Alice in Borderland Season 3 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1 of Alice in Borderland Season 3 begins with Arisu giving a reflective interview about his life after the meteorite strike that devastated the city. While he doesn’t recall the games or Borderland itself, he feels as though he has been on a distant journey, like waking from a dream. He’s haunted by fragmented memories, unable to grasp what he’s truly missing.

This investigation is led by Ryuji Matsuyama, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychopathology at Shushikan University. Fascinated by near-death experiences, Ryuji interviews survivors of the meteorite incident, many of whom recall strange “games” and fireworks. Arisu’s account doesn’t fully match, but it shares similarities with testimonies from ten others, including Usagi. Still, Ryuji is careful not to influence his subjects with false memories. Meanwhile, Arisu and Usagi are married, living together, and trying to move forward. Yet Usagi struggles with recurring nightmares of her father’s tragic death.

Ryuji’s obsession only grows. He accepts an invitation to a seminar at Koto Side Office, which turns out to be an initiation into Borderland. There, he’s forced into a deadly card game. Players discard pairs, but whoever draws the Joker suffers a fatal electric shock. Movement outside the rules also means instant death. In the end, Ryuji emerges as the sole survivor and is greeted by Banda, who now recruits newcomers into the games.

Back in the real world, Arisu runs into Ann, who insists they’ve met before and hints at a way back into Borderland. Arisu’s amnesia clouds his recognition, but her certainty unsettles him. Usagi, meanwhile, visits the Seaside Paradise Hotel, triggering traumatic flashes of past massacres. Later that night, she calls Arisu in tears, but when the police investigate, footage shows her leaving the Waterfront Hotel with Ryuji. Authorities suspect an affair, but Arisu remains doubtful.

READ MORE: Squid Game Season 3 Episode 5 Recap: Sky Squid Showdown

READ MORE: Squid Game Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: Betrayals & Revelations

Digging deeper, Arisu uncovers recordings in Ryuji’s office of Usagi confessing her nightmares and inability to share her pain with Arisu. That night, Banda approaches Arisu, urging him to rejoin the games. A Joker card slipped into his pocket sparks flashes of forgotten memories.

Soon after, Usagi is found unconscious in a hospital, revealed to be pregnant. Shockingly, Ryuji is also in a coma beside her, both discovered with Joker cards in their possession. Convinced this is Banda’s doing, Arisu seeks answers from Ann, who explains the two-minute window between life and death—an altered state of collective unconsciousness where Borderland exists. She reveals that the events of two entire seasons took place within just one minute in the real world.

Determined to save Usagi and Ryuji, Arisu volunteers to reenter the games, even if it costs him his life. He undergoes a procedure to stop his heartbeat, transporting him once more into Borderland. Left alone at the sanatorium, he follows instructions leading him to his next challenge. His destination: Hikawa Shrine, adorned with glowing lanterns. Inside, fellow players await as the deadly games prepare to begin again.

Source: (1)