The next Sword Art Online anime is adapting the Alicization Arc

But wait, there’s more

It’s been a while since Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale hit theaters, and I was wondering when we would receive more information about the series’ new installment. As the Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival happened on Sunday, the folks at the Sword Art Online panel revealed that the sequel will cover the original light novel’s “Alicization Arc.”

While the film’s home release featured a message about the show’s return, an expanded announcement is always a plus. Of course, Kirito and Asuna’s voice actors are reprising their roles. Other than that, Ai Kayano (Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE’s Ayaha Oribe, Konosuba’s Darkness) is voicing Alice, and Nobunaga Shimazaki (Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Moon Dwellers’ Touya Shiun, Your Name’s Tsukasa Fujii) is being cast as Eugeo.

Considering that the original “Alicization Arc” is Sword Art Online’s longest saga, I wouldn’t be surprised if it runs for 25 episodes or more. From the looks of it, the sequel’s title, Sword Art Online: Alicization, implies that it’s focusing on one storyline. As a person who finds the series to be entertaining, I’m down with checking it out.

As nice as it is for Sword Art Online to continue, the idea of there being an anime adaptation of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, a spin-off light novel by Keiichi Sigsawa (Kino’s Journey’s Creator), sounds like a better project.

Unlike the main series, this TV show will focus on a new cast. Seeing that Kino’s Journey’s strength is the strange way how its towns and cities are depicted, it’ll be interesting to see how it’ll cover this story about two female players entering Gun Gale Online’s team tournament.

With the star being a tall female college student playing a short character called Llenn, her relationship with the player named Pitohui has potential since the former is uncomfortable with her own height.

Aside from making her anime debut, the show’s lead will appear in Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, which is a nice way for them to promote the show. As we wait for more updates on the new installments, you can check out the spin-off anime’s announced cast.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online’s Cast:

• Llenn: Tomori Kusunoki (Kirara Fantasia’s Kirara)
• Pitohui: Yoko Hikasa (Super Robot Wars Original Generations: The Moon Dweller’s Katia Grignarl, Danganronpa’s Kyoko Kirigiri)
• M: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Fate/Extella’s Archimedes, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Jonathan Joestar)
• Fukaziroh: Chinatsu Akasaki (Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth’s Anju, Hunter x Hunter 2011’s Mitsuba)

Sword Art Online Gets New TV Anime Covering Alicization Arc [Anime News Network]

Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online TV Anime Announced [Anime News Network]