Kirigaya “Kirito” Kazuto returns in Sword Art Online II out now on Blu-Ray. Following the traumatizing events of the SAO tragedy, Kirito is trying to return to normal and re-live his real life. He’s doing just that until he’s approached with a job offer to infiltrate the VR game Gun Gale Online whose players are having similar experiences to that of the victims of the Sword Art Online game.

Sword Art Online II is a 2014 seinen anime series, it is produced by A-1 Pictures and licensed by Aniplex of America. It is currently available on DVD & Blu-Ray in English.

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

Taking place just a combined year and some months from the SAO tragedy and ALfheim Online arc, Kirito and Asuna have begun recovering from the two traumatic experiences with both attending a special school for SAO victims that missed time in the real world while trapped in the game. Meanwhile a player in fast rising online game known as Gun Gale Online is shot by another one of its players with a unique weapon in-game. This eventually results in said player’s death in real-life ultimately mimicking the SAO events. Still slowly moving past the last year, Kirito has been asked to join Gun Grave Online by a member of the Virtual Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to investigate the situation.

THE GOOD: In the first arc of Sword Art Online II, Kirito must re-enter the world of VRMMOs after he and Asuna finally begin their recovery from the events they’ve experienced in SAO and ALO. After a couple of murders are linked to newly popular VR shooter MMO Gun Gale Online, Kirigaya Kazuto once again dawns his Kirito moniker to investigate the case on behalf of the Japanese government. There he meets a young woman named Sinon who’s a skilled sniper using a PGM Hecate II rifle as her main weapon of choice after winning it in-game. Kirito opts to use a beam katana and hand pistol for his weapons. After getting to know a bit about each other Sinon teaches Kirito (masquerading as a female due to his GGO appearance and to further gain Sinon’s trust) the controls and game commands in GGO and the two work together to rank up in the PVP tournament currently hosted in-game. Death Gun and his army continues killing players which Kirito and the others notice are at professional levels. In real life Sinon suffers from trauma after a robbery during her childhood forced her to kill the robber with his own gun in order to protect a pregnant woman. Her friend Kyoji Shinkawa suggested she play GGO as a form of therapy to get over her fear of guns which she is constantly bullied of by her classmates. After meeting Death Gun following a preliminary victory in the tournament Kirito realizes he has a connection to Laughing Coffin; the murderous guild from SAO. Kirito is forced to reveal his real gender to Sinon after an incident in the changing room which turns their inital friendship into a rivalry. Kirito still suffers from memories of being forced to kill three members of Laughing Coffin in order to protect his friends while in SAO and confides with several of his friends (including Sinon) before he is able to return to GGO.

Kirito and Sinon are matched up in the semifinal rounds and Kirito is able to easily beat her by predicting her strategy of aiming at his legs. He forces her to submit without killing her with Sinon reminding him of their earlier promise to not hold back against each other. Sinon prepares to take out a player in the battle royale round of GGO, but Kirito stops her urging her to observe the other player her target was in a battle with. Suddenly Death Gun appears and Kirito tells Sinon to shoot him. Death Gun who was attempting to interfere in the previous battle is injured by Kirito and is ran off with a smoke grenade he, however successfully kills one of the players. Death Gun chases after Kirito & Sinon and Sinon’s psychological trauma triggers and Kirito must help her shoot her gun and a bullet hits a gas tank that forces Death Gun to stop. Sinon and Kirito hide in a cave and reveal their past traumas to each other. Kirito deduces Death Gun’s next target and acts as bait hoping to draw one of the two out. This turns out to be Death Gun who attacks Kirito and forces Sinon to kill the former’s target. She destroys his weapon as her scope is destroyed in the process as well. Kirito is able to note that Death Gun is the former second-in-command of Laughing Coffin and Kirito with help from Sinon successfully kills Death Gun known as XaXa in SAO. As the final participants in the tournament Kirito and Sinon commit suicide with a special grenade becoming co-winners. Back in the real world Sinon is visited by Kyoji who attempts to make sexual advances towards her, but after being rebuffed he reveals that he’s the second accomplice to Death Gun and the brother of XaXa. Kyoji attempts to rape Sinon after stabbing her with a syringe, but Kirito breaks in and stops him. The two fight and Kirito is able stabbed with a syringe, but Sinon who’s begun recovering knocks out Kyoji with a stereo. Sinon’s classmates attempt to taunt her with an air gun, but Sinon is unfazed which stuns them showcasing she overcame her trauma. She meets up Kirito and Asuna who re-introduces her to the woman she saved several years ago. The woman thanks her  for saving her and her child’s (now four years old) life and Sinon cries tears of happiness in response. 

In the second half of SAO II Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon (playing for the first time) head to ALO to meet up with their friends. This is mainly a filler arc involving the group going on a quest for the Excalibur weapon. After defeating the dungeon boss Thrym, Kirito is rewarded the weapon by Uror and her sisters as thanks. Returning to the real world Kirito and Asuna test new technology which allows them to communicate with Yui in real life. Committing to ALO for awhile Kirito, Asuna, and the others learn of a quick ranking player known as Zekken/Absolute Sword who is challenging and defeating other players rather easily while enticing them with an 11-hit combo skill as a reward for her defeat. Apparently Kirito even challenged Zekken once and was defeated by her. After having a fight with her mother, Asuna becomes interested in dueling Zekken after Kirito tells him of his experience with her. Asuna and Zekken meet in ALO and are seemingly even striking and blocking blows with each other, but Zekken is deemed the winner asking Asuna for help afterwards. In real life Zekken is a girl named Yuuki Konno who suffers from HIV/AIDS that will soon end her life. Yuuki introduces Asuna to her guild the Sleepy Knights whom’s members each suffer from a terminal illness. They wish to enlist Asuna and her talents for the boss of the 27th floor so they can have their names etched on the Mount of Swordsmen on the 1st floor. Asuna’s mother forcibly logs her out of ALO and they get in another argument. The next day Asuna helps the Sleepy Knights clear the 27th floor, but are about to be ambushed by other players. Upon defeat the players reveal that they’re apart of a boss raid group and that reinforcements are on the way. The enemies arrive, but Kirito and Klein aide Asuna and the others so they can head towards & defeat the boss. After getting their names etched Yuuki becomes emotional after being reminded of her impending death and logs out of the game. Kirito helps Asuna find the hospital where Yuuki is being held in real life and after learning of her illness she logs into ALO to see her. Asuna uses new technology to help Yuuki discover new experiences she’d otherwise be unable to in reality due to her being hooked up to a VR machine for research for over three years permanently. Asuna manages to convince her mother to log into ALO and reconciles with her. Some months later Asuna is informed of Yuuki’s impending death and she rushes to see her. Asuna and the others visit Yuuki in ALO for her final moments and Yuuki gives Asuna her 11-hit combo skill Mother’s Rosario as a parting gift. Several players surround Yuuki to honor her as she dies.

Sword Art Online II is probably the only truly complete season of the anime and source material. With astounding character development and co-female leads for both parts this is SAO’s writing at its absolute best. In addition to the heavily dramatic and action packed Phantom Bullet arc. Both Sinon and Yuuki’s & even Asuna’s character arcs are fleshed out, if only for the little bit of time and exploration the latter received.

THE BAD: The opening half of SAO II’s second part suffers from what I like to refer to as the “second half syndrome” in which an anime suffers from a what can be called a fairly weak second portion compared to strong initial opening half/portion. It thankfully recovers with the Mother’s Rosario arc.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Sword Art Online makes a massive comeback from a rather weak closing half in the original with powerfully written drama and character development and fun action scenes. Though an ALO filler arc slows things down, it picks right back up with the Mother’s Rosario arc and brings home a satisfying overall finale to the season. Otaku Dome gives Sword Art Online II on Blu-Ray a 100 out of 100.