‘Sword Art Online’ Creator Apologizes For Season 3 Pacing Controversy

Sword Art Online is a few episodes into its third season, and the awaited comeback is sitting well with fans. Kirito is back and in better form than ever, but that doesn’t mean all is good. After all, fans have a bone to pick with a major pacing shake-up, and Sword Art Online‘s creator wants fans to know he hears them.

So, maybe you’ll want to listen to the writer before you pick up your nearest pitchfork?

For those who are not caught up with Sword Art Online: Alicization, its newest episode did a lot. Not only did the update introduce a lengthy time skip, but episode seven also upset fans with an important omission. As it turns out, the show chose to gloss over volume 10, chapter 3 of the light novels without any sort of explanation. However, Reki Kawahara is offering up a comment now.

Taking to Twitter (via Reddit), Kawahara posted a message for fans apologizing for the brushed-off arc.

“I’m sorry that the Zakkaria Arc was handled through flashback only, but it is necessary to be selective with episodes even though the season is 4 cours as there are 10 books [to adapt],” the creator explained.

“I think 2 books per cour is the limit if you want to do the adaptation faithfully, but I think Zakkaria was the biggest cut.”

While the episode was forced to skim over the chapter in question, Sword Art Online did hint at the Zakkaria Sword Arts Tournament. Flashes of the event were shown as a montage, but it did mean characters such as Charlotte were omitted from the release. Now, the series’ creator is asking fans to be patient with how season three moves forward, and Kawahara is hoping his fans listen.

Were you upset by this arc’s omission? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Sword Art Online: Alicization can currently be found streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu. The series is officially described as such: “Before he knows it, Kirito has made a full-dive into an epic, fantasy-like virtual world. With only a murky recollection of what happened right before he logged in, he starts to wander around, searching for clues. He comes upon an enormous, pitch dark tree (the Gigas Cedar), where he encounters a boy.

As Kirito bonds with Eugeo, he continues to search for a way to log out of this world. Meanwhile, he remembers a certain memory deep down within him. He remembers racing through the mountains with Eugeo as a child… A memory that he should not have in the first place… And in this memory, he sees someone other than Eugeo, a young blond girl. Her name is Alice. And it is a name that must never be forgotten…”