After that jaw-dropping Alice in Borderland Season 3 ending, you might be wondering: is an American spinoff going ahead? Here’s everything we know about Alice in Borderland USA (and what the fans think).
Season 3 of the Netflix series sees Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) drawn back into the Borderland with some help from the mysterious new Ryuji Matsuyama (Kento Kaku). Of course, it doesn’t take long before Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) goes back in to save her.
A new round of games unfolds, this time to clear the Joker card. From the very beginning, there have been undeniable parallels between Alice in Borderland and Squid Game – both see characters fighting for survival in a series of deadly challenges.
But Season 3 ramps up the similarities: an unborn child becomes a player, Banda is the new Recruiter, and then there’s that ending. Before we go any further, warning: spoilers ahead!
Is Alice in Borderland USA happening?
The truth is that Netflix is yet to confirm anything just yet, whether that be an American spinoff, Alice in Borderland Season 4, or a combination of the two – but the cast and crew are game.
The question of a USA spinoff has only been raised since the release of Season 3. You see, at the end of the finale, Arisu and Usagi make it back to the real world with their unborn child.
Everything seems to be back to normal, until an earthquake strikes Tokyo. When Arisu switches on the news, he sees a news report: unprecedented seismic activity is unfolding across the globe, with the west coast of the US set to be the most impacted.
Before making it out of the Borderland, Arisu was challenged to one final game with the Watchman (Ken Watanabe) – the guy who oversees the passage between life and death.
During their meeting, the Watchman warns Arisu that the space will soon be “flooded with many people” as something terrible will happen in the real world – something “much, much bigger” than the meteorite disaster.
Judging by the news report, this wasn’t a fake prediction to mess with his head. A disaster unlike anything the world has ever seen is about to hit.
The final scene of Alice in Borderland Season 3 takes us from Tokyo to LA, where two men enter a bar. They order a drink from the waitress, whose face isn’t shown, before the camera zooms in on her name badge: “Alice”.
Much like the ending of Squid Game Season 3, this at least serves as a natural jumping off point for an American continuation of the story, with Alice taking over from Arisu. But whether this will happen is yet to be seen.
Another option is that this American storyline runs alongside the main plot. What we know for sure is that the cast and crew are keen to make more.
Cast and crew talk Alice in Borderland Season 4
Speaking with the Radio Times, director Shinsuke Sato was asked about the potential for future seasons, to which he replied, “If you’re asking me whether I’d be interested or not, I would certainly say yes.”
He also expressed interest in adapting the Alice in Borderland spinoff manga, Alice on Border Road, by the original manga’s author Haro Aso. Interestingly, the protagonist in the spinoff is named Alice, and while it’s set within the same universe, it takes place in Kyoto.
As for Usagi star Tao Tsuchiya, she told the outlet that she’d love to return in another chapter of the Netflix show, and she also has an idea for how that could play out.
“I have a premise where the child will find themselves in Borderland and the parents have to go in and save them. The kids don’t understand the world at all but then the parents do,” she said.
“From the kids’ point of view, they’ll question, ‘Who are you? Are you my parents? Why do you understand all of this?’ There’s a sense of suspicion that comes from that. Through the games, they help each other as parent and child, which reaffirms how beautiful family is.
“If it were a one-off show or film, then it would be us clearing the games by ourselves, without a child. But this is something that’s possible because it’s a show over a couple of seasons.
“We’d love for our own life experiences that come with our age to be projected into the story. I’m holding my hand out into the ether and hope one of the producers will be listening!”
Alice in Borderland fans slam ‘unbelievable’ Season 3 ending
If Alice in Borderland does continue beyond Season 3, the fans are divided on what they’d like to see happen next – but many have expressed their hopes that it won’t be a full American adaptation.
“Just finished Alice in Borderland Season 3 and you genuinely wont f**king believe what happens at the end,” wrote one, while sharing a screenshot of Cate Blanchett in the Squid Game Season 3 finale.
Another said, “What is up with Squid Game AND Alice in Borderland ending in America to hint an English spinoff? Go away, I don’t want an American version LEAVE ME ALONE.”
“I don’t think we’re going to get an American spin-off, I think it was just alluding to the fact that the Watchman said they’re going to get a HUGE amount of people in the Borderlands soon and how that’s to do with worldwide seismic activity, not just limited to Japan,” added a third.
“Then because they were in an English-speaking country like America they could do that cool ending transition with the ‘Alice’ nametag. Also, they’ve run out of source material.
“Season 3 was off-track from the manga but it did borrow some things from it. But yeah, the manga finishes at Season 3 essentially, so if they made anything else it’s going to be completely new.”
Elsewhere, one fan theorized that Alice in Borderland Season 4 could explore a second Joker tournament – organized by Oki Yaba, the other player who chose to stay behind in the Borderland in Season 2.
“I have a theory that no one is addressing. The old man in the hat indicates that there are two jokers in a complete deck. One is represented by Sunato Banda and the other by Oki Yaba,” they said.
“Unless I’m mistaken, Oki Yaba didn’t die this season, unlike Sunato Banda. I think this fourth season will continue with Oki Yaba.”
We’ll keep this post updated as and when new information rolls in. Until then, Alice in Borderland Season 3 is streaming on Netflix now.
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