Following the success that Netflix is enjoying from its live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s globally renowned manga and anime series One Piece, it seems like one of the streaming platform’s OG hits from Japan will be making a comeback (read: Alice in Borderland). 

Mangaka Haro Aso’s thrilling take on the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland became an instant favorite among viewers when the first season of its live-action version, directed by Shinsuke Sato, dropped on Netflix in December 2020. 

The show’s return season—still featuring its all-star cast composed of Japan’s biggest young actors including Kento Yamazaki for the titular role Ryohei Arisu and Tao Tsuchiya as Yuzuha Usagi—set a new record, ranking #1 on Netflix’s Global Non-English TV list, consequently minting 61.2 million viewing hours over its premiere weekend in December 2022—the most hours viewed in a week for a Japanese series. 

While the second season of Alice in Borderland wrapped up on a pretty satisfactory note, fans of the series couldn’t help but wonder if there will still be a follow-up to the story of the characters they have come to love. Well… it seems like they will be getting their much-awaited answer (hopefully) soon, as hints suggesting a third season of the show have started to make waves online. 

So far, here’s what we know about the possibility of Alice in Borderland Season 3 happening:

The poster in Shibuya Station

On 18 September, Monday, a post on the X app (formerly Twitter) from user @adbrex, who shares photos of “interesting advertisements” found in Tokyo, caught the attention of Alice in Borderland fans. 

The post features a picture of ten playing cards set against a black background with the red Netflix logo below—nothing more.

While it could be just any other advertisement of some upcoming Netflix show, the caption of the post mentions Alice in Borderland, suggesting a connection between the show and the ad. The caption then goes on to encourage people to share their thoughts on the “mysterious” and “rare” B0 poster. 

It’s almost impossible not to associate Alice in Borderland with the particular details of the ad. First, the placement: Shibuya is one of the key settings of the series. Then, the image: Playing cards determines the difficulty level of the death games played by the characters in the story. 

A mere coincidence? Probably not.

The “answer” to the card riddle

Shortly after @adbrex shared the photo of the poster, another X app user with the handle @Chp_marke quoted the post, “cracking” the code within the cards, but also adding a disclaimer that they *could be* wrong. 

Lifting letters from the suit types based on the number on the playing cards, @Chp_marke—who takes a keen interest in the field of advertising, as stated in their bio—was able to spell out the words “Alice Three.”

Dun dunnnnnn~

Needless to say, the quoted post built up more excitement among the fans. 

The Joker

At first glance, the background of the poster may look plain black. But if you take a closer look, you will see a tilted image of The Joker—the same Joker that appeared in the last scene of Alice in Borderland 2.

Casting call for extras

The week before the ad in Shibuya was unveiled, Robot Communications Inc., the production company that took charge of the first two seasons of Alice in Borderland, opened a call for extras for an undisclosed Netflix project to be helmed by Shinsuke Sato. 

The recruitment is slated for this week, and people in their 10s to 30s are free to apply for the voluntary work, as long as they look the part of office workers, passersby,

Now, this call for extras can be totally unrelated to “Alice Three,” but hear out the next point anyway. The filming will take place in Tokyo and Chigasaki City towards the end of September and early October. 

Producer’s repost

On 19 September, Tuesday, Akira Morii, the producer of Alice in Borderland, reposted @adbrex’s picture of the ad in Shibuya, further raising suspicions that a third season of the show is, indeed, underway!

Alice in Borderland: Retry

With all the rumors circulating online, fans have been asking: If Alice in Borderland is getting a third season, what will it be based upon?

One of the possible choices is Alice in Borderland: Retry—a spin-off manga of the original series published between 2020 and 2021.

Retry picks up a few years after the events of the main story, still following the protagonist Ryohei Arisu, who is now a licensed psychologist working as a school counselor. It is also revealed that he has married Yuzuha Usagi. 

In this spin-off, Arisu finds himself yet again in the Borderlands, fighting for survival in another death game just before the birth of his first child. 

We don’t know about you, but this sounds like a plot we’d love to see adapted for the screen!

Alice on Border Road

If not Retry, there is another spin-off series based on Alice in Borderland that might get screentime: Alice on Border Road. 

Written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Takayoshi Kuroda, it tells the story of a bored-out-of-her-life Tokyo school girl Kina Sano, who somehow winds up in a desolated Kyoto, where she meets another Tokyo school girl named Alice Kojima. Together, they take a deadly journey to Japan’s capital city. 

Unlike the two-part Retry series, Alice on Border Road has more chapters to work with, opening more avenues for page-to-screen storytelling. But will introducing new characters from a different storyline for the third season attract the same hype as the first two installments of the show? 

Will the original cast return?

That’s the million-dollar question right there.

Much of the success of Alice in Borderland can be attributed to its ensemble cast, but will they reprise their roles for season 3?

Well, out of all the hints that dropped recently, none has been said about any of the actors in the original series returning for the third season…yet. 

At the moment, though, they’re all booked and busy!

Often nicknamed the “prince of live action,” Kento Yamazaki previously wrapped up promotions for Kingdom 3: Flame of Destiny, which raked in over 5 billion yen at the box office. He has also been confirmed to take the role of Saichi Sugimoto in Golden Kamuy’s live-action adaptation set to premiere next year.

Meanwhile, Tao Tsuchiya has just given birth to her first child with actor Ryota Katayose, but not before her praiseworthy appearance in the stage production The Miracle of Pinocchio and starring in the TV series Assistant Inspector: Daimajin.

Nijiro Murakami, who won hearts as the enigmatic Chishiya, joined co-stars in the final stage greeting of Tokyo Revengers 2 last August after taking a hiatus due to health issues. 

Fan favorites Aya Asahina, who plays the role of the tenacious Kuina, and Ayaka Miyoshi, as the headstrong Ann, have also been jetsetting across the globe repping luxury brands like Dior, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co.

Despite these stars’ packed schedules, fans of Alice in Borderland are already beyond excited to find out whether or not the actors will be slipping back into their beloved roles for season 3.