Summary:
- Netflix’s Alice in Borderland Season 3 trailer teases the shocking return of Usagi’s father.
- Fan theories suggest he could be the Joker, a game master, or even the creator of the Borderland.
- Here’s everything we know about Usagi’s father and why he would be a crucial character in Alice in Borderland Season 3.
If you have been following Alice in Borderland, then you may know that Usagi’s father, Shigenori Usagi, has long been one of the biggest mysteries of the show. And that mystery has gotten even more intense with the recent clip shared on Netflix Geeked’s Twitter handle (now X).
The clip shows Usagi feeling her father’s presence in the Borderland. This clip now connects to a long-running theory within the Alice in Borderland fandom that has existed since his introduction. So, let’s find out how Usagi’s father may still be alive and his possible role in Season 3.
Table of Contents
Who is Shigenori Usagi?
Shigenori Usagi was a famous mountaineer known for his risky no-oxygen climbs. However, he disappeared on one of his solo climbing expeditions. While rumors circulated about whether or not he faked his achievements, Shigenori never backed down. Harassed by journalists and called a fraud, he set off into the mountains one last time and never returned.
In the manga, his story ends in confirmed tragedy. But in the Netflix adaptation, Shigenori’s body is never found, leaving fans questioning his true fate. That ambiguity is now paying off in Season 3.
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The Mountain Theory: Did Shigenori Enter Borderland?
Shigenori’s obsession with climbing and his cryptic words to Usagi might hold the key to the answer. He once said to her that he would rather die in the mountains than in a hospital bed, hinting that the mountains were his chosen escape from reality.
Later, Usagi recalls him wishing for ‘more mountains to climb,’ eerily similar to the Borderland’s endless, impassable mountain ranges, which we witness when Ann is trying to escape the borderlands.
This has spawned a convincing theory: Shigenori did not die in the mountains; he crossed into Borderland. Just as Arisu and the others were transferred after the meteorite explosion in Tokyo, Shigenori could have been pulled into the deadly games decades earlier.
When Ann discovered the strange mountain range at the edge of Borderland in Season 2, many fans connected the dots. Shigenori might have been living there all along as a citizen, or perhaps manipulating the games themselves.
Is Usagi’s Father the Joker?
Netflix recently posted a clip from Alice in Borderland Season 3 on its Geeked account, and the biggest shock was Usagi apparently seeing her father inside Borderland. That single scene reignited one of the oldest fan theories: Is Shigenori the Joker?
The Joker card teased at the end of Season 2 is now at the center of everything in Season 3. If Shigenori is the Joker, that would explain Borderland being surrounded by mountains: his perfect world. That would then put Usagi into the cruelest game yet: facing her father she has mourned for years.
Whether he’s the Joker, a game master, or simply another trapped player, Shigenori’s return is a game-changer. His presence ties Usagi’s sadness directly to the very core of Borderland and raises the stakes for Arisu’s mission to save her.
Final Thoughts on Usagi’s Father
With Alice in Borderland Season 3 set to premiere on September 25 on Netflix, we won’t have to wait long before we find out whether or not these theories come true. Usagi’s father’s disappearance has loomed over the series since Season 1, and if he shows up now, it will finally deliver the answers we’ve been waiting for.
One thing is certain: Shigenori Usagi’s story is no longer just a backstory. It is soon going to become the centerpiece of Borderland’s endgame.
