Alice in Borderland 3: This One Shocks And Scares With Its Deceptive Twists

I came across an interesting reel on Instagram that said, “You start watching Alice in Borderland expecting a plot, and all you get is Arisu.” And I felt, nothing could describe the third instalment of this thrilling Japanese sci-fi series better. The first two seasons were all about surviving a mysterious world where death was always a breath away.

This time, too, it’s the same, only Arisu’s motivation for survival is his beloved Usagi. Many new characters are introduced, each having a unique backstory that makes you like or dislike the character. I loved certain parts of the show and did not like a few bits. So, allow me to tell you how this season fared for me, what stood out, what fell short, and why “Alice in Borderland” will remain one of the most shocking survival dramas for me.

 

Alice in Borderland 3 (2025) (6 Episodes)

With no memory of the previous games, Arisu and Usagi are living a happy life together as a married couple. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Usagi mysteriously goes missing and is later found unconscious beside a man named Ryuji, a researcher obsessed with the idea of life after death. Arisu soon learns that to bring Usagi out of her coma, he must enter the world between life and death and rescue her at any cost. This new “Borderland” is a perilous realm filled with deadly games that threaten every player’s existence. But Arisu is determined to survive and find Usagi, no matter what it takes.

I enjoyed watching Alice In Borderland because…

…I missed watching Arisu and Usagi. The season starts with Arisu and Usagi, who are now a happily married couple. They do not remember anything they experienced in the borderlands and are leading a normal life. Arisu is training to be a psychologist and helps people heal from past traumas. We then see that Banda from Season 2, who stayed back in the borderlands, wants Arisu back as he feels that Arisu was the best player who made the games interesting. But he knows that Arisu does not remember anything about the games and is unlikely to willingly join the games, hence he selects Matsuyama Ryuji to kidnap Usagi and get her into the games so Arisu will follow his wife into the borderlands to save her.

Matsuyama Ryuji is a teacher overly obsessed with death and the afterlife. He has spent years researching what happens in the afterlife and has even interviewed many people who have had near-death experiences.

Ryuji agrees to kidnap Usagi as Banda promises him to reveal everything he wants to know about what happens after death. Their plan works, and as soon as Arisu learns that Usagi has been kidnapped and taken to the borderlands, he too follows her. And from there starts the new tournament in which players try to survive one game after another.

Since I’ve watched the first two seasons, I had to watch the concluding one as well. Also, after that concluding scene showing Arisu and Usagi meeting for the first time in the hospital, I just had to know how their story progressed. However, to be honest, I did not jump onto the show as soon as it was released because I was not too excited for it. It’s because the first two seasons were heavy on bloodshed and gore, which made me extremely uncomfortable. So, I was not sure if I wanted to see more of it. But when I saw it had only six episodes, I gave it a try. Thankfully, this season had a lot less gore than I was expecting. And once I started watching, I couldn’t stop. I was eagerly waiting to see Arisu and Usagi reunite, and when it happened, it was worth the wait.

The reason why I like Arisu and Usagi so much is that their approach to the games is different, but they both strive to save not just themselves but also the other contestants. They both have their own unique ways of making coalitions and working towards survival. Arisu tends to put others first and then himself, while Usagi is often seen taking people along but remains detached from them. Both risk their life for others, but Arisu is often more affected, while Usagi plays detached.

The games this time felt less engaging, except for two that made my anxiety skyrocket to a new level. One is the ‘throw the can’ task, in which a can is thrown in the air, and the players have to find it and put it back where it came from. Sounds simple, but it has a time limit within which the players have to put the can back in. Arisu is injured in this task, so he does not move around a lot. But the other players had me sitting on the edge of my seat. That task is really bad for the weak-hearted. Then there is another task in which each player is given a choice to decide for their life, which can have multiple outcomes. It is the final task and the trickiest one. I could feel my own heart beating out of my chest when I’m not even playing the game.  

At first, I thought the games got tougher with each episode, but actually, that was not the case. As the story progressed, we got to learn more about the other characters and see them form a bond or even friendship with the main leads. So, when these characters are eliminated, it becomes difficult to watch because now you connect with them. That’s why, when two teams are playing, it’s okay when the members of the other teams lose or are killed because we don’t know them. However, it’s easy to forget that they are also human after all. We especially connect with them when they are willing to sacrifice for the lead or even for the other players. The games are as lethal as always.

The highlight of the show was the little surprise at the very end. I do not want to spoil it for anyone, so I won’t mention it, but it was really a sweet, sweet surprise.

 

I did not enjoy watching Alice In Borderland 3 because…

…it lacked purpose. I personally felt that Season 2 gave a reasonably good ending to the series. The third instalment, however, seemed unnecessary, almost as if it was forced upon the viewers to milk whatever was left of the show’s popularity. While I don’t really complain because I genuinely like Arisu and Usagi, it was disappointing that their screen time together was limited. Even though the makers highlighted teamwork and friendship this time, the effort felt shallow and lacked real purpose.

Another thing that did not quite work for me was the lack of a strong villain. Banda might have dragged Arisu and Usagi back into the game, but he is barely shown doing anything significant himself. The makers cast a guy who looks menacing, but he hardly gets any screen time, so his character ends up making little to no impact on the story. Overall, the show feels more like an extension of the previous two seasons, just without the same curiosity about the Borderlands.

 

Alice In Borderland 3 gives you everything its predecessors did and absolutely nothing new. If you have been missing the thrill and high-stakes suspense of the earlier seasons, this one will definitely scratch that itch. But that’s about it.

I give Alice In Borderland 3 a 3 out of 5 rating. It might be slow and lack a clear sense of purpose, but it still manages to keep you hooked with its familiar mix of mystery and tension. And in case you missed Arisu and Usagi like I did, you can totally watch this one for them.

 

Also Read: