Sword Art Online Confirms New War of Underworld Release Window Due to Pandemic

The effects of the novel coronavirus led to Japan declaring a state of emergency until the end of [...]

By Nick Valdez

The effects of the novel coronavirus led to Japan declaring a state of emergency until the end of May at the very earliest, and this meant that many anime preparing to launch in April as part of the Spring 2020 anime season had been postponed to a later unconfirmed date. One of the major delays was unfortunately Sword Art Online, which held off the final half of its War of Underworld arc until an unconfirmed release in July. But the series' recently shared an update with fans during a special Dengeki Online livestream, a producer for Aniplex confirmed that work on the series is continuing toward this July release.

As reported by Crunchyroll, anime producer at Aniplex Masami Niwa explained that the staff behind War of Underworld Part 2 have been able to continue working from their respective homes as they continue to complete storyboards, scripts, and even animation through remote work. So while they apologize for not making the Spring release, they are hard at work for the Summer!

To help get fans through this uncertain time, the series has released an official wallpaper for video calls featuring Eugeo and Kirito on the series' official Twitter account. Here fans can see Eugeo pleading with Kirito to "stay home," which has been the central message as fans are urged to practice social distancing and quarantine practices.

When Sword Art Online does return, however, there will be a lot to look forward to! The final half of War of Underworld serves as the climactic finale of the entire Alicization saga, which has been running as the longest arc in the series to date (making up the entirety of the third season). What do you think?

Were you bummed to see War of Underworld's final arc delayed until the Summer? Are you excited to see that the series is still aiming for a July release? What are you hoping to see when Sword Art Online returns? What are some of your favorite moments from the Alicization saga so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

via Crunchyroll

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