The only Alice in Borderland Season 2 recap you need before the final season drops on Netflix

Netflix's Japanese language dystopian thriller series Alice in Borderland Season 2 had premiered on December 22, 2022. The series is based on Haro Aso's manga series and follows Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), and a group of other characters, who are stuck in an abandoned Tokyo, set in a parallel world. They must successfully complete deadly games to return to their real world.

Alice in Borderland Season 2 started off with Arisu, Usagi, Chishiya, Niragi, Ann, and Kuina waiting at the Shibuya crossing for their next set of games. Suddenly, they heard loud shooting noises, and the King of Spades introduced himself as their most dangerous opponent in the sophomore season. Arisu and the gang realize that they were up against even deadlier face card games in Alice in Borderland Season 2 that the first time around. In a shocking twist, Aguni returned in Season 2 with Heiya, a mean high school girl who was also an archery genius. Arisu and the gang split and completed all the face card games one by one, except the King of Spades.

In the Season 2 finale, Arisu and his crew - Kuina, Ann, Heiya, Usagi, and Aguni - joined forces against the evil King of Spades. They lured him to an empty convenience store and used an explosive loeaded with kerosene to blow him out. While the trick finally vanquished the evil King of Spades for good, Arisu's crew was also badly injured and could not join him and Usagi for the final game - namely, the Queen of Hearts.

Did Alice in Borderland Season 2 reveal the mystery behind the parallel world? Were Arisu and Usagi finally able to return to their real world?

Here is the ultimate Alice in Borderland Season 2 recap before you tune into the final season of the series, scheduled to drop on September 25, 2025.

What happened to Chishiya in Alice in Borderland Season 2?

Chishiya was a fan favorite player in Alice in Borderland Season 2, who had been separated from Arisu and the gang when the King of Spades has embarked on a killing spree. However, our poker-faced protagonist Chishiya proved that he did need anybody, and single-handedly completed the two face card games. These games were the Jack of Hearts and the King of Diamonds. In the first game, he also encountered a serial killer named Banda, who targeted women in the real world, and was still alive the last time Chishiya saw him in Season 2.

During the King of Diamonds game, we learned about Chishiya's profession and life back in the real world. He was a doctor at a corrupt hospital, which prioritized wealthy patients for transplant over those who actually needed such procedures. While Chishiya did not like such corrupt activity, he could not question his seniors. In the Alice in Borderland Season 2 finale, we saw Chishiya meeting Arisu at the overgrown Shibuya crossing, but before they could progress to the next game, Niragi shot him in the chest. While Chishiya and Niragi were both nearing death in the finale, they chose to return to their real worlds and, thus, were alive.

Was the Queen of Hearts defeated in Alice in Borderland Season 2?

Mira, one of the beachhouse executives, was revealed to be the Queen of Hearts in the Season 1 finale. She returned in the finale of Alice in Borderland Season 2, as the final opponent of Arisu and Usgai. Since most of Arisu's gang were badly injured after defeating the King of Spades, Arisu had to face Mira alone, in three rounds of croquet. The rules of the final game were simple: Arisu had to play three rounds of croquet. It did not matter whether he won or lost, but he could not quit.

After Mira and Arisu finished two rounds, the Queen deliberately stretched the third round, manipulating Arisu into believing that the Borderland was one of his illusions. Mira claimed that she was his psychiatrist, and that Arisu had lost his mental stability after Chota and Karube's deaths. The Borderland was his way of dealing with their deaths, and Mira asked Arisu to forfeit the game and return to his real world. Arisu began questioning the reality of the Borderland, and just when he was about to quit the final game in the Alice in Borderland Season 2 finale, Usagi cut her wrist to prove that she was real (hence, Borderland was real, too).

Usagi's blood jolted Arisu out of the Queen's trance, and he finally played the last round, following which the Queen was executed by the sky laser. Arisu and Usagi finally defeated all the face cards and chose to leave the Borderland for their real world in the end. Additionally, all of Arisu's gang returned to their real world, except Banda and his friend, Yaba.

Alice in Borderland Season 2: The real meaning behind Arisu's time in Borderland

The final moments of Alice in Borderland Season 2 saw Arisu and the gang waking up in a hospital in the real world. While they had spent months in the Borderland, only a few minutes had passed in the real world. This strange experience was described as a meteor strike in Tokyo, which had taken many lives. However, there were many people like Arisu and his gang who were literally fighting for their lives in the hospital. The Borderland was an intermediate purgatory that existed between life and death, and all the characters had managed to fight death and return to the real world in the end.

However, neither Arisu nor any other character had any recollection of their time in the Borderland. Alice in Borderland Season 2 concluded as Arisu and Usagi met for the first time (according to them) near the vending machine, and felt a strange connection toward each other. The final moments teased a Joker card, setting the stage for Alice in Borderland Season 3.

Catch the final season of Alice in Borderland on September 25, 2025.

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