‘Alice in Borderland’ Season 2: Cast, Filming, and News Updates

Before Squid Game came on the scene, the creators of another Netflix original show about a deadly competition in an Asian metropolitan area publicized their next season. On Christmas Eve 2020, Netflix announced the return of Japanese manga adaptation Alice in Borderland Season 2. Season 1 left viewers with an intense cliffhanger. The revelation and its potential fallout will lead to quite an exciting second season. 

Here’s everything we know so far about Alice in Borderland Season 2. 

Alice in Borderland Season 2

Based on the manga series Imawa no Kuni no Arisu, director Shinsuke Sato and writer Yasuko Kuramitsu brought the work of Haro Aso to life. This stunning series covers the first 31 chapters of the manga. There’s 33 left to go. But with the popularity of the show and other shows like it, we wouldn’t be surprised if Netflix goes beyond Aso’s original source material. Especially with the cliffhanger of the final episode of Season 1, the universe could certainly expand beyond the manga. With shows like Squid Game leaving such a large cultural impact, it would make sense for Netflix to continue putting out content in the genre. 

On December 24, 2020, Netflix confirmed Season 2 when they put out a teaser announcing the renewal of Alice in Borderland. It doesn’t reveal any spoilers; it’s simply a hand flipping over a card to reveal a 2. As cards determine the nature of the games the contestants have to survive, it was a wonderfully stylized early Christmas present announcement for fans.

Season 2 Filming

Robot Communications Inc. put out a casting call for extras for the show, revealing the shooting locations. According to their report, the show went into production all across Japan. Filming locations included the “Kanto area, Toyama, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Aichi, Osaka [and] Wakayama.” It will be interesting to see how such a variety of areas will make their way into the plot. The crew wrapped production by the end of 2021.

Director Shinsuke Sato said, “I will draw a mysterious world that no one has ever seen and an unexpected development with uncompromising images.” This statement translated from the original Japanese promises us quite the sophomore season. Sato has quite a few notable credits to his name for someone who loves the genre. He’s directed Bleach, Death Note: New Generation and Light Up the New World, The Time of Death, and Inuyashiki. We trust that when he makes such a deep promise, he’s going to deliver.

Alice in Borderland Cast

So who will return to play (or orchestrate) the games in the Alice in Borderland Season 2 release?

Arisu’s friends, of course, will not return. Daikichi Karube and Chota Segawa, played by Keita Machida and Yûki Morinaga, sacrificed themselves for their friend Arisu in the first season. This sacrifice weighs heavily on Arisu. And it will be interesting to see how the loss manifests in the second season.

Of course, Ryohei Arisu must return as the protagonist of this series, so Kento Yamazaki will once again play the character.

Yuzuha Usagi, played by Tao Tsuchiya, will continue in their quest to escape the game. Arisu and Usagi finished the first season of Alice in Borderland by discovering a pile of dead game masters. Their new mission is to play the twisted game that involves collecting face cards, orchestrated by Mira Kano.

Recurring characters Hikari Kuina (Aya Asahina), Ann Rizuna (Ayaka Miyoshi), and Shuntaro Chishiya (Nijirô Murakami) return as well. 

The character that captivated our attention most was Mira Kano’s sudden appearance at the end of Season 1. Riisa Naka has an exciting season ahead of her, bringing this new, mysterious gamemaster to life. 

Alice in Borderland Season 2 Premiere Date

While we have the teaser announcement, Netflix has yet to release a full trailer. However, during Netflix Festival Japan, they revealed that Alice in Borderland Season 2 would be released in December 2022. We don’t have an exact release date. But it’s exciting to know that we’ll have the next installment by the end of the year. 

We’re most excited to discover if Alice in Borderlands Season 2 will be the last installment. As we mentioned, there’s only enough manga chapters left for one season if they’re used at the same pace as Season 1. But with this genre of TV show’s popularity, we could see Netflix asking the writers to continue into further seasons.

We’ll just have to wait for Season 2 to premiere and listen for updates from Netflix and the production company in the meantime. Are you excited for the new season? Sound off in our comment section below!