Summary
Alice in Borderlandwill return for season 3, and there are a few things I wish would happen in the next chapter of Arisu’s adventure. Shortly after the release of season 2, Netflix confirmed thatAlice in Borderlandhad been renewed for season 3. On the one hand, the renewal of a successful show is hardly a surprise. On the other hand, it seemed like season 2’s finale had already been the perfect conclusion for the show.
Alice in Borderlandis one of manyNetflix live-action adaptations, yet season 3 will not have the manga to be based on. The show is now set to be an original story going beyond the source material, which was written and illustrated by Haro Aso. With no release date or story details yet,I am cautiously excited aboutAlice in Borderlandseason 3. ForAlice in Borderland’s new season to live up to the expectations set by the first two, it will have to be unique while also respecting the nearly perfect end of season 2.
8Alice In Borderland Season 3 Must Include A Time Skip
Season 2’s finale needs to have consequences
Alice in Borderlandseason 3 would benefit from a time skipconsidering how great the end of season 2 was. As exciting as it is to have another season ofAlice in Borderland, the show cannot ignore all the major reveals and twists from season 2’s finale.Arisu beat the Queen of Hearts, the main characters declined to stay in the Borderland, and the show finally revealed why they were there in the first place. The only wayAlice in Borderlandseason 3 can work after such a definitive ending is if includes a time skip.
I assume that Arisu, Usagi, and the others will soon realize that their fight is not over yet. However, for their returns to have enough impact, the show needs to distance itself from season 2’s finale in terms of the timeline. It would be very anticlimactic if theAlice in Borderlandcharacters saw themselves back playing deadly games only a couple of weeks after their return to the real world. A time skip would allow the show to incorporate the consequences of season 2’s finale naturally.
7Arisu & Usagi’s Relationship (Without Their Borderland Memories)
Arisu and Usagi got together in the manga after all
Having readAlice in Borderland: Retry, a one-shot that acts as an epilogue to theAlice in Borderlandmanga,I’m excited to see Arisu and Usagi’s relationship develop – but without their Borderland memories.One of the most interesting things aboutAlice in Borderlandseason 2’s finalewas how Arisu and Usagi still had feelings for each other, even though they had no memories of what happened in the Borderland. Both characters felt like they knew each other already, although they first met in the Borderland.
Alice in Borderland: Retrysees Arisu briefly return to the Borderland while his wife, Usagi, is about to give birth.
The fact thatArisu and Usagi still found each other after waking upmakes their relationship more special, which is why I would like to see them become a couple before potentially regaining their memories. Of course, that means that much of their relationship’s development from seasons 1 and 2 will not mean much in season 3. Still, having Arisu and Usagi fall in love for the second time would be a great way of reinventing their relationships for this new phase of the show.
6Chishiya, Kuina, & Other Characters Living Their Lives After Waking Up
Season 3 must spend time with the other characters
The cast ofAlice in Borderlandseason 3 has not been confirmed yet, although it is safe to say the show will revisit its most important characters. Although I expect the show to focus on Arisu and Usagi, I also want to see how characters like Chishiya and Kuina have been doing since they returned to the real world.Alice in Borderlandspent a lot of time developing its characters and even included several flashbacks featuring its main cast. For example, during the King of Clubs game, viewers find out that Chishiya was once a doctor.
Aya Asahina
Hikari Kuina
Despite these flashbacks, not much has been shown about the original lives of the supporting characters.I know much more about Arisu than about Chishiya or Niragi, meaningAlice in Borderlandseason 3 is the perfect opportunity to flesh out other characters more. It would be interesting to spend a couple of episodes following each of the surviving characters in their respective “normal lives” before they eventually reunite to play the games again. This would also allow the show to explore how much the Borderland experience changed them.
5A Mystery Regarding Alice In Borderland’s Joker Card
The Joker Card shouldn’t be explained too quickly
The Joker card inAlice in Borderlandseason 2’s finalewas the biggest indicator that the show was going to continue. The final shot of the episode was the Joker card as the last remaining card on the table, suggesting Arisu still had one final boss to beat. What the Joker card actually means remains to be seen. Whilethere is a Joker in theAlice in Borderlandmanga, it is not a final boss or a new game – the Joker is simply the ferryman that guides Arisu as he decides to leave the Borderland.
Every Alice in Borderland Game, Ranked Worst To Best
In the manga adaptation Alice in Borderland, characters face life-or-death games in a dystopian world, aiming to win enough games to escape.
By changing the meaning of the Joker card, the Netflix show perfectly set up its new villain. While there are several theories about the Joker inAlice in Borderland, I would prefer that the series kept it a mystery for now. The characters should be as confused about the Joker as viewers are, especially because there is not such a thing in the manga. AlthoughNetflix’sAlice in Borderlandmade some changes to the source material, most of the show’s twists were “spoiled” by the manga. The Joker, however, is an original storyline.
4A Good Explanation For Why Alice In Borderland Isn’t Over Yet
Did Arisu even return to the real world?
Perhaps the most important thingAlice in Borderlandseason 3 must include is a good explanation as to why the show is not over yet. Given how season 2’s ending matched the manga’s final chapters,I wrongfully assumed thatAlice in Borderlandwas not going to return for another season.Naturally, the success of the show meant it would continue regardless of how the source material ended, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Still, there has to be an in-universe explanation as to whyAlice in Borderland’s story is not overyet.
Apart from the Joker card, there is nothing in season 2’s finale to indicate that it was all a fake out. Arisu and the others spend 60 seconds between life and death and experience the mysterious Borderland together. Once they beat all the obstacles and proved they still wanted to keep living no matter what, they woke up in the real world. This is exactly what happened in the manga, which is whyAlice in Borderlandseason 3 needs a great story to justify its existence.
3Alice In Borderland Games Taking Place In The Real World
Bringing the games to the real world would reinvent the show
I believethe coolest way of reinventingAlice in Borderlandfor season 3 would be to bring the games to the real world.There is no reason to believe all characters would return to the Borderland under similar circumstances as the first time, yetAlice in Borderlandwould not be the same show without the deadly games. Assuming season 2’s finale was not a fake-out, Arisu is currently in the real world. Whatever is behind the Borderland could now be influencing the real world to go after Arisu and the others.
Alice In Borderland Season 3 Can Finally Fix The Show’s Chishiya & Kuina Mistake
Chishiya and Kuina are some of the best Alice in Borderland characters, but season 2 made a mistake regarding their story that season 3 has to fix.
The series could followFinal Destination’s playbook and have the Joker chasing down the survivors of the Tokyo incident, presenting them with new challenges to test if they deserve to continue living. I’m particularly excited to seewhat gamesAlice in Borderlandseason 3 will have. Now that the manga has already been covered in its entirety, the show will have to include brand-new games that were not in the source material.
2Alice In Borderland’s Characters Regaining Ther Memories (But Not So Fast)
It may be too soon for them to regain their memories
AlthoughI want to see Arisu regain his memories of the Borderland, it should not happen too fast. Part of what made the season 2 finale so impactful is how, despite everything they went through together, none of the characters remembered each other on the “other side.” If Arisu remembers everything in the first few episodes of season 3, then the previous season will have lost most of its meaning. Additionally, not giving their memories back right away can allowAlice in Borderlandto explore its characters in a whole different way.
InAlice in Borderland: Retry, Arisu only regains his memories after returning to the Borderland following an almost deadly accident.
Arisu and the others may not remember what happened in the Borderland, but the lessons they learned there will affect them regardless. For example, I expect Chishiya to be a very different person after what he experienced in the King of Clubs game. It’s difficult to believeAlice in Borderland’s characterswill not regain their memories eventually, otherwise, the first two seasons would have become pointless. Still, this should be a big moment for the show and only happen in the latter half of season 3.
1More Clues About What The Borderland Actually Is
Alice in Borderland’s ultimate mystery still hasn’t been solved
Alice in Borderlandseason 2 may have revealed that the characters were fighting for their lives in a hospital bed this whole time, but it still did not explain what the Borderland is. It is unclear if Borderland is magical, spiritual, or something that can be explained with in-universe science. It’s also unclear for how long the Borderland has existed, and why different characters experienced time there differently. Questions like“Is everyone in the Borderland a victim of the Tokyo meteorite incident?”have not been answered.
The manga also does not reveal too much about what the Borderland is and how it works. As such, I don’t expectAlice in Borderlandseason 3 to bring in definitive answers about the show’s greatest mystery. That said, I expect there will be a few more clues about it, especially with the introduction of the Joker.
Alice in Borderland
Cast
Alice in Borderland: Released in 2020, Alice in Borderland follows a young man obsessed with video games and his two friends who find themselves transported to a mysterious version of Tokyo. They must participate in perilous games to survive and navigate the challenges of this alternate reality.
