After three years of anticipation, Alice in Borderland Season 3 dropped on Netflix in September 2025, leaving fans with more questions than answers. That cryptic Los Angeles ending has sparked wild speculation: Are we getting a fourth season in Japan, or is Netflix pivoting to an American adaptation? Here’s everything we know about the survival thriller’s uncertain future.
Table of Contents
Alice in Borderland: Current Status Breakdown
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Season 3 Release | September 25, 2025 |
| Renewal Status | Not confirmed (as of November 2025) |
| Total Viewing Hours (5 weeks) | 142.3 million |
| Completed Views | 21.6 million |
| Director’s Interest | Shinsuke Sato: “I would certainly say yes” |
| Director’s Current Projects | Kingdom 5, My Hero Academia live-action |
| Cast Interest | Kento Yamazaki & Tao Tsuchiya want to return |
| Expected Timeline (if renewed) | 2027 at earliest |
| Alternative Option | U.S. spin-off set in Los Angeles |
The Cliffhanger That Changed Everything
Season 3 concluded with Arisu and Usagi finally escaping Borderland for good—or so it seemed. After defeating the enigmatic Joker in a mind-bending final game, the couple returned to Tokyo expecting their first child. Then came the twist that has everyone talking.
As global earthquakes signal a new catastrophe approaching, the camera cuts to a bar in Los Angeles where two friends order drinks. The shot zooms in on their waitress’s name tag: “Alice.” This deliberate parallel to the “Alice in Wonderland” motif that defines the series strongly hints that Borderland’s deadly games are crossing the Pacific.
Sound familiar? The ending mirrors Squid Game Season 3’s finale, which teased an American expansion with a Cate Blanchett cameo. Netflix seems to have found a formula for globalizing its biggest Asian franchises.
Why Season 4 Faces Major Obstacles
Despite director Shinsuke Sato telling Radio Times he’d be interested in returning, his schedule presents serious challenges. Sato is already committed to directing Kingdom 5 and Netflix’s highly anticipated My Hero Academia live-action adaptation—both massive productions requiring years of development and filming.
Moreover, Netflix has remained conspicuously silent about labeling Season 3 as definitive. The official Netflix Geeked account called it the “final season” on social media, yet marketing materials avoided that phrase. This ambiguity suggests Netflix is keeping options open while monitoring audience response.
The numbers support continued investment. Alice in Borderland is Netflix’s most successful Japanese non-anime original series, with Season 3 dominating global charts for five consecutive weeks post-release. That kind of performance doesn’t typically lead to cancellation.
The Case for an American Adaptation
If a traditional Season 4 proves logistically impossible, an English-language spin-off set in Los Angeles offers Netflix several advantages. The streaming giant has successfully transplanted Korean hits before, with varying results, but Alice in Borderland‘s premise—strangers trapped in deadly survival games—translates easily across cultures.
The Los Angeles setting opens storytelling possibilities while maintaining connection to the original. Kento Yamazaki has openly expressed interest in reprising Arisu’s role, which could bridge the gap between Japanese and American versions. Imagine Arisu arriving in LA as the world’s only Borderland veteran, guiding new players through the nightmare he’s survived twice.
Another compelling candidate for crossover: Ken Watanabe, whose character appeared in Season 3. Western audiences already know Watanabe from The Last Samurai, Inception, and Godzilla, making him an ideal anchor for an American cast.
Alternative Paths: Spin-offs and Manga Adaptations
Beyond a direct continuation, the Alice in Borderland universe offers untapped material. Creator Haro Aso wrote two spin-off manga series: Alice in Borderland Retry and Alice on Border Road.
Retry follows Arisu returning to Borderland while pregnant Usagi waits in the real world—a premise Season 3 partially adapted but didn’t fully explore. Alice on Border Road centers on a teenage girl from Kyoto navigating Borderland with strangers, offering fresh perspectives without exhausting Arisu’s story.
Director Sato expressed specific interest in adapting Border Road, telling Radio Times it could work as a standalone project. This approach would satisfy fans craving more Borderland content while giving the creative team flexibility to explore new characters and games.
For those hungry for more death game drama, check out our coverage of similar survival thrillers that capture Alice in Borderland‘s intense atmosphere.
What Arisu and Usagi Deserve
Here’s the emotional reality: Arisu has survived Borderland twice, faced the Joker, sacrificed himself, and clawed back to life for his family. After all that trauma, does he deserve a third trip to hell?
Season 3’s ending suggests yes—the mysterious Watchman warned that something worse than the Shibuya meteor is coming. Those global earthquakes aren’t coincidental. They represent tears in reality between the living world and Borderland, potentially dragging millions into the games simultaneously.
But dragging Arisu back feels narratively greedy. His arc concluded beautifully: choosing life over death, saving Usagi and their unborn child, finally finding peace. An American adaptation could let him serve as mentor rather than protagonist, passing the torch to new players while he offers hard-won wisdom.
The Verdict: What’s Most Likely?
Given Sato’s commitments, Netflix’s expansion strategy, and that deliberate Los Angeles tease, an English-language spin-off feels more probable than traditional Season 4. This allows Netflix to capitalize on the franchise’s global success while giving Japanese creators breathing room for other projects.
If greenlit, expect casting announcements in 2026, with a premiere no earlier than late 2027 or 2028—matching the two-to-three-year gaps between previous seasons. Netflix tends to take its time with prestige international productions, prioritizing quality over speed.
The real question isn’t whether we’ll see more Borderland, but what form it takes and who survives to tell the story.
FAQs
Will Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya return if there’s more Alice in Borderland?
Both actors have expressed strong interest in reprising their roles as Arisu and Usagi. However, if Netflix pursues an American adaptation rather than Season 4, their involvement would likely be limited to cameo appearances or supporting roles rather than lead characters, allowing them to bridge the Japanese and English versions while letting new protagonists take center stage.
Can I watch Alice in Borderland Season 3 without seeing previous seasons?
Absolutely not. Alice in Borderland is a serialized narrative where character development, past trauma, and relationship dynamics drive the plot. Season 3 specifically requires understanding Arisu and Usagi’s history from Seasons 1-2, including why they lost their Borderland memories, how their relationship formed under extreme circumstances, and the significance of their return. Starting with Season 3 would be like reading the final chapters of a thriller novel—you’d miss crucial context that makes the emotional payoffs meaningful.
