Alice in Borderland is Netflix’s best-kept secret. The Japanese manga adaptation has lived quietly on the streamer for years, never reaching the popularity of fellow deadly-game series Squid Game. That could change with the upcoming Season 3.
When Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) first entered the Borderlands, the games were identified by playing cards. In Season 2, he took on the face cards, and the Season 2 finale seemingly ended the story when the Borderlands were revealed to be a post-tragedy mass delusion. But the games are calling once more, and this time, our heroes are up against the Joker. Check out the trailer for Season 3 below:
When Arisu’s love interest, Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), is abducted, Arisu is forced to navigate the Borderlands to get her back. From the look of the trailer, it seems like the Joker stage is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, with games involving gas masks in a subway train, lasers, and a sky full of flaming arrows, an adaptation of one of the manga’s most shocking games.
The biggest question surrounding Season 3 is where it can take the story. It seemed like the show was over and done with, but in the manga, there were several false endings. Maybe the Joker card is a way for the Netflix series to explore these options.
Tao Tsuchiya highlighted a specific game involving colorful dice as one to watch out for in Season 3. “As the players become more desperate, everyone’s performances become more intense and dramatic. I think this game really captures the essence of Alice in Borderland,” she told Netflix, “and about discovering how you truly want to live.”
With the Joker being the last remaining card in the deck, will this season be the real end of the series? When Netflix announced Season 3, it wasn’t specified as the final season. Maybe tarot cards will come next?
