After a long wait, Netflix has finally released all six episodes of Alice in Borderland Season 3. The final chapter in Arisu and Usagi’s journey was everything that we expected. Our beloved duo has faced not only several deadly games but also their inner demons to finally be able to move on from the trauma of purgatory. Like previous seasons of Alice in Borderland, the ending of the third season wasn’t a straightforward one. So, if you’re having trouble grasping what happened in the end, here’s everything you need to know about Alice in Borderland Season 3’s ending.
Alice in Borderland Season 3 Ending Explained
In the very beginning, we see Arisu and Usagi happily married; however, it doesn’t take very long to figure out that Usagi wasn’t truly all joyful. She was having dreams about her father committing suicide. Usagi very quickly realizes that she won’t get her answers in the real world. However, Usagi’s vulnerability was used by Banda, who also used Ryuji as a puppet.
In the beginning, everyone was confused as to how Banda was able to hand over Joker cards to the contestants in the real world. It turns out that he arrived in the real world to hand over those cards; in fact, the first person he met was Ryuji. Apparently, Ryuji felt guilty for unknowingly killing his student over their obsession with the afterlife. All that guilt made Ryuji even more desperate to learn about the afterlife, so he was the perfect person for Banda to manipulate. But why exactly does Banda do all this? Well, the short is that Banda wanted Arisu to stay in the Borderlands.
To understand this, let’s go back to Alice in Borderland Season 2. We all know that it was Arisu who defeated the final face card, the Queen of Hearts. By beating that game, Arisu made it possible for everyone to return to the real world, well, almost everyone. Banda was one of those few people who decided to go stay in Purgatory and become a citizen.
However, deep inside his heart, Banda knew that he himself didn’t earn all this, and it was Arisu who defeated the games. And like they all say, a clever mind seeks the company of a clever mind. So, Banda wanted Arisu to return to the Borderlands and become a citizen as well. And that’s why Banda asked Ryuji to manipulate Usagi to return to the Borderlands. Banda knew that Arisu would follow Usagi as well. Banda wanted Ryuji to kill Usagi in front of Arisu, so the trauma of losing his wife would compel Arisu to stay in the Borderlands.
In the end, everything happens as Banda wanted; Arisu and Usagi arrive in the Borderlands. And after surviving several games, they reunite. But what Banda didn’t expect was Ryuji going against the plan. The man realizes his mistake and decides to help Arisu and Usagi survive the games instead, a decision that costs him his life.
A Mysterious Man Appears in the Final Episode of Alice in Borderland Season 3
In the end, Banda does face Arisu and explains to him that he wants Arisu to stay in the purgatory. However, as expected, Arisu refuses Banda’s offer, after which the psychotic killer tries to kill Arisu. However, before he could harm Arisu, the laser from the sky killed Banda for losing the game. After that, a mysterious entity arrives in front of Arisu, who explains that Joker isn’t a real person in Borderland. This man confirms that he is, in fact, the gatekeeper between life and death. At this point, we learn that Joker isn’t any powerful being or person. It’s simply a representation of the gateway between life and death.
Finally, this man gives Arisu two choices by offering him two Joker cards: return to the real world or stay in Borderland. As expected, Arisu decides to return to the real world, where he can hold Usagi’s hands. After returning to the real world, Arisu heads to the hospital, where he finds out that Usagi has come out of the coma. However, he learns that Ryuji is dead. We see Arisu and Usagi sharing moments together before our beloved Kuina and Chishiya visit Arisu in the clinic where he works.
Alice in Borderland Gives Fans an Ending Similar to Squid Game
A few months back, Squid Game concluded by giving fans a rather mysterious ending. In the final moments of Squid Game, we see that the games are being held in America as well. This made the fandom wonder if we could actually get an American version of Squid Game. Well, who would have imagined that AIB would offer fans a similar ending?
In the concluding moments, we see that seismic activity has been recorded all over the world, which could mean climate change that could impact every country, including America. So, the creators of AIB can very well use this ending to create an American version of Alice in Borderland. In fact, in the final moments, the show takes us to America. We see a couple of guys ordering food in a restaurant, and guess what? They are being waited on by a girl who is wearing the tag that says: Alice.
So, if this isn’t an indication of an American version of Alice in Borderlands, then I don’t know what is. That being said, Netflix would definitely take the performance of Season 3 of AIB to decide whether they want an American version of the TV show, if, of course, the creators come up with an actual idea of a script.
