Sword Art Online III has released it’s first half covering the “Alice” arc. It’s been 4 or so years since the initial SAO incident and Kirito has been secretly investigating similar hardware throughout the years for an organization looking into the dangers of Nervegear tech. Kirito now beta testing new hardware for a company called Rath. The only problem is Kirito has begun merging memories from the Rath program with that of his real life and is beginning to lose sight on which is what.

Sword Art Online is a 2012 shounen anime series, it is produced by A-1 Pictures, and licensed by Aniplex of America. The first half of season three is currently available in English subs on streaming platforms with a Blu-Ray release to follow later in 2019. The second half of Sword Art Online: Alicization premieres October 2019.

Editor’s Note: Near complete to complete spoilers for Sword Art Online: Alicization’s first half may be present within this review.

In 2026, Kirito and Asuna try to move on from the initial Nervegear SAO incident and it’s subsequent follow-ups. After a meeting with their friends, they take a walk and discuss their futures. Suddenly a surviving member of a rival guild from their SAO days attacks and poisons Kirito sending him into a coma. His body is taken by the Japanese Self Defense Force to a secret base and he’s connected to a Soul Translator device in an attempt to treat his brain damage. Kirito soon awakes in Underworld with his real world memories, only this new version of the Underworld seems to be merging his real and Nervegear memories as one.

THE GOOD: When Kirito is put into a coma after being poisoned in the real world he’s forced to have himself attached to a Soul Translator in an attempt to save his life. In reality, he’s actually acting as a guinea pig for new nerve gear tech. Sometime after Kirito wakes in a place known as Underworld where, while he also has memories of the real world, false memories from the former seem just as authentic. In Underworld, Kirito is reunited with his “childhood best friend” Eugeo and soon realizes that he can use his old SAO skills here. Eugeo and Kirito practice their sword skills to increase their attributes testing whether or not they can cut the Demon Tree. They share memories of another friend named Alice whom was taken by the Integrity Knights when they entered the forbidden End Mountains. Alice’s younger sister Selka is abducted by goblins forcing Kirito and Eugeo to act. Eugeo gets paralyzed by fear but Kirito boosts his confidence and the two save Selka. Kirito gains enough skill points to use his sword and cut the Demon Tree, prompting Eugeo to ask Kirito to train him. Eugeo is eventually able to use his own sword to cut down the Demon Tree and his village celebrates. He and Kirito opt to become swordsman and head to Central City hoping to find Alice. Back in the real world Asuna has tracked Kirito’s coma induced body back to a secret base where she is informed of his injuries. She discovers the true intent of those involved which was to use Kirito to help aiding in advancing the intelligence of the AI inside Underworld for more sophisticated control. Meanwhile, in Underworld two years have passed and Kirito & Eugeo are now trainees in the North Centoria Imperial Sword Mastery Academy. The two plan to graduate as top students for a chance to become Integrity Knights for the sake of their goal to reunite with Alice. After learning and experiencing duels during their time in the Academy Kirito and Eugeo become elite students. Kirito and Eugeo save their pages from an attempted rape after they sought to defend one of their friends from abuse by two top students. They are then taken by an Integrity Knight where they’re stunned to learn it’s Alice. She seemingly has no memory of the two and takes Kirito and Eugeo into custody. They break out of prison, but foreseeing their attempted escape Alice has another Integrity Knight intercept their escape, a warp gate made by the Cardinal System appears and teleports Kirito and Eugeo to a library where she explains the history of Underworld and the Taboo Index. 

Kirito and Eugeo return to the Cathedral and retrieve their swords, but attacked by several Integrity Knights. After being poisoned by two of the younger Integrity Knights, they meet vice commander Fanatio. Kirito and Eugeo defeat her after recovering from the poison, Alice catches up to them & she and Kirito are sent through a hole left hanging on the church walls. Alice reluctantly agrees to work with Kirito while Eugeo continues onward within the church where he meets and defeats Bercouli Synthesis One. Bercouli is petrified by Chudelkin, while Eugeo is captured. Alice listens to Kirito who informs her of the truth of her past. Alice struggles to fight the seal in her eye only to lose it in the process, Eugeo awakens on the 100th floor where he meets Administrator who gets him to drop his protection over the Fluctlight’s core. Alice awakens on the 95th floor and she and Kirito find a room where dark experiments have taken place while looking for Eugeo. They meet Chudelkin who runs away, Eugeo (controlled by Administrator) appears and has a fight with Kirito and Alice. He frees himself, but freezes the others to fight Admin alone. After failing to kill Admin, Eugeo reunites with Kirito and Alice and face Chudelkin who has summoned a powerful monster. Kirito overpowers Chudelkin and defeats him prompting Admin to summon another monster called the Sword Golem. Charlotte appears as a spider and holds the monster off, sacrificing herself as Eugeo stabs the floor with the magic dagger allowed Cardinal to appear and defeat Admin’s monster. In response to Cardinal, Admin sends the 100th floor of Axiom into a dark void. Admin informs Kirito and co. of her plan to use the Golems (made up of human sacrifices) to defeat the Dark Territory, Cardinal offers her own life to save Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice. Before she dies Cardinal fuses Eugeo with his sword, in sword form he kills the Golem and severs Admin’s arm, but she breaks him in half. With Eugeo and Alice out, Kirito takes on Admin himself, but she’s able to get the upper hand with her own SAO sword skills. A dying Eugeo uses what’s left of his life force to reform his sword allowing Kirito to dual wield and Kirito is able to defeat her. Admin attempts to run away, but Chudelkin (with his fire spells still active) latches onto her, begging her to stay which causes both of them to catch a blaze and die. Eugeo says his goodbyes as Kirito is given a message to take Alice to World’s End Altar, however in the real world Rath is under attack causing Kirito to lose consciousness in Underworld as a surge hits his real body. 

Packed with it’s unique flare of drama and action Alicization continues the anime adaption of Sword Art Online which much darker storylines and scenery than previous entries. While SAO is known for a rather typical brand of maturity increasing with each passing arc, Alicization holds nearly nothing back with plenty of deaths and moments of horrors rivaling that of the initial SAO arc. Action pieces and animation featured in Alicization is Sword Art Online at it’s best currently, and we’re only into the halfway point.

THE BAD: The first half of Alicization Part One is rather slow compared to most of the other SAO arcs. Also I don’t know what Reki Kawahara’s deal is with rape portrayal in Sword Art Online, but expect a small bit of it here. If you’ve watched/read SAO since the beginning you should be used to it by now, but even the most hardened of SAO fans have taken note of it’s frequency throughout the series run.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: SAO III’s arrival was a long time coming, four years is an incredible wait for a new anime season (then again try being a Blue Exorcist fan). If you can handle the mature themes Sword Art Online is accustomed to, there’s no reason for you not to enjoy Alicization Part One once it begins to pick up steam. Otaku Dome gives Sword Art Online: Alicization an 87 out of 100.