If you've ever searched for "shows like Squid Game" to find another devastating thrill ride, the most accurate result is Alice in Borderland. The Japanese series on Netflix and live-action manga adaptation is a high-concept thriller with Battle Royale-style death games, but rather than exploring exploitation under capitalism, Borderland focuses on more existential questions of finding purpose in a seemingly meaningless and hopeless existence. Basically, the show tells similar stories in very different ways, and fans of thriller K-dramas and J-dramas are prone to compare them as Squid Game, the mainstream phenomenon, versus Alice in Borderland, the underrated cult favorite.
So, it surprised a lot of viewers that Alice in Borderland season 3, which arrived on September 25, ends with the same globe-crossing cliffhanger that we saw just three months prior in Squid Game season 3. Does Borderland also have an American continuation in the works? Below, we're keeping track of everything we know about a possible Alice in Borderland season 4.
Usagi and her teammates protect themselves from poison gas in 'Alice in Borderland' season 3.
What happens at the end of 'Alice in Borderland' season 3?
Alice in Borderland's season 3 finale offers a firm conclusion to the Japanese series's overall arc. After Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and a pregnant Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) escape Borderland for the second time—Usagi's unborn baby was counted as a player in the final game, in another Squid Game season 3 parallel—the pair are shown returning to work and life and discussing baby names in the real world. We even get cameo appearances from the surviving season 3 teammates, as well as fan-favorite characters from seasons 1 and 2, which implies the series has wrapped up.
But then, Arisu feels an earthquake while he's at work. A news broadcast says that the tremor was one of several unprecedented simultaneous quakes around the globe, including one in California. Earlier in the finale, during Arisu's encounter with the Borderland's Watchman (played by legendary Japanese actor Ken Watanabe!), the being had teased that something "much bigger than that which brought you here" (a.k.a. the meteorite hitting Shibuya) was coming to "flood" Borderland with new people. Arisu's concerned face signals that this could be what the Watchman was foreshadowing.
The finale then cuts to an American news broadcast about the accompanying 4.2 earthquake in L.A. (which is not very powerful, but you'd definitely feel the shake). The camera zooms out to show a restaurant (Stout Burgers & Beers on N Cahuenga in Hollywood). Two male customers enter, and a waitress takes their order. We don't see her face, only see her torso, as she turns around to reveal her nametag: Alice. (No Cate Blanchett cameo, but still.)
An empty Shibuya Crossing in 'Alice in Borderland' season 1.
Has 'Alice in Borderland' been renewed for season 4?
Netflix has not revealed whether Alice in Borderland will return for a fourth season. Still, there seems to be a never-say-never attitude about the franchise. In an interview with RadioTimes, director Shinsuke Sato confirmed that he would be interested in returning to direct future seasons. He also mentioned possibly developing Alice in Border Road, the spinoff manga that follows a whole new set of characters, save for Arisu and Usagi.
Stars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya also expressed their interest in returning for future seasons. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tsuchiya even pondered whether Arisu and Usagi's child could end up in the Borderland with them in the future. "The story is set to be familial. I think that could be really interesting," she told the outlet.
Usagi and Arisu in the season 3 finale.
Will there be an American spinoff of 'Alice in Borderland?'
Unlike the speculation surrounding Squid Game, there are no rumors or reports of American directors working on an Alice in Borderland spinoff. Fans will have to keep an eye out for any updates in the next few months (or years, TBH).
In the meantime, I'll present a theory: The Alice in Borderland spinoff could be truly global, rather than focusing on characters from one country. In the English broadcast, the finale shows a map of all the cities the earthquake hit, from Tokyo and Jakarta to L.A. to Santiago to London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Bucharest. It could be very interesting if, with people from all these countries coming to the Borderland at the same time, a spinoff could follow a globally diverse group of players. It would definitely be more refreshing than another less-than-necessary American remake of an excellent foreign-language series.