‘Alice in Borderland’: Season 3 Trailer Reveals What Mysterious Joker Card Means

Let the games begin. Again.

Netflix’s Alice in Borderland returns for a third season next month, and as the teaser trailer promises, the Joker is wild. In this latest installment of the sci-fi thriller, the survivors of the Face Card games from Season 2 are drawn back into Borderland for one final challenge, as the Joker card revives old competitors, familiar enemies, and new dangers.

Based on the manga by Haro Aso, Alice in Borderland transforms Tokyo into a dark and twisted alternate reality, using references to Alice in Wonderland to craft a surreal and deadly playing field for its unfortunate players.

But when will the new season return? And who is set to play the third round? Read more to find out.

When does Alice in Borderland Season 3 premiere?

Season 3 of the Netflix Series Alice in Borderland is set for release on Thursday, September 25, 2025, on Netflix.

What is Alice in Borderland Season 3 about?

Here is the official logline from Netflix: “In the previous season, Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) cleared all of the games and returned to the real world. They have since gotten married and established a happy life together. Their memories of the borderland were erased, but they see glimpses of it in dreams and hallucinations. One day, Usagi, led by afterlife researcher Ryuji (Kento Kaku), suddenly vanishes. At the same time as Usagi’s disappearance, Banda (Hayato Isomura) hands Arisu the final card: the Joker. The uncharted journey led by the mysterious Joker card is about to unfold…”

What is Alice in Borderland about?

Based on the popular Japanese manga, Alice in Borderland follows a group of people who are mysteriously transported to an alternate version of Tokyo, where they must compete in deadly games to survive. Each game is tied to a different playing card, and each player appears to represent a different character or reference to Alice in Wonderland. As players move forward in the games, they begin to uncover truths about the realm, their overseers, and one another.

Before they were transported, the players were each teetering on the edge of death, battling personal traumas, or dealing with existential dread. Picked due to their seemingly limited time left in life, they are now forced to compete in twisted versions of tag, croquet, and hide-and-seek, among others. Wins mean their “visas” (lifelines) are extended, and they can stay to play some more. Loss of a game or refusing to play equals death.

Among the characters are Ryohei Arisu (Yamazaki), the hero of the story and the narrative’s “Alice.”

Where did Alice in Borderland Season 2 leave off?

Arisu and Usagi faced off against Mira Kanō (Riisa Naka) in a croquet game and won, resulting in Mira being killed by a laser. After the Face Card games, the survivors were given a choice: stay and become residents of Borderland or return to the real world with their memories of the events erased. Those who chose to return woke up just before a meteor struck Tokyo. Fortunately, it appears all the surviving players managed to live through the catastrophe, though they have no memory of each other or their experiences in Borderland.

Arisu and Usagi passed each other in a hospital hallway and shared an instant connection.

The final shot was of a picnic table revealing an unplayed card: the Joker, a.k.a. the wildcard.

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Who stars in Alice in Borderland?

Kento Yamazaki stars as Ryohei Arisu (Japanese phonetic rendering of “Alice”), the hero of the series. He survived the Face Card battle and returned to the real world with no memory of his time in the game. After surviving the meteor, he met Usagi at the hospital for “the first time,” and they shared an instant connection.

Tao Tsuchiya plays Yuzuha Usagi (meaning “rabbit”), the story’s deuteragonist. After saving Arisu in the finale and helping him through his Croquet game with Mira, she chose to return to the real world and deal with the aftermath of a meteor strike in Shibuya. She woke in the hospital and was reunited with Arisu, but had no memory of him, yet they were both drawn to each other.

Nijirō Murakami is Shuntarō Chishiya. He is the game’s Cheshire Cat. He also survived the games (despite sustaining several life-threatening injuries) and woke in the hospital in Shibuya.

Aya Asahina is Hikari Kuina, whose name is similar to “queen.” The gang’s top fighter, a severely injured Kuina survived the games and made it out to the real world, but it is unknown if they will return for Season 3.

Hayato Isomura is Sunato Banda (a reference to the Bandersnatch). In the real world, he is an infamous serial killer who was going to be executed before he found himself in Borderland. He survived and remained in Borderland at the end of Season 2. In the trailer for Season 3, he gives Arisu a Joker card.

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Shô Aoyagi as Morizono Aguni, whose name means “green willow,” who survived the King of Spades game and will hopefully return for Season 3.

Ayaka Miyoshi is Rizuna Ann, an essential ally to Arisu and Usagi who used her smarts to help them level up in the game. She is believed to represent the Dormouse in the game.

Katsuya Maiguma plays Ōki Yaba (meant to reference the Jabberwocky) is a manipulative strategist who opted to stay in Borderland rather than return.

Also starring in Season 3 are Hayato Isomura, Koji Ohkura, Risa Sudou, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Tina Tamashiro, Kotaro Daigo, Hyunri, Sakura Kiryu, Yugo Mikawa, Joey Iwanaga, Akana Ikeda, and Kento Kaku.

Alice in Borderland Season 3, September 25, Netflix