Alice in Borderland fans left fuming as season 3 cliffhanger teases 'unwanted' spin-off

Alice in Borderland’s latest season finale has left fans furious as a jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending teases a surprise twist for the franchise.

Netflix’s smash-hit Japanese drama is set in Tokyo, where random strangers are selected to participate in a series of sadistic games themed around a deck of cards in an alternate, barren version of the huge city.

The first three seasons followed video game-obsessed Ryōhei Arisu (played by Kento Yamazaki), who forms an alliance in the tournament with mountain climber Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya).

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Season three finally dropped on the streaming platform last Thursday (25th September), following a lengthy delay of nearly three years.

However, fans were left rather disappointed by the latest entry, not only for comprising just six episodes as opposed to the usual eight, but also for leaving them with yet another cliffhanger ending.

After escaping the games for a second time, Arisu and a pregnant Usagi go back to their normal lives and start discussing baby names.

Later, Arisu is at work and he starts to feel a tremor that seems to signal a huge impending disaster.

The Borderland’s Watchman, played by guest star Ken Watanabe, even teased the players that something “much bigger” had brought them there, suggesting the earthquakes, which are now happening all over the globe, could be heralding an even greater threat.

The very last scene of the season then cuts to Los Angeles, where a 4.2 level earthquake has just happened. Two men enter a burger restaurant in Hollywood, California, where a waitress takes their order.

On her name tag reads “Alice”, crucially the Western form of Arisu and the namesake of the Wonderland-inspired dark thriller. Could Alice in Borderland be following in the footsteps of Squid Game and setting up a US-based spin-off?

Fans of the series aren’t too happy with the prospect, taking to Reddit to slam the move. One user wrote: “Netflix must be stopped.

“Creating an American version of the show is deeply disrespectful to the manga, the Japanese live adaptation, and the franchise as a whole. It hurts the legacy of the original show, especially the legacy of Arisu, a character we’ve grown a deep connection with. ‘Alice’ feels like nothing more than a gimmick and an offensive spin-off.”

Another fumed: “I DON'T WANT ASIAN SERIES IN USA, KEEP THEM IN ASIA, NOBODY LIKED WHEN YOU DID THAT TO SQUID GAMES.

“And that cliffhanger with Alice, was just not impressive, are you saying that everything everything I just watched is going to just be transferred to another place with a new protagonist? Just throw everything on the trash already.”

A third said: “Why do we have to have an american version of EVERYTHING???

“They make it seem like the US is that little cousin who's always jealous of any cool thing other kids have and want one for themselves.”

While another agreed: “That ending had me rolling my eyes so much that it was comical. No one asked for it.”

However, some fans have pointed out that there has been no confirmation of a spin-off from Netflix so far, nor has the streamer even confirmed a fourth season.

Someone explained: “'Alice' is a reference to Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Not some spin-off Arisu.

“Plus, no one said they're doing an American show, and any American shows that DO come out would be just a spin-off that only takes inspiration from the way the borderlands work, and won't be really related to the core story.”

Where do you stand on Alice in Borderland’s controversial ending?

Alice in Borderland is available to stream on Netflix.