Have you ever witnessed the death of a character that has stuck with you? Well, the chances are high, but let me assure you that the death of Chota in Alice in Borderland Season 1 has been the most heart-aching. After all, he sacrificed himself for Ryohei Arisu in the third episode of the show, setting a more grim atmosphere than Squid Game.

With the trailer for Season 3 of the survival thriller now released, it is once again the hub of many theories that might leave you in a mess. However, this new theory levels out the field, which hints at how Chota Segawa can be alive and might even return to Borderland alongside Arisu as he goes to look for Yuzuha Usagi.

Chota’s Offscreen Death Invites a Skeptical Theory

Netflix’s adaptation of Alice in Borderland is as cruel as it could be, and at the end of each episode, it kept us on the edge of our seats. This notion was true when Episode 3 became the highest-rated episode of Season 1, with a rating of 8.3/10 on IMDb.

The episode was written with pain, which featured the game of 7 of Hearts, simply hide and seek, that left Ryohei Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) distraught. In the final minutes of the game, he witnessed his best friends, Chota Segawa and Daikichi Karube, sacrificing themselves for him. The scene was harrowing, not just for him but also for the ones streaming the episode.

While Karube’s (Keita Machida) death was shown on screen, where his blood splattered over Arisu’s face, the demise of Chota (Yūki Morinaga) sparked some suspicion in us. As it was shown in the episode, when the collars exploded, Chota’s corpse was not shown, nor a drop of blood around his body; only a shoe was shown with smoke around it.

This made us wonder, what if Chota is the mastermind behind the Borderland games? It tends to make sense because when the people disappeared, he was more visibly confused than his friends. What if he acted to blend in and manipulate the events, like how Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) did in Squid Game?

What raises more suspicion is how the body was not shown, and the unwritten rule of anime states that if the body is not shown, then do not consider the character dead.

Additionally, in the Season 3 trailer, a new Zombie card was shown, which again reminded us about that one conversation with Arisu and Karube, where Arisu desired to be in an unknown place. To which Chota replied, telling him that it would be bad if zombies appeared in Shibuya with a gleeful smile.

This coincidence brings forth two opinions: A, the rules of Borderland are evolving. B, Chota is introducing new cards and powers that he foreshadowed to his best friend, and brought him to an unknown place, the Borderland. The room for questions and more theories is wide open, and it will all be unraveled soon as fans get to see Season 3.

Should Chota Return in Alice in Borderland Season 3?

Chota’s return theory has sparked outrage, especially considering his zombie remark and Season 3 introducing one such card. This makes us wonder if this hints that there will be a game including the undead or if it teases that some old faces can return.

However, if we go by the hint that a character like Chota would return, then the series would be digging its own grave. Well, in Season 1, when Chota and Karube died, it tore apart Arisu, and he even blamed himself for not saving them in the game, 7 of Hearts. Both deceased characters often marked their return in flashbacks and played a key role in Arisu performing better in the games, and even helped him return to the real world.

Given the fact that the death of these characters was so meaningful, it is perhaps for the better that Chota remains dead, unless the show pulls off a perfect storyline that convinces us of his return.

With Alice in Borderland Season 3 almost here, what do you think about Chota’s return? Do you think he will return as the mastermind or as a spirit? Let us know in the comments below.

Alice in Borderland can currently be streamed on Netflix. Season 3 will premiere on Netflix on September 25, 2025, onwards.