'Sword Art Online' Season 3 May Be A Long Way Out

Earlier this year, fans of Sword Art Online finally got the news they'd been waiting for. A-1 Pictures confirmed it was working on the anime's season, and the Internet did not waste any time hyping the announcement. However, it looks like Sword Art Online's comeback may be further out than fans thought.

Recently, Dengeki Bunko Magazine released its latest issue, and the magazine had an interview with Sword Art Online's creators. Keiichi Sigsawa opened up about his work on Gun Gale Online while Reki Kawahara's main series got spotlighted as well. It was there fan-translators learned more about Sword Art Online's next season.

Over on Twitter, Gsimenas summarized important tidbits from the interview. The fan said the feature "hints that [the] AGGO anime will come before Alicization" and act as "an appetiser before the main course."

"Alicization anime was apparently still not set in stone during the movie's production. The aftercredit scene was just Itou having fun, rather than a confirmation," the user went on to translate.

"Though the movie's reception gave Alicization the green-light. Hence, the anime production has only just started."

If you have kept up with Sword Art Online, then you will know the franchise saw its first film debut this year. Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale reintroduced Kirito to audiences, and it ended with a tag-scene teasing the anime's return. The post-credits scene got fans buzzing, and it looks like the fans' reactions were enough to convince A-1 Pictures to move forward with more anime. If the new season is just being developed, fans may have to wait until 2019 or even 2020 to see it debut. So, here's to hoping the animation studio manages to streamline the project.

If you are not familiar with Sword Art Online's upcoming arc, then you have a bit to read up on. The storyline is covering in volumes 9-18 of Kawahara's light novel series. The story stars in June 2026 after Kirito is offered a job with a company called Rath. The hero is asked to work for the private firm to test out a new type of FullDive equipment known as the Soul Translator. However, as fans could expect, Kirito's job wasn't laid out fully before he took the gig.

As it turns out, Rath has no plans to make a new FullDive gaming console. Instead, the firm is working to make a new AI for military purposes. The company was able to copy a child's soul into the machine, but Rath could not make its AI break laws or do anything humanistic. As such, they brought in Kirito to act as a human influence on the AIs until one finally broke their virtual world's law. When Kirito was brought out of the machine, Rath blocked his memories of his time in Underworld, but Kirito learns there are plenty who'd like to shut him up permanently about his time spent with the AI named Alice.

Are you excited for Sword Art Online's comeback? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!