From the start, the various Sword Art Online anime have been pretty darn faithful adaptations of the original light novels. While there have been minor changes (as there always are in adaptations between mediums), it’s far more common for scenes to be added or expanded rather than cut. Then comes episode seven of Sword Art Online Alicization which takes an entire meaty chapter from the light novels and glosses over it in about 20 seconds. So for those of you wondering about the story you missed out on, let’s break down what happened and how those events impact the story of Alicization overall.
The skipped section is Chapter 3 of Sword Art Online Volume 10–which is about one-sixth of that particular book–and is set between Kirito and Eugeo departing Rulid Village and their arrival at the Sword Master Academy.
Since starting their journey, the pair has formed a plan of attack to reach Alice. As only Synthesis Knights are allowed in the Axiom Church’s Central Cathedral–the place where those captured by the knights are supposedly taken–the two have decided that they have no choice but to become Synthesis Knights themselves. Of course, doing this is easier said than done–especially for commoners like Kirito and Eugeo.
To become a Synthesis Knight, you must win the Four Empires Unity Tournament. To enter that, you must be either the winner or the runner-up of your region’s Empire Swordsmanship Tournament. To earn a place in that, you must be one of the top two in your class at your region’s Sword Master Academy. To enter the Sword Master Academy, you must pass an exam. To take that exam, you must serve six months as a guard and receive a letter of recommendation from the guard captain in your region’s largest city. To become a city guard, you must defeat all the other guards from villages across your region in an annual sword-fighting tournament.
Thus, for five months, Kirito and Eugeo have been working as ranch hands on the outskirts of Zakkaria, the largest city in the northern region, awaiting the start of the Zakkaria Sword Arts Tournament.
However, strong though they both may be with the sword, the Zakkaria Sword Arts Tournament comes with a twist: While the final 16 fighters do fight it out in a two-block, single-elimination tournament, the preliminaries don’t involve fighting at all. Instead, the competitors stand before a panel of judges and present the kata–the sword forms–of the region’s trademark sword style.
Of course, as neither Kirito nor Eugeo knows this sword-style, they have spent the majority of their free time practicing the needed moves. But while Eugeo’s form is now flawless, Kirito’s still occasionally looks below average. Still, Kirito is far from worried as they make the walk from the ranch to the city on the day of the tournament.
Yet, as they approach the gates, something odd happens. When the two cross a bridge, a horse suddenly panics, threatening to injure them mere minutes before the tournament begins. Luckily, having worked with horses over the past few months, the two are able to diffuse the situation–and discover the cause: a type of horsefly not usually found near the city.
Putting the mystery out of their minds for the moment, the pair proceeds to register for the tournament and then wait alongside the rest of the competitors. It’s then that Kirito proceeds to surreptitiously case the other competitors, discovering that one of them, Egome, is likely responsible for the incident with the horse and the fly.
As the competitors all draw lots to decide their order, a mysterious observer tampers with the results. While the observer makes sure Kirito and Eugeo are in separate blocks–and are thus able to both become guards if they win their respective blocks–it also makes sure that Kirito will have to face Egome should both proceed past the preliminaries.
As expected, Eugeo has no problems with performing the series of katas, easily allowing him to move on. However, Kirito, knowing that his own technique is less than perfect, chooses to cover his flaws up by showboating: he does the sword forms at nearly three times the normal speed. Luckily, this is enough to move him into the final bracket and face his first opponent: Egome.
While Kirito is obviously far stronger than Egome, Egome better understands the rules of the world–and thus how to exploit the loopholes therein. Everything he does tilts the odds in his favor: he arranged the incident on the bridge, he breaks tradition and attacks the moment the fight begins, but most importantly he uses a weapon that’s magnitudes better than Kirito’s. The difference is so great that even the act of parrying damages Kirito’s sword greatly.
So, of course, Kirito begins dodging instead, which succeeds in making Egome look like a fool. Losing his cool Egome decides to use his secret weapon: a one-hit sword skill that could injure Kirito greatly if Kirito doesn’t block it–or if, perhaps, Kirito’s sword were to break. But while Egome understands how to use his knowledge as a weapon, Kirito has a unique weapon all his own: his time in Sword Art Online.
So as Egome comes at Kirito with his sword skill, Kirito meets it with his own. However, it’s not a one-hit skill, but a consecutive two-hit skill–something almost unheard of in Underworld. With it, he not only deflects Egome’s strike but shatters Egome’s blade as well.
With the match decided, neither he nor Eugeo have any problems with the remaining challengers and join the Zakkaria guards. Half a year later, they pass their entrance exams and depart for the Sword Master Academy. And a year after that? Well, that’s where episode seven begins.
From the Zakkaria Tournament chapter, we learn two important things. The first is that while the rules of Underworld can never be broken without major consequences–be that the Taboo Index or any other rules–they can be bent. This is the whole point of Egome as a character. The rules say that a guard has to give you a sword to use in the tournament–but there’s nothing to say that the sword they give you has to be the same as all the others. Sure, it’s implied that all the swords should be standard issue–to make the contest fair–but as long as a guard gives it to you, any sword is technically legal.
This rule-bending even applies to matters of life and death. Take the events with the horsefly at the bridge, for example. It’s against the Taboo Index to physically harm another person (except under specific circumstances like a tournament or something similar). However, technically all Egome does is release a horsefly. This fly doesn’t harm humans in any way. Thus by releasing it, he couldn’t possibly be causing harm to anyone.
…Of course, if the fly spooks a horse which then panics and kills someone, then that’s just a horrible tragedy. It’s certainly not murder nor even his responsibility.
Moreover, we learn that Egome’s twisted mindset is common amongst the nobility. They’ll follow a contract to the letter but at the same time twist every word to give you something completely different from what you wanted. They believe that anything that is not prohibited is not only legal but encouraged–which is frankly terrifying and has more than a few implications for things to come.
The other thing we learn in the Zakkaria Tournament chapter is that Kirito and Eugeo are being actively observed. In fact, the entire chapter is seen via the Observer’s point of view. The Observer has been following the pair of boys for months and has been with them throughout their entire training process.
As for what the Observer is, we are never told. However, we know that it is nearly 200 years old and can change its size at will. Most of the time, it’s about the size of a malt grain and hides itself in Kirito’s hair. We also know that it can use magic, comes from a library, and reports Kirito and Eugeo’s actions to its “master.”
While it starts out simply observing, it slowly becomes emotionally invested in the pair, wanting them to succeed. However, the Observer is troubled by this change within itself–even as it tries to look for loopholes in the instructions it was given by its Master that would give it an excuse to help Kirito and Eugeo.
This emotional connection stems from its interest in the pair. While many twist the rules of the world for their own benefit, Kirito practically flaunts them–always seeming to be on the edge of breaking the rules and not really caring that he is. Eugeo, on the other hand, strictly adheres to both the spirit and letter of the law. Yet, despite their clearly different philosophies, the two not only share the same goal but are friends as well.
Through the Observer we also discover the greater implications of what has happened so far. There should be no way that creatures from the dark realm (i.e., goblins) could invade–a Synthesis Knight should be dispatched to deal with them the moment they try. And if somehow an invasion were to happen in secret, it could be a portent of a prophesied calamity to come.
But most important to the personal core of the story is that we learn that Alice is both alive and in the Cathedral just as the pair believe she is. We also find out that their plan to become Synthesis Knights is a solid one: If they stay the course and overcome the odds, they should be able to meet her in the Cathedral. However, the Observer also hints that there is some kind of an inherent flaw in the plan–that even if they succeed, they will fail in an even greater sense. But the specifics of this flaw are left for us all to discover as the story continues.
Sword Art Online: Alicization can be seen in English on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), and Wakanim (EU)
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