Since 2020, Alice in Borderland, the Japanese Netflix show, has been admired by fans worldwide. The first two seasons followed a series of plot twists with an outstanding cast that has been well-appreciated by fans, but what fans are more curious about is what the ending of season 2 entails.
Alice in Borderland takes you to the world of several friends who get caught up in a gameland where they must play deadly games to survive. All of the games are inspired by childhood games. However, losing the game costs the life of the player. The first season of this fictional game show was released in 2020, and subsequently, the second season was released in the year 2022.
In both seasons, the characters of the show are seen valiantly playing all games using their brilliant mind and utmost bravery. However, many of them die as a result of losing the game they played. In the finale episode of Alice in Borderland season 2, Arisu, Usagi, and other survivors still look for a way to get out of the game land, and soon Arisu and Usagi discover that there is one last game remaining to be played if they want to go back to their normal lives.
One Last Game
The final episode of Alice in Borderland starts with a little triumph as Usagi and Arisu finally reach the final level of the whole game series. However, they know that they are still surrounded by danger, and if they do not win this game, they may lose their lives. Mira Kano, the queen of hearts, arrives to explain the rules of the last game.
The last game is croquet, which is majorly played in England, and only some in Japan are aware of it. The game is easy, and the rules are simple. Mira lets them know about the three rounds that Arisu and Usagi must play. It does not matter if they win or lose, but they are challenged not to give up to complete the game.
As Usagi is badly wounded because of the previous games, Arisu takes charge and starts playing croquet against Mira. Mira wins the first round, and Arisu wins the second round. Arisu finds the game easy to complete. However, it is the last game, right? Even though completing the last round seems easy, something deadly is written in the fate of Arisu and Usagi, and as Mira’s task would be to force them to give up, she has the power to reach the heights of malignity to achieve her success.
Mira’s Tactics to Manipulate Arisu’s Mind
Just after completing the second round, Mira asks Arisu for tea. Even though he declines her request, Mira drags him to the dinette, saying that having tea is the tradition of the game. As she starts making tea, Arisu begins asking her questions about Borderland.
Usagi warns Arisu not to ask any questions nor to pay any attention to her, but the answer seeker Arisu keeps on asking questions about the reality of the place where they had been playing deadly games to survive. Mira informs Arisu that reality can be life-changing for him, but on the constant requests, Mira starts using her tactics to manipulate Arisu’s mind.
She makes compelling theories about the place and cons Usagi and Arisu several times. Arisu gets furious and points a gun toward Mira to kill her, and Mira finds this moment as a perfect chance to manipulate Arisu’s memory so that he can give up on the game. Mira tells Arisu that the games he has been playing are just an illusion, which is created by his mind itself, and none of it is real, which Arisu eventually believes.
Mira takes Arisu and Usagi in an illusion where she is the psychiatrist, and Arisu and Usagi are the patients. As she starts consulting Arisu, she makes him feel guilty about his whole existence after manipulating all his past memories about his family and friends. Ultimately, she persuades Arisu to give up the game, and that is when Usagi realizes that they are still in the game and even she is a part of it.
Usagi’s Fight for Love
Usagi understands that Mira only wants Arisu to give up on the game so that it can be over. Because of the traumatic memories from the past, Arisu loses his willingness to play the game and as his mind is well exploited by Mira, Arisu begins to think the games are part of his illusion and in order to get out of it, he should take medicines that Mira gives him and give up on the game.
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However, Usagi does not lose her faith. She tries persuading Arisu that the game is still going on and he should wake up to complete the last round. She also cuts off her wrist to let Arisu remember his promise about keeping her safe till the end. Usagi’s hard efforts make Arisu realize that the game is yet to be completed and that he needs to bring Usagi out of this deadly labyrinth.
Seeing Usagi’s efforts, Mira falls into tears and accepts her defeat. She asks Arisu to wake up and play the last round. Even though Mira wins the last round, Arisu and Usagi achieve victory, and Mira gets killed in front of them.
Do players return to the real world?
Before dying, Arisu again asks Mira about the reality of the world she has been a part of. Mira tells him that he will be given two choices, and no matter which one he chooses to go with, he will discover the reality soon. Soon, the computer voices start hovering around the whole city and ask survivors to select one of two options.
One to accept the citizenship of the city. Second, decline the offer and go back to the real world. Apart from Banda and Yaba, all of the survivors, including Arisu, Usagi, Kuina, Heiya, Chishiya, Aguni and Niragi, opt for the first option and go back to the real world. Once they arrive, they go back to the time when the game started. They lose every memory of the game and their strong friendship and love for one another.
While walking on the streets of Tokyo, where they see a firework, a meteorite explodes, and many people become victims of the devastating catastrophe. However, those who came back from the game are shown dying for 1 minute and then coming back to life.
This explains that one minute in the real world equals the time they spent in the borderland, and those who died in the borderland were dead in real life because of the injuries they suffered from the meteorite explosion. Ann, who died in the Borderland, is shown suffering from a coma in the real world and later comes back to life, which means even Ann was not dead in the borderland.
In the end, Arisu and Usagi, who forgot everything about their relationship, meet again in the hospital and suspect they may have met. Both of them become good friends and go on a walk.
What does the Joker card imply?
In the end, the sinisterly laughing joker on the card is significantly highlighted, suggesting that the dangers surrounding these friends’ lives have not ended yet. As all of the number cards were covered in the first season and the face cards were covered in the second season, there is only one card that is remaining to be played, which is Joker.
In card games, a joker can be used as a wild card, considered the most unpredictable one from the whole deck of cards. This means that season three is expected to release with some unpredictable shocks that Alice in Borderland fans should look forward to.
Also Read: Alice In Borderland Season 1 Ending Explained: Only First Half Of Game Is Finished
