Sword Art Online Stuns with War of Underworld's Darkest Scene Yet

Sword Art Online: Alicization debuted War of Underworld's darkest scene yet with the newest episode of the series. This series has been especially prominent with fans for its blend of action with these moments of darkness, and it's been part of the core of everything since the very first season. This same darkness has returned with the War of Underworld as now the stakes are higher than ever with death becoming a regular part of the franchise's battles once more. But it doesn't just stop at death, however, as seen with Gabriel being dragged into what looks to be Hell in the newest episode.

The War of Underworld arc has been particularly brutal ever since it began last year, and there have been some violent scenes in the newest episodes leading to the final climactic battle between Kirito and Gabriel. It's only fitting considering this arc had some of the most vicious killers as foes yet, and they were both summarily punished for their misdeeds across the series.

We saw Kirito defeating Vassago and Gabriel in the previous episodes, but Episode 21 of the series shows us the result of their fights in the human world. Because of their digital selves being damaged beyond repair, the same has happened to their bodies. But that's not what cements this scene's darkness. You can check it out for yourself below thanks to @hjrisk on Twitter:

Shineeeeeeeeeeee #sao_anime pic.twitter.com/v9BarQyJKr

— 마리아 hjrish (@hjrisk) September 5, 2020

Gabriel wakes up after the fight, and he soon finds that his body has been damaged beyond repair upon his death. He soon then sees the spirit of Alicia, the young girl Gabriel had killed as a child, and she and several spiritual hands rise up from the ground and begin to pull him into Hell. Since this is outside of the virtual world, this is much darker than it would have been if we had seen an Underworld take on this kind of ending for the villain. But it's fitting considering all of the damage he's done thus far.

Were you surprised to see Gabriel dragged into hell in the newest episode of Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld? Where does this rank on Sword Art Online's list of darkest moments of the series overall? Where does it rank in your list of favorite moments from the Alicization saga? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!