'Sword Art Online: Alicization' Shares Big Season One Throwback

Sword Art Online may have become a joke amongst isekai fans after season two swung around, but season three has turned its reputation around. Thanks to the 'Alicization' arc, fans have remembered their love for Kirito, and the anime's latest episode just hit fans with one major nostalgia bomb from season one.

Recently, Sword Art Online: Alicization shared its most recent episode, and it saw Kirito and Eugeo learn some big truths. After escaping their prison in the Axiom Church's Central Cathedral, the boys have been on the run. However, if Kirito is to get out of this virtual world alive, he needs to make it to the top of the fortress...

Oh, and there just happens to be a curious number of levels to the lofty church.

After Kirito and Eugeo pulled off their prison break, they were pulled aside by a strange girl. It was Cardinal who saved the boys, and the heroine told the pair there was only one way to change Underworld. If they want to make a clean break from the Taboo Index, they will need to face the church's leader Quinella, and they happen to reside on the 100th floor of the Axiom Church.

So, if this is starting to sound more like Aincrad, you are not going crazy. Even Kirito blanched when he learned this new fort had 100 levels, and fans were quick to share their pity with the poor boy.

After all, audiences know how Kirito dealt with his 100 floor romp back in season one. The hero did have Asuna at his side to make things better, but Kirito had to slog through the journey at points. The anime glossed over scores of floors, ensuring pacing stayed on track to the chagrin of some detail-oriented fans. Now, season three is ready to go on its own dungeon exploration, so there is no telling how many floors Kirito and Eugeo will actually get to traverse together.

So, did you catch this clever season one throwback? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

If you have yet to catch the new season of the series yourself, Sword Art Online: Alicization can currently be found streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu. The series is officially described as such:

"Where... am I...?" 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. "My name is Eugeo. Nice to meet you, Kirito." Although he is supposedly a resident of the virtual world - an NPC - the boy shows the same array of emotions as any human being.

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..."