Alice in Borderland season 3 is close to perfect - but still offers more questions than answers

Now, sometime later, the pair are married and creating a life together. However, Usagi still has unresolved trauma relating to her father’s suicide. Arisu, meanwhile, keeps running into people who seem to know him from somewhere far away and who were involved in the meteorite strike on Shibuya.

Arisu works in a counselling centre, where he is asked about a journey by researcher Ryuji and mysterious games. He can’t remember but it’s clear that’s not completely true.

Then, when Usagi disappears, Arisu has a vision of a man trying to get him to return, in almost Jigsaw fashion, in order to play more games, and he won’t take no for an answer, leaving Arisu with a Joker card which is enough to trigger his memory of that other place, Borderland, and the games he won.

Ryuji Matsuyama, the mysterious new character teased in the trailers, and the series synopsis, is a unique new addition. He’s determined to discover Borderland and the games mentioned by former visitors due to his own trauma. Still, he’s not a particularly likeable character, and it’s unclear if he’s helping Usagi or just using her to fulfil his own obsession.

Ryuji is also this season’s wild card, pun very much intended. We know little about him except that he is obsessed with near-death experiences. He’s also a wheelchair user, which adds an interesting layer to the games' mechanics.

Up until now, we’ve only seen able-bodied people in Borderland, and Ryuji's inclusion forces the games to be a little more imaginative, particularly when it comes to the Spades.

Borderland continues to be both beautiful and eerie. Seeing this version of Tokyo, deserted and almost autumnal, gives heavy 28 Days Later vibes as well as this sense that it really is a liminal space, outside of time and a quieter, analogue copy of the real world.

The series continues to use its signature mix of set pieces, inventive camera work and CGI to give this sense that Borderland is otherworldly, from the iconic laser beams to the lack of working technology and deserted streets.

This mix of technology and games manages to keep viewers off-kilter in the best way possible, and might even have viewers rewind to Mira’s various prepositions in the finale of season 2.

Could Borderland actually be a VR game? Is it truly a shared NDE? Was she really lying or just messing with Arisu’s head? The design of the world never realty gives you firm answers, instead forcing survival from impossible odds and brutal punishment in the form of laser beams from heaven if players break the rules or lose their game.

The games continue to be the highlight of the season and Arisu’s particular gift for game theory really shines, echoing back to the first game of season 1 before he and his friends understood exactly how dangerous Borderland is. There’s no option for appeal or to ask for a manager; there is just the games, life and death.

This season does try to define some of the rules that Borderland operates on, even if it can break them later, and it appears to take many of them from the manga sequel, Retry, and the direct spin-off Alice on Border Road. However, you don't need to have read these to understand these rules; if you loved seasons 1 and 2, then go right ahead and lose yourself in Arisu and Usagi’s adventure as they once again fight for their lives.

The games themselves continue to be deadly and inventive, packing an emotion gut punch when you least expect it. It’s easy to forget that some of the best games are the ones which mess with the heads of those playing, but this season reminds us of that deftly.

Indeed, some of the most fascinating games are ones we only see moments of. Especially as the series likes to remind viewers that Borderland has a lot of people wandering in it, playing different games at the same time, even if there doesn’t seem to be a shared event like the meteor strike.

Locations are also one of this season's great strengths, from the unique, to the inventive to the iconic as settings for games. There is also a noticeable step up in set pieces and CGI, some of which looks a tad surreal, but it works to constantly keeps watchers guessing about the nature of the world itself.

That isn’t to say the six episode lag – oh no, far from it. As with prior seasons, viewers are on a rollercoaster ride, and once things start moving, they don’t stop until the credits roll.

The majority of the episodes focus on the characters, their stories, their survival and the games themselves, so anyone looking for answers, and some more questions for good measure, should enjoy the flow, knowing the final episode is the place to go for lore.

Alice in Borderland continues to be one of Netflix’s more popular series. Yes, this season does end Arisu and Usagi’s stories, with some nice nods to earlier seasons scattered through the episodes too, but there’s still enough to explore should Netflix decide to renew the series.

This season is pretty much unique material, with elements taken from the spin-off manga, Retry. Given that Aso wrote a spin-off manga in the same universe, it’s easy to see how this could be adapted should the ratings be high enough.

Here’s hoping we’ll be returning to Borderland again soon.

Alice in Borderland season 3 will be released on Netflix on 25th September 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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