Why was Chishiya’s role reduced in Alice in Borderland Season 3? Details explored

The less prominent appearance of Shantarou Chishiya in the third season of Alice in Borderland is explainable by the hiatus of actor Nijirou Murakami. Conversations and news about Murakami show that he left various projects because of personal and medical-related factors, which had a direct impact on his availability when the Netflix series was produced.

As a result, fan-favorite Chishiya received significantly less screen time and narrative importance in Season 3. While Netflix has not issued an official statement about these changes, industry reports and observations of Murakami’s fans—who have become less active publicly—suggest a possible explanation.

This has sparked speculation, later supported by reputable sources such as Anime News Network, that his absence was a major factor behind the changes to Chishiya’s character arc in the latest season.

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Nijirō Murakami’s hiatus from acting

In March 2023, Anime News Network announced that Nijirou Murakami was leaving the Evangelion stage play because of health reasons. This news meant that he had to take a break from his acting engagements, and his hiatus started.

This aligns with the production of Alice in Borderland Season 3, suggesting that his unavailability likely disrupted the show’s original plans for Chishiya’s character.

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Fan talk on the lack of Chishiya

On Reddit, Alice in Borderland fans have actively discussed Murakami’s hiatus and its effect on his character’s screen time. Many noted that Chishiya, a central figure in the psychological battles of previous seasons, was reduced to a much smaller role in Season 3.

This was in line with Murakami gradually fading out of the acting scene and was largely regarded as a production necessity and not as a form of creative decision-making to marginalize the character. Murakami had very few appearances.

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Murakami’s limited appearances

Signs of the diminished profile of Murakami during this time also surfaced on social media. The personal, but not professional, Instagram posts of his, like the one from September 2023, did not contain any direct promotions of new acting projects.

This served to strengthen the view that he was maintaining a low profile and that he was placing his own personal well-being over professional activities at the time.

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Narrative shift in Season 3

Even though the minimal appearance of Chishiya in the third season of Alice in Borderland can be attributed to the hiatus of Murakami, the show also changed its narrative focus. The season was more heavily based on the curves of Arisu and Usagi and the enigmatic Joker plot.

This reorganization of the story enabled the series to continue even though Murakami was less available, but the fans were quick to realize that there was no traditional Murakami strategic action in the high-stakes games.

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The reduced role of Chishiya in Alice in Borderland Season 3 was not due to a lack of creative interest in the character, but rather a health-related acting hiatus by Nijirou Murakami. Since his absence coincided with filming, the director had to scale back Chishiya’s role and adjust the script accordingly.

Although neither Netflix nor Murakami has made an official statement, industry reports, fan discussions, and his own withdrawal from roles in 2023 all support this explanation.

Also read: Alice in Borderland: Does Arisu remember Usagi after returning Season 3 finale?