Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld Part 2

Episode 6

Depending on where they stand on Kirito as the hero of the SAO franchise, this is the episode that viewers have either been eagerly anticipating or dreading. This is the episode where Kirito finally returns to active duty, primed to play the role of hero once again. And he does not do it without some quasi-spiritual help from his friends.

In fact, that's both the theme and the message of this episode: when the chips are down, when you're at your lowest point, find the strength to soldier on in your memories of those dear to you. (That also makes the episode's title – “Memories” – is far more appropriate and poignant than it might seem at first.) Grand goals about saving the world and/or protecting one's friends/loved ones do matter, but in the darkest parts of life those motivations that are utterly personal and selfish can be the most important: push forward and face adversity with everything you've got rather than surrendering to despair. Draw strength, if you need to, from the feeling and wishes of those who are supporting/have supported you. That is what this is all about, and both Asuna and Kirito get a chance to shine in that regard.

For Asuna, that means drawing strength from the memory of Yuki, I don't care that the scene of Yuki's spirit embracing and supporting Asuna is somewhat trite; it is an emotional enough moment that I am getting a little choked up just writing about it, because the Mother's Rosario arc established plenty well enough the emotional bond between the two girls, one as strong as the bond Asuna has with Kirito (and, honestly, more convincing). Even if Mother's Rosario (which should have been impossible to use in Underworld, as it being an original skill means it's not defined within the setting) does not ultimately put PoH down for good, this is the perfect place in a dramatic sense for Yuki's signature attack, and the visual presentation of it will probably be remembered as one of the series' animation highlights.

Kirito's case is a bit more complicated. Though the effectiveness of its portrayal has been uneven at best, Kirito has suffered from survivor's guilt ever since the incident with Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats. That has only been exacerbated by him occasionally having to kill on a few occasions, and his further despair over losing Eugeo compounded that, making him vulnerable to falling into this catatonic state. The montage of recollections from SAO paints a grim picture of his darkest actions, enough so to make it understandable why he is in such a mental state. Eugeo is his personal equivalent to Yuki, though the support of the three “goddesses” in Kirito's life also contribute. (I am sure that all kinds of subtextual meaning could be read into that, but I'm not going to go there.) At least Eugeo's mysterious link from the cube helps justify how Kirito is able to use the Enhance Armament for the Blue Rose Sword to shut down the fight and thus the flow of energy into PoH's Mate-Chopper. And that is followed up by Kirito's triumphant return.

The Alicization arc has had numerous visual highlights, but in terms of full-package visual presentation this is easily one of the arc's strongest episodes to date. I felt I had to use the main screen shot I did because Kirito's return is one of the War of Underworld's most pivotal moments, but I could have chosen any of a half-dozen other shots, whether it's the heart-warming scene of Asuna and Yuki's ghost smiling at each other, the eye-popping early scene of the coruscating dark energy flowing into Mate-Chopper, Kirito's anguished face as he struggles with his memories, the symbolic meaning of the stacked hands in Kirito's memories right before he revives, or one of the incredible shots of PoH walking around with a massive hole in his chest. The scene where Kirito tried to tear out his own heart may have visually been a little over-the-top, but it is accurate to the source novel. The musical support from the series' established key themes is also fantastic.

I'll be frank: Kirito is nowhere near being among my favorite anime heroes. None of the three SAO figma I own feature him, and I've made no secret about my favorite arc in the series being the one where he plays the most minimal role. However, I cannot imagine how the presentation of this part of the story could have been done better and still stayed true to the source material. That's the reason I am giving this episode a high grade. Besides, he's been sitting around drooling for 17 episodes while letting everyone else do the heavy lifting, so it's about damn time he got his act together and contributed directly.

With this episode the title card in the opener shifts to “Alicization Lasting,” the subtitle of the 18th novel. What does that ultimately mean? You'll have to continue to watch to find out.

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Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld Part 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Hulu, and Funimation .