The third season of the hit Netflix series Alice in Borderland concluded with a profound final game that forced protagonist Arisu to make an ultimate choice between a life of potential suffering and the peace of death. In a revealing interview, star Kento Yamazaki broke down his character’s decisive moment and the powerful message behind it.
The Final Game and the Watchman’s Offer
In the Season 3 finale, after surviving the deadly “Possible Futures” game, Arisu is confronted by a mysterious figure known as the Watchman, played by Ken Watanabe. The Watchman stops time and presents Arisu with one last challenge: choosing between two cards. Arisu selects a Joker, only to realize both cards were Jokers. Impressed by this twist of fate, the Watchman allows Arisu to choose his own destiny.
The Watchman outlines two paths. Arisu can return to the real world, where “Life is painful, filled with many trials to endure.” Alternatively, he can choose death, where “There’s no more pain. No more suffering.” This choice serves as the final test of Arisu’s will to live after all he has endured in the Borderland.
Arisu’s Definitive Choice to Live
Confronted with this philosophical dilemma, Arisu does not hesitate. He rejects the false peace of death and chooses to return to the real world with Usagi, where they can build their future and welcome their newborn child.
In an interview, actor Kento Yamazaki explained his character’s unwavering resolve.
“I think that Arisu didn’t have any doubts at all. He was very clear about living,” Yamazaki stated. “In Borderland, we had experienced heartbreaking things. He lost loved ones, including his friends Karube and Shota. But he also met Usagi there, and through their relationship is how he found the meaning of life. He comes to the conclusion that even if there are hard times, it’s worth living.”
This decision underscores the season’s core theme: that life, with all its inherent struggles and pain, is still precious and worth fighting for.
The Meaning Behind the Sacrifice
The Watchman’s offer was not merely a simple choice but a symbolic one. He presented the Borderland as a place free from the suffering of the real world, a liminal space where one could escape life’s hardships. However, for Arisu, this was an empty promise. The Borderland was also a place of immense loss, where he witnessed the deaths of friends like Chota and Karube. The happiness it offered was an illusion.
Arisu’s choice to embrace the challenges of reality is shown to be the correct one. The season’s closing moments catch up with the Borderland survivors living fulfilling lives in the real world. Usagi finds peace regarding her father’s death, and the couple looks forward to the birth of their child. Other survivors, including Nobu, Yuna, and Rei, are also shown moving forward positively, finding jobs and mending relationships. Their futures, while not without difficulty, are filled with genuine hope and human connection.
A Global Expansion Teased
The finale also hints that the story of the Borderland is far from over. After Arisu and Usagi return to their lives, a sudden earthquake rocks Tokyo. News reports reveal this is part of a series of global seismic events. The scene then shifts to a bar in Los Angeles, where a waitress named Alice is shown, suggesting that the phenomenon of the Borderland is expanding internationally and setting the stage for a potential new iteration of the series.
Also Read: Will There Be Alice in Borderland Season 4? Everything We Know
