'Sword Art Online' Debuts One of its Biggest Power Cheats Yet

Sword Art Online has introduced fans to a brand new virtual world with brand new virtual rules in [...]

By Nick Valdez

Sword Art Online has introduced fans to a brand new virtual world with brand new virtual rules in Alicization, and the latest episode introduced what could be one of the wildest power cheats yet in the entire series.

With the power of imagination, anyone in this virtual world can raise their strengths, and the results of that are seen in Kirito's duel with Volo Levantein.

The third season has dropped hints as to how the spells in the Underworld work, in that it's driven more by emotion. By picturing certain images, one can enhance their sword skills and the like. Kirito sees this in the duel with Volo, as Volo's sword skill (which is reminiscent of one seen in Aincrad) is enhanced by a visual image of the pressures of his family legacy.

Kirito realizes this and begins to imagine strength of his own. While struggling against Volo, golden beams of light begin gathering in his sword and make it grow. These golden particles are Kirito's bits of imagination and this pushes Volo back just a bit. Though their duel ends in a draw, Kirito's imagined power was impressive and even formed a giant tree.

This was due to Kirito remembering those he was fighting for (and fighting to get back to), and it sets up the Underworld under much looser spell rules than seen in previous virtual worlds. The full power of the "imagination" boost is seen later, when a mysterious voice helps Kirito harness this new power and helps revive a bunch of fallen flowers that he had planted as a way to mourn his lost life.

There's a hint that this will bend the rules of the virtual world as Kirito uses this knowledge without others in the world seemingly being aware of this power. But with the pacing of the third season's anime flying along as fast as it is, there could be new developments even sooner than we think. 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..."

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