Alice in Borderland: Does Arisu remember Usagi after returning Season 3 finale?

By the end of Alice in Borderland season 3, Arisu and Usagi are seen escaping the land and living in the real world; they are now married and expecting a child. They often get some vague images, dreams, and flashbacks of the Boerderland, making them confused. This is how, in a few of the scenes, we could understand that their memories of the games are not fully intact. Arisu seems to have some memory fragments.

However, the details are fuzzy and sometimes missing at the beginning of season 3. By the finale, when they re-enter the game, Arisu is seen recognizing Usagi. They have now gained the memory of their past and also the memories from their "real life". This adds more meaning to their already strong bond.

Read on to know more.

How can we say that Arisu remembers Usagi after returning to the Season 3 finale of Alice in Borderland?

Alice in Borderland, Season 2, when Arisu and Usagi wake up in the hospital after their borderland land game, they both don't have any memory of the game, still they could sense the string pull between them that transcends logic. Season 3 starts three years after they begin to regain some fragmented memories of the game in flashbacks and dreams.

Despite not knowing their past clearly, Arisu and Usagi naturally gravitated toward each other, fell in love, and married. This suggests how their emotional connection and pull overpowered everything. Arisu works at a counselling clinic, while Usagi has rebuilt her life in outdoor sports.

However, in season 3, when Usagi takes Ryuji's drug and returns to Borderland, Arisu follows her with Ann's help. When the two characters again enter the game, they regain their past game memories. This means that their bond, which is strong in the outside world, has now become even stronger. They now know who they are in the real world and their shared past that has always been a pulling force between them.

What do the makers want to establish with this in Alice in Borderland season 3?

When season 3 begins, it is not confirmed that either of them has gained full memory about the game and its details, and here is how the director and co-writer, Shinsuke Sato, leaves room for ambiguity. The phenomenon of an earthquake is something that binds the game world with reality and suggests that the Boundary between life and Borderland might not be fully closed.

For the viewers, this state of contemplating how much the characters know about each other and their pasts could take a while, and according to Sato's comment, it was done intentionally. Sato wanted the audience to feel like they were in some game world.

While speaking with TIME Magazine, Sato said:

“[Alice in Borderland] is a drama series, but I want the audience to feel like they're playing a game, like they don't know if they're watching a drama or if they're playing a game.”

Sato added:

“I wanted you to be concentrated to that degree, just playing. Season three is the pinnacle of that gameplay feel.”

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Therefore, we can conclude that Arisu doesn't know Usagi right away after season 2 in Alice in Borderland, but only when they re-enter the game, their memories return, and they can see each other through.

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