'Sword Art Online' Season 3 Makes Major Virtual Reality Change

Sword Art Online doesn't try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to storytelling. For an isekai series, the shonen gets the job done, but season three is ready to show audiences there's more to the series than they think.

Recently, Sword Art Online stepped out with its long-awaited third season, and the 'Alicization' arc kicked off in a big way. Fans met up with Kirito as the lead tested out a new piece of virtual reality equipment, and the show's most recent episode shared a surprising change to its high-tech worlds.

After all, what is Kirito supposed to do when he's not prompted to fight in quests or level up his gear?

Yes, that's right. So far, the Underworld is taking a stance with its debut, and it is a non-violent one. Places like Aincrad welcomed players such as Kirito to go on active quests and build up their fighting skills. Gun Gale Online did the same with its post-apocalyptic world, but the Underworld is different.

Kirito does realize he's in a virtual world after waking in Underworld, but it is so real he has trouble keeping that fact in mind. Unlike a lot of isekai series, Sword Art Online is about to dive into a mostly peaceful VR haven filled with presumable NPCs. At this point, it looks like Kirito is the only person of his kind in the Underworld, and manga readers know more reveals about the mysterious world are on their way.

While Kirito hasn't been asked to fight yet, all is not perfectly well with Underworld. The anime did take time to confirm the hero could still use his sword fighting abilities in the virtual place, leading fans to believe some discord will break out soon enough. However, it seems like Kirito won't be fighting other gamers for a change. Instead, he'll be faced with a brand-new threat, and audiences are ready to see how the boy will handle the shift.

So, are you eager to see where this change leads? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

For those unfamiliar with Sword Art Online, the series was originally created by Reki Kawahara with illustrations provided by abec. The series follows a boy named Kirito after he and thousands of gamers get trapped in a virtual reality video game known as Sword Art Online. The gamers must band together to defeat the game's final level to escape, but Kirito and his guild learn there is more behind their prison than they were originally told.