped Alice in Borderland season 3 on September 25, 2025, releasing six episodes. The story starts with Usagi (Tsuchiya Tao) getting kidnapped and left unconscious by a mysterious scholar, Ryuji (Kaku Kento), obsessed with life after death. Her disappearance pulls Arisu (Yamazaki Kento) back into the dangerous, unpredictable “Borderland."Arisu teams up with new players this season. Together, they face deadly games, including one run by the enigmatic “Joker,” whose identity and plans remain unknown. The group must survive these challenges to find a way back to the real world. In the season 3 finale, Arisu returns to reality with Usagi, choosing life.Alice in Borderland season 3 recapSeason 3 of Alice in Borderland begins with Arisu being interviewed about the Shibuya meteorite incident by Ryuji and two men, who ask survivors about dreams of games. Arisu, however, recalls a journey instead. Obsessed with the afterlife, Ryuji investigates the Borderlands and attends a deadly “seminar” game, Old Maid, where he wins and meets Banda. Meanwhile, Usagi struggles with her father’s death. Ryuji kidnaps her to the Borderlands. Arisu pieces together clues, meets Banda, and learns Usagi is involved. He turns to Ann, takes a heart-stopping shot to enter the Borderlands, and reaches a sundown game at Hikawa Shrine.As the season progresses, it is revealed that Ryuji, haunted by a student lost in a near-death experiment, resists killing Usagi despite two chances. He chooses morality over ambition, realizing some knowledge isn’t worth innocent lives. Meanwhile, Banda is the one to plot to bring Arisu back, manipulating Ryuji by promising him the Netherworld if he brings Usagi, using her grief to lure her. Once Usagi entered, Arisu followed. In season 3, Arisu also meets the Man in the Hat, wondering if he’s the Joker. The man says he’s just a gatekeeper between life and death, urging Arisu to accept mortality, though he admits he stays in the Borderlands out of fear of death. In the manga, the Joker ferries the dead to the Netherworld. The Man in the Hat echoes this but clarifies that the Joker isn’t a god or human. He challenges Arisu to a card game. Arisu picks a Joker, then realizes both cards were the same. The man explains that four suits of 13 cards total 344, plus one Joker, equals 365 days, two Jokers equal 366. The Joker represents chance and the illusion of control.In Alice in Borderland season 3’s finale, Arisu and Usagi return to reality after Arisu opts for life over death, even with its grief. Before his choice, the Man in the Hat warns of an approaching catastrophe in the real world that could draw more souls into the Borderlands. Once back, the couple awaits their child’s arrival, but Japan is soon shaken by repeated quakes. Reports confirm major tectonic shifts worldwide. The last scene moves to California, where a diner waitress named “Alice” is revealed. This signals that the next chapter of Alice in Borderland may follow a new American lead.Will there be a follow-up season of Alice in Borderland after season 3?Alice in Borderland (Image via X/@NetflixID)Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed a fourth season, but season 3’s ending hints that the Borderland saga isn’t over. The finale teases a possible new lead alongside Arisu and Usagi, keeping the story open. Speaking to Radio Times, director Shinsuke Sato has expressed interest in returning, stating, “If you’re asking me whether I’d be interested or not, I would certainly say yes.” Sato also mentioned wanting to adapt Haro Aso’s spin-off manga Alice in Border Road, which exists in the same universe but tells a separate story. If it happens, the next season may face delays. Seasons 1 and 2 had a two-year gap, and season 3 followed three years after season 2. Following that pattern, season 4 might arrive around 2027. Lead actress Tao Tsuchiya shared her idea for the series’ continuation as well, saying,“I have a premise where the child will find themselves in Borderland and the parents have to go in and save them. The kids don’t understand the world at all but then the parents do. From the kids’ point of view, they’ll question, ‘Who are you? Are you my parents? Why do you understand all of this?’ There’s a sense of suspicion that comes from that. Through the games, they help each other as parent and child, which reaffirms how beautiful family is.”The 30-year-old hopes future seasons will reflect real-life experiences, like aging or parenthood. Season 3 gave closure to Arisu and Usagi but hinted at a world-ending event that could send more people into Borderland. While an American remake of Alice in Borderland hasn’t been confirmed, the series’ ambiguous ending and fan following suggest Netflix could continue the story if season 3 performs well.Watch all three seasons of Alice in Borderland on Netflix!