After the anticipated return of Kirito in the sixth episode of the second part of the anime Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld (or episode 18 in general), both the series and the character became a trend on social networks.
— アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式 (@sao_anime) August 15, 2020
Other series, such as Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei also celebrated the long-awaited return of the character. In his post he stated: "I knew you would come back, Kirito."藍井エイル「I will…」CD発売&配信中!アニメ盤のジャケはこのようになってます!— アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式 (@sao_anime) August 15, 2020
💿CDhttps://t.co/nGqkuW2L0Y
📲配信✨https://t.co/o0xmRqqduw
🦋8/16に無観客LIVE配信✨
〇PIA LIVE STREAM‣ https://t.co/c2Zn5YlHMJ
〇LINE LIVE‣ https://t.co/BxSdyYDUoS#sao_anime pic.twitter.com/11fab2lpo4
— 魔法科高校の劣等生 公式 (@mahouka_anime) August 15, 2020The series Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha also published an update starring the protagonist Anos Voldigord, with the message: "How nice that you have returned."
— TVアニメ「魔王学院の不適合者 ~史上最強の魔王の始祖、転生して子孫たちの学校へ通う~」 (@maohgakuin) August 15, 2020Additionally, Japan was already celebrating “Kirito Week”, which includes the opening of a special store dedicated only to Kirito and the different appearances that he has taken throughout the franchise.
Additionally, Japanese streaming service ABEMA also held a special program earlier today, which featured voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (the voice of Kirito), Aniplex producer Masami Niwa; and A-1 Pictures studios producer Atsushi Kaneko. The three discussed the history of "War of Underworld" to date, until Kirito's anticipated return.
Finally, the series will be conducting the last phase of its virtual reality event today through the Cluster platform. Voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka along with Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna's voice) and Reina Kondo (Ronie's voice) will make an appearance.
For its part, the series premiered on July 11 in Japan. Sword Art Online: Alicization is the adaptation of the "Alicization Arc" from Reki Kawahara's light novel series that will air for a total of four arcs. "War of Underworld" aired the first 12 episodes in the first part released in October 2019.
Reki Kawahara began publishing the novels independently in 2002, and later published it through Kadokawa Publishing House in April 2009, with 23 volumes to date. The franchise is one of Japan's most successful light novel series, considered the light novel of the decade by fans.
Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld Synopsis
Kirito suddenly awakens in a vast and fantastic forest full of towering trees. In his search for clues that will tell him where he is, he bumps into a boy who seems to know him. It appears to be a simple NPC, but its conversation and depth show that it could be a human. As they search together for the boy's parents, a memory begins to reverberate in his head, a memory from his own childhood, where this boy and another girl appear, who also has his golden hair and a name that he should never have forgotten: Alice.
© 2017 川 原 礫 / KADOKAWA ア ス キ ー ・ メ デ ィ ア ワ ー ク ス / SAO-A Project