Sword Art Online: Alicization Splitting 'War of Underworld' Arc into Two Parts

Sword Art Online has kept its head down as of late, but the show has no plans to keep up the front. The series made a huge return with its third season last fall, and it left a solid impression with fans. Now, the series is prepared to revisit the season this month with its final arc, but fans shouldn't expect the show to end like they thought.

After all, what would Sword Art Online be without a few surprises? As usual, the show plans to shake things up with a split four, so fans can expect season three to take yet another break before its finale comes around.

According to new reports, it turns out Sword Art Online: Alicization will be splitting up its War of Underworl arc. The story is set to be the season's second half, and fans were informed of its split out of the blue. The reveal came during a recent pre-screening event in Japan where select fans were able to see the midseason premiere. The episode ended with a title card confirming the War of Underworld arc will be split in half.

For fans, this means there will be yet another break in Sword Art Online: Alicization. The season will return this month to kick off its new arc, but it will end in December. The show will skip the Winter 2020 season before returning with its final episodes in Spring 2020. This means the season's victory lap will take place between April and June of next year. While the break may upset some, the split cour schedule gives A-1 Pictures the chance to ensure War of Underworld is animated in a timely way, so here's to hoping this third season ends up meeting everyone's expectations.

Are you surprised to hear this final installment of season three will be split? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Sword Art Online was originally created by Reki Kawahara with illustrations provided by abec for ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko line in 2009. 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. This October, Sword Art Online: Alicization will return with its second arc.