Why Arisu Looks So Different In Alice In Borderland Season 3 (It’s More Important Than You Think) (2025)

The first look at Arisu in Alice in Borderland season 3 has been revealed, and it has major implications for the story. Despite how season 2 ended, Alice in Borderland season 3 is happening. With most of Haro Aso’s Alice in Borderland manga having been covered already, season 3 is expected to be closer to an original story compared to the first two seasons. This has made it difficult to predict what Alice in Borderland season 3 will be about and how it will differ from Alice in Borderland: Retry, the manga sequel to the main story.

So far, Arisu and Usagi are the only Alice in Borderland characters confirmed for season 3. Although the first teaser does not reveal much about season 3, it somewhat confirms that Arisu and Usagi will find each other again. The trailer also confirms that Arisu will see himself back in the games, although it is unclear if these new games are happening in the real world or the Borderland. Regardless, perhaps the most important reveal of the trailer is how different Kento Yamazaki’s Arisu will look in season 3.

Arisu Is Older And Has Shorter Hair In Alice In Borderland Season 3

Arisu Appears To Be A Doctor In Season 3

Arisu looks visibly older in Alice in Borderland season 3, partially because of his shorter hair and more serious face. In seasons 1 and 2, Arisu had long hair and a casual style that defined his character throughout the entire show. Arisu’s clothes were meant to indicate his nonchalant approach to life and the fact that he had no aspirations or long-term goals, which tied into the central theme of the show – whether Arisu would decide to return to the real world and keep going when offered the opportunity to stay in the Borderland.

However, in the first trailer for Alice in Borderland season 3, Arisu not only looks older but also seems to be dressing for a job. In one particular frame, we can see Arisu wearing what appears to be a white coat, which would indicate that he is working as a doctor. In the Alice in Borderland: Retry manga, which is set a few years after the events of the main story, Arisu has graduated in psychology and is working as a therapist. With Arisu wearing a lab coat in the trailer, he might be a psychiatrist on the show too.

Why Arisu’s New Look In Alice In Borderland Is So Important

Alice In Borderland Might Be Adapting This Story From The Manga

Arisu having a new look in Alice in Borderland all but confirms that season 3 will include a time jump. Rather than picking up right where left off at the end of season 2, it seems like the Netflix show will jump a few years into the future so that we can see how different Arisu’s life has been since his experience in the Borderland. Given that the season 2 finale could have very well been the end of the show, it makes sense for Alice in Borderland season 3 not to just reignite the story immediately.

The other conclusion we can draw from Arisu’s new look is that season 3 might be adapting Alice in Borderland: Retry. Between Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya being the only two actors from the main cast featured in the trailer and Arisu working as a psychiatrist, Alice in Borderland season 3 might be closer to Retry than we assumed. The manga sequel is a short story focused on Arisu as he returns to the Borderland after an almost fatal accident that happened on the day that Usagi, now his wife, was about to give birth.

What Alice In Borderland Season 3 Adapting Retry Means For The Show

Season 3 Might Only Borrow A Few Elements From Alice In Borderland: Retry

Unlike Alice in Borderland, which has a lot of important characters, Alice in Borderland: Retry is mainly about Arisu. This is why many assumed Retry would not be used for the Netflix show, as the ensemble cast of Alice in Borderland has been one of the best things about the Netflix live-action adaptation. That said, Alice in Borderland season 3 could be bowering a few elements from Alice in Borderland: Retry even if it is not a direct adaptation of this story.

Arisu becoming a psychiatrist like Mira makes a lot of sense after his encounter with the Queen of Hearts, even if he does not remember what happened. The time skip from Alice in Borderland: Retry also works within the context of the show and can help season 3 feel different enough from seasons 1 and 2. Combining parts of the manga sequel with original ideas like the Joker card is a smart strategy for Alice in Borderland season 3, which will have big shoes to fill after the success of the first two seasons.

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Alice in Borderland

TV-MA

Mystery Drama Science Fiction Thriller Action

100 9.5/10

Release Date

December 10, 2020

Network

Netflix

Directors

Shinsuke Sato

Writers

Yasuko Kuramitsu

Cast

See All

• 

  Kento Yamazaki

  Ryohei Arisu

• 

  Tao Tsuchiya

  Yuzuha Usagi

Alice in Borderland follows a video-game enthusiast and his two friends who find themselves transported to an alternate Tokyo. There, they must participate in perilous games for survival.

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Creator(s)

Yoshiki Watanabe, Yasuko Kuramitsu

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

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