How Usagi Can Recognize Arisu In Alice In Borderland Season 3 (When They Don’t Remember What Happened)

Usagi apparently knows who Arisu is in Alice in Borderland season 3, which is curious considering that they all lost their memories of the Borderland at the end of season 2. Following the announcement that Alice in Borderland was going to return in 2025, the first trailer for season 3 has been revealed as part of Netflix’s slate of live-action Japanese shows. While only a few seconds of footage have been shown so far, the first look at Alice in Borderland season 3 offers some clues about where the story is going.

With Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya so far being the only two Alice in Borderland actors confirmed for season 3, it made sense for the teaser trailer to focus on Arisu and Usagi. Arisu looks older in Alice in Borderland season 3, suggesting that there will be a time jump. While we don’t actually see Usagi and Arisu interacting in the trailer, there is a moment where Tao Tsuchiya’s character says “Arisu” with an inflection that suggests she recognizes him somehow. This poses the question of whether Usagi and the other characters will get their memories back.

Arisu And Usagi Might Have Gotten Their Memories Back In Season 3

Usagi Calls For Arisu In The Latest Alice In Borderland Trailer

At the end of Alice in Borderland season 2, those who declined the invitation to stay in the Borderland woke up back in the real world. However, none of them remembered what they had experienced. While the events of Alice in Borderland seemed to have taken place over several days, in reality, the characters were only on the verge of death for 60 seconds. It can be difficult to explain what the Borderland is and why those characters experienced it together, but the fact is that Arisu, Usagi, and the others don't remember what happened while they were almost dying.

Interestingly, Arisu and Usagi reconnected in the final scene of Alice in Borderland season 2 despite not remembering each other. They both felt that the other was familiar but couldn’t quite tell why, which indicated that Arisu and Usagi were meant to find each other and be together no matter what. However, the trailer for season 3 heavily implies that Usagi now remembers who Arisu really is and what he means to her, meaning they might have gotten their memories back somehow. This might have happened because Arisu and Usagi ended up returning to the Borderland for some reason.

There’s A Precedent For Arisu Getting His Memories Back In Alice In Borderland

Arisu Got His Memories Back In Alice In Borderland: Retry

Arisu walking through a portal in Alice in Borderland season 3

Alice in Borderland season 3 seems to be borrowing some things from Alice in Borderland: Retry, a 13-issue manga set a few years after the main story. In Retry, Arisu suffers an accident while going to the hospital where his wife, Usagi, is about to give birth. Arisu is rushed to the ICU and soon finds himself in another life-or-death situation, which causes him to return to the Borderland. There, Arisu remembers everything that happened the first time he had to play those games, including his relationship with Usagi and all the people they met.

Imagery from Arisu in Alice in Borderland

Alice In Borderland Season 3 Is Officially Bringing Back The Coolest Game That The Netflix Show Ignored

Alice in Borderland skipped one of the manga’s coolest games, but the Netflix live-action show is now bringing it back for the upcoming season 3.

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The similarities between Alice in Borderland season 3 and Retry so far include the time skip and Arisu having shorter hair working as a psychiatrist. Even if Alice in Borderland is not directly adapting that story, season 3 could have Arisu and Usagi regain their memories in a similar way to what happens in Retry. It’s unclear whether Arisu and Usagi have been together since the end of season 2, or if they will have to find each other again. Regardless, Alice in Borderland’s lead characters will likely regain their memories at some point.

Will Everyone Regain Their Memories In Alice In Borderland Season 3?

Alice In Borderland Might Have To Undo Season 2’s Ending

Arisu from Alice In Borderland season 3 trailer

Assuming Usagi and Arisu will both get their memories back in season 3, the rest of the characters will most likely get theirs too. It must be noted that no other characters have been confirmed for Alice in Borderland season 3 so far, so it’s difficult to predict how the rest of the survivors will come into play if at all. None of the main characters from Alice in Borderland apart from Arisu and Usagi appear in Alice in Borderland: Retry, although that doesn’t mean that they won’t be in season 3.

Alice in Borderland season 3 is expected to premiere in September 2025.

The Netflix show is already different from the source material, especially with the inclusion of the Joker Card in Alice in Borderland season 2’s finale. Once Alice in Borderland season 3 was confirmed, it became clear that the Joker reveal was a cliffhanger, and that the end of season 2 was not going to be definitive. Between Arisu having to play more games and the characters potentially regaining their memories, Alice in Borderland will have to undo its previous ending for the story to continue.