Coronavirus outbreak already has caused more damage to anime industry then one can imagine. Highly anticipated shows like Re:Zero season 2 and Oregairu Season 3 already has been postponed. And Joining them is Sword Art Online: Alicization- war of Underworld Part 2 which has been delayed back to July due to pandemic.

The official website to Sword Art Online announced that the Sword Art Online: Alicization- war of Underworld Part 2 release has been postponed. The official twitter account to tv anime also shared the announcement.

The second cour of “Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld” has been postponed due to the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Broadcasting is now planned for this July.

Instead War of Underworld Part 1 will be rebroadcasted from April 18.

Sword Art Online: Alicization season 3 was originally was scheduled to air on April 25, 2018. A recap episode was supposed to air on April 11 and a special episode on April 18 before the War of Underworld Cour 2 premiere.

Due the delay Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld part 2 new release date has been pushed back to July 2020. As the series usually airs on Saturday on weekly basis Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Cour 2 is now expected to start its broadcast on Saturday July 4, 2020 24.00 p.m. JST or July 11, 2020 24:00 p.m. JST.

As a placeholder War of Underworld Part 1 will air starting from April 18.

Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Cour 2 Plot

The War of Underworld Part 2 adapts the Alicization arc from the light novel volume 9-22 where a private institute Rath aims to perfect their creation by enlisting the aid of Sword Art Online survivor Kazuto Kirigaya. He works there as a part-time employee to test the system’s capabilities in the Underworld: the fantastical realm generated by the Soul Translator. As per the confidentiality contract, any memories created by the machine in the virtual world are wiped upon returning to the real world. Kazuto can only vaguely recall a single name, Alice, which provokes a sense of unease when mentioned in reality.

When Kazuto escorts Asuna Yuuki home one evening, they chance upon a familiar foe. Kazuto is mortally wounded in the ensuing fight and loses consciousness. When he comes to, he discovers that he has made a full-dive into the Underworld with seemingly no way to escape. He sets off on a quest, seeking a way back to the physical world once again.

Following Alicization comes War of Underworld where after the defeat of Quinella, war breaks out between the residents of Underworld and Dark Territory where Alice Synthesis Thirty reassuming her previous alias promises to defeat the Dark Territory in order to defend the world that Kirito and Eugeo worked so hard to protect. Asuna joins the battle as Goddess Stacia. In the coming season Alice has been captured by Darkness God Vector. Meanwhile Sinon and the crew joins battle the as Kirito returns to put an end to the War of Underworld.

Sword Art Online: War of Underworld Cour 2 Trailer

About Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara with illustrations provided by Abec. ASCII Media Works is publishing the novels with 23 volumes currently in circulation. The series has spawned multiple manga adaptions, spin-offs and video games.

A1 pictures produced a 25 episodes Tv anime series in July 2012 followed by 2nd season in July 2014. Sword Art Online: Alicization premiered in October 2018 and ran for 36 episodes. Anime original movie Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale was released in 2017 in Japanese theatres. 3hz adapted Spin-off by Keiichi Sigsawa Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online into a Tv anime in April 2018. The series ranked 2nd as most favorite anime in Japan in an online poll.

The series takes place in the near future where a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players can control their avatars through brain waves using technology called “NerveGear.” When players enter the game, they discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive. To escape, players must beat the game by defeating each boss on all 100 floors; however, if they die in the game, they die in real life too. Their struggle for survival starts now.