Why was Chishiya’s role reduced in Alice in Borderland Season 3? Details explored

The less prominent appearance of Shantarou Chishiya in the third season of Alice in Borderland is explainable by the hiatus of actor Nijirou Murakami. Conversations and news about Murakami show that he left various projects because of personal and medical-related factors, which had a direct impact on his availability when the Netflix series was produced.

Consequently, the fan-favorite Chishiya was given a much-reduced screen time and importance in the narrative in Season 3. Although Netflix did not provide an official statement regarding the changes themselves, the shift can be attributed to the industry reports as well as the observations of fans of Murakami who have become less active in public.

This has given rise to speculation, subsequently supported by credible sources like Anime News Network, that his absence was actually the key driver of the changes made to the character arc of Chishiya in the most recent season.

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Nijirō Murakami’s hiatus from acting

In March 2023, Anime News Network announced that Nijirou Murakami was leaving the Evangelion stage play because of health reasons. This news meant that he had to take a break from his acting engagements, and his hiatus started.

This coincides with the creation of Alice in Borderland Season 3, so his unavailability must have disrupted how the show had originally planned Chishiya.

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Fan talk on the lack of Chishiya

On Reddit, Alice in Borderland fans have actively debated Murakami's hiatus and how it has impacted his character’s screen time. It was pointed out by many that Chishiya, the key character of the psychological battles of the past seasons, was diminished to a much lesser role in Season 3.

This was in line with Murakami gradually fading out of the acting scene and was largely regarded as a production necessity and not as a form of creative decision-making to marginalize the character. Murakami had very few appearances.

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Murakami’s limited appearances

Signs of the diminished profile of Murakami during this time also surfaced on social media. The personal, but not professional, Instagram posts of his, like the one from September 2023, did not contain any direct promotions of new acting projects.

This served to strengthen the view that he was maintaining a low profile and that he was placing his own personal well-being over professional activities at the time.

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Narrative shift in Season 3

Even though the minimal appearance of Chishiya in the third season of Alice in Borderland can be attributed to the hiatus of Murakami, the show also changed its narrative focus. The season was more heavily based on the curves of Arisu and Usagi and the enigmatic Joker plot.

This reorganization of the story enabled the series to continue even though Murakami was less available, but the fans were quick to realize that there was no traditional Murakami strategic action in the high-stakes games.

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The diminution of the role of Chisiya in Alice in Borderland Season 3 was not due to any lack of creative interest in the character, but a health-related hiatus by Nijirou Murakami in acting. Since his absence came at the time when the film was being shot, the director had to reduce the role of Chishiya and change the script accordingly.

Although no official announcement has been made by Netflix or even by Murakami himself, various reports in the industry, fan forums, and even his own self-withdrawal of roles in 2023 all point to this explanation.

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