Have you ever seen the anime "Sword Art Online II"?
Sword Art Online, also known as SAO, is an anime series based on the light novel by Reki Kawahara.
It has been 12 years since it was first broadcast in 2012, but the anime continues to be popular, with a pachislot version to be produced in 2023 and a spin-off, "Gun Gale Online," also in the works.
So what is the synopsis of "Sword Art Online II," one of the most popular in the series, and what are the highlights?
You may also be wondering where is the sacred place in Kyoto that is said to appear in the anime.
Therefore, we would like to introduce the synopsis of "Sword Art Online II" and the holy place in Kyoto.
If you would like to prepare yourself to see the latest film in the future, please also refer to this page.
■What is the synopsis of Sword Art Online II?
The first in the series, "Sword Art Online," takes place in a death game in which the world has become linked to reality.
The main character, Kirito, logs into SAO, a next-generation virtual reality (VR) game, and is trapped in the game world along with 10,000 other players.
The story is then about trying to clear the game in order to log out (get out of the game world).
After the second season of the series, the story continues to involve incidents that take place in virtual space.
Then, let's take a closer look at the synopsis of "Sword Art Online II," which aired in 2014.
Synopsis
Sword Art Online II" is the second series of the 24-episode TV anime series.
One day, one year after the SAO incident.
Kirito was asked by Seijiro Kikuoka, a member of the Virtual Section of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, to investigate a mysterious incident that occurred in a VRMMO (Gun Gale Online (GGO)).
Kirito, who cannot refuse the bizarre incident in which a player shot by an unidentified avatar with a jet-black gun actually dies in the real world, logs into GGO despite his suspicion that the virtual world has a physical effect on the real world.
Kirito wanders around in an unfamiliar game, but then he meets a girl.
With the help of such a sniper, Sinon, he takes on the Bullet of Bullets...
■Who are the characters in "Sword Art Online II"?
Let's take a look at some of the major characters in "Sword Art Online II."
○Kirito
The main character, Kazuto Kirigaya (桐ヶ谷和人), is an ordinary boy born in 2008.
He lost his parents in an accident soon after birth and was adopted by his mother's sister and her husband in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
After understanding his own upbringing, he had difficulty socializing and sought a place in virtual space.
Then, at the age of 14, he was involved in a SAO incident known as the Death Game.
Kirito has lost many friends, but he is a heroic figure who faces various problems in the virtual world experience game.
○Asuna.
Asuna Yuki (Asuna Yuki) was also the main character in the external story.
At the age of 15, while enrolled in the third year of junior high school at the private Eterna Girls' Academy, she joined SAO on a whim and got caught up in a death game.
After successfully logging out, he becomes a lover with Kazuto Kirigaya, a.k.a. Kirito.
○Cinon
Shino Asada is the heroine of the Phantom Bullet Arc.
I am a high school girl living alone in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo and attending an advanced school.
He was involved in a robbery and was traumatized when he shot the perpetrator with a gun.
To overcome this, I started playing GGO at age 16.
One day, he meets Kirito, who has just logged in, and helps him by giving him a lecture on the game system.
He became the target of a death gun, which led him to save Kirito and win the Bullet of Bullets.
yui (monetary unit of China; measuring the yields of different types of fish)
A young girl who collapsed in the forest of the 22nd layer of SAO's Aincrad due to unexplained amnesia.
Its true identity is "Mental Health Counseling Program Prototype 1 (MHCP001), Code Name Yui," an artificial intelligence (AI) for counseling, which is in charge of mental health care for SAO players.
Immediately after the start of SAO, they were forbidden to contact the player, but they adore Kirito and Asuna, whom they protected, calling them Papa and Mama.
The player's negative emotions were monitored, but due to inconsistencies that prevented action to resolve them, the data was corrupted, resulting in memory loss.
It shows emotional expression and grows as an AI as the story progresses.
■What are the highlights of "Sword Art Online II"?
Like the first season, "Sword Art Online II" consists of two stories, each worth watching.
○Phantom Bullet, ed.
The story begins when Kirito is summoned by Kikuoka, a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and asked to investigate "Gun Gale Online.
Although the story is typical of TV anime in that if you get shot in the game, you die in real life as well, the highlight is that the worldview is different from that of SAO.
○○ Mothers Rosary, ed.
In the second half of the story, Kirito and Asuna buy a log cabin, which leads into the story of Yuki, a terrific player known as Zekken.
In the Mother's Rosary section, Asuna's previously unknown family environment and other details will be revealed.
○ Video footage of weapons, etc.
Unlike SAO, the highlight of the second season is that guns are the main focus of the fight in the online game.
The detailed descriptions and explanations of the firearms and the massive visual finish are outstanding.
○ Bonding, friendship, etc.
Sword Art Online also features indescribable scenes of friendship and romance through online, as well as the deaths of friends that occur through battles.
○Suspense and mystery elements
Kirito is in pursuit of an unidentified culprit, and there is also an element of mystery from the perspective of wandering around in the GGO.
■What order should I watch Sword Art Online?
The Sword Art Online series has been popular for a long time.
In 2014, an anime train wrapped with Sword Art Online anime characters also appeared and operated on the subway Karasuma Line at the Kyoto International Manga and Anime Fair 2014.
There are several such Sword Art Online series, and you may be wondering which one to watch first.
So here is a summary of the order in which you should look at the Sword Art Online series list.
1.1 Aincrad version
2. 1 term Fairy Dance version
3.Extra Edition
4. 2nd season Phantom Bullet ed.
5.2 Caliber version
6. Mother's Rosary, ed.
7. Ordinal Scale the Movie
8. 1 term Gun Gale Online
Alicization
10. Alicization War of Underworld
11. Aria of A Starless Night the Movie Part 1
12. Scherzo in the Dark of Dusk The Movie Part 2
13. Gun Gale Online 2nd season (Broadcast TBD)
■Kyoto appears in Sword Art Online II!
Asuna (Asuna Yuki) appears in Sword Art Online II.
Asuna's father is identified as the CEO of a general electronics company and her mother as a university professor.
Asuna's father's family is located in Kyoto, and several famous places in Kyoto appear in episodes 24 and other episodes of the anime.
Next, we will introduce some of the sacred sites of Sword Art Online II in Kyoto.
Sword Art Online II Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Kyoto 1. "Kyoto Station
Outline
Kyoto Station appeared in the final opening of Sword Art Online II.
Even those who were unfamiliar with the area found it easy to recognize the setting, as the scene featured the name of the station in large letters.
In the anime, the Karasuma Chuo Exit of Kyoto Station is featured.
This area seems to have been drawn from the location of Asuna's father's family home.
This is also the gateway to Kyoto when using the Shinkansen bullet train.
Learn more about "Kyoto Station".
Kyoto Station has 600,000 passengers a day.
Among the stations in JR West's service area, Osaka Station has the second largest number of passengers.
The design of Kyoto Station was selected through an international competition, and Hiroshi Hara's proposal was adopted.
Another point is that you can see Kyoto Tower as soon as you exit the ticket gate.
Many people may meet in front of the central exit ticket gate of Kyoto Station or transfer to an express bus.
Kyoto Station has the largest number of arriving and departing limited express trains in Japan, and tourists from many areas come to Kyoto.
Address
901 Higashishioji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone number
075-691-2560
How to access
Directly connected from JR "Kyoto Station
○Official homepage
https://www.kyoto-station-building.co.jp/
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Sword Art Online II Kyoto Holy Land Pilgrimage 1: "Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
Outline
Kiyomizu Temple appeared in the opening of the final episode of Sword Art Online II.
The place where Rina Hidaka (Silica) was excited was this Kiyomizu Temple.
Sword Art Online II showed the southeast of the main hall of Kiyomizu Temple.
The area is usually crowded with tourists.
○Detailed explanation of "Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which was featured in Sword Art Online, is famously known as the "Kiyomizu-no-butai" (stage of Kiyomizu).
This building was rebuilt in 1633 with a donation from Tokugawa Iemitsu.
It is now a national treasure.
The main hall is built in the traditional "kake-zukuri" style, with wood latticework supporting each other, and is built into the steep cliff on which Mount Otowa sits.
In this main hall, 234 people jumped off during the Edo period....
I am curious as to why he jumped off the stage, but there was a legend that if one jumped off this Kiyomizu stage and survived, his "wish would come true.
It caused several people to jump to fulfill their wishes, and not a few of them lost their lives.
The main hall of such Kiyomizu-dera temple is 18 meters high, and the stage is 13 meters high.
Address
1-294 Shimizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone number
075-551-1234
How to access
Approx. 10 minutes walk from Gojozaka bus stop on Kyoto Bus Route 18 bound for Ohara.
○Official homepage
https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/
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https://kyotreat.jp/post-1811/
Sword Art Online Ⅱ Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Kyoto 1. "Bamboo Grove Path".
Outline
The "bamboo grove path" appeared in the last episode of Sword Art Online II.
A bright bamboo grove was staged, but even in reality, the sunlight shines through, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
Bamboo Grove Lane is a sacred place not only for Sword Art Online II, but also for "Nisemonogatari," "After all, my adolescent romantic comedy is wrong." etc.
○Detailed description of "Bamboo grove path".
Bamboo grove path" is a typical sightseeing spot in Arashiyama.
This is a 400 meter path leading from Nomiya Shrine to Okochi Villa.
Tall bamboo groves grow thickly as natural forests, and the entire area is a fresh and beautiful sight.
It is said that this area was a vacation home for aristocrats during the Heian period.
Address
Sagan-Okurayama Tabuchiyama-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone number
075-343-0548
How to access
Approx. 10 minutes walk from Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Railway (Randen)
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https://kyotreat.jp/post-1809/
Sword Art Online II Kyoto Holy Land Pilgrimage 1: Entokuin Temple
Outline
Entokuin is located about 15 minutes walk from Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
This is another sacred place that appears in Sword Art Online II.
Although the specific location was not specified, it is believed that this is where the garden appeared because of the matching atmosphere and layout of the garden and the interior.
Entokuin is located across the street from Kodaiji Temple and was beautifully lit up when it appeared in the anime.
Therefore, if you visit during the light-up period around fall or spring, you will enjoy the same atmosphere as in the cartoon.
○Detailed explanation of "Entokuin".
Entokuin, a temple of the Kenninji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, is located in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City.
It was built in 1632 and is said to be the place where Kitamasasho Nene, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, spent the last days of her life after his death.
The precincts of the temple have a beautiful garden that was transferred from the front garden of the cosmetic palace at Fushimi Castle, and its stone arrangements and the waterfall masonry of Tsukuyama are highlights of the garden.
It is also famous for its red leaves around autumn.
The three-faced Daikokuten statue, which Toyotomi Hideyoshi used to worship as a Buddhist image, is enshrined here, and the sliding door paintings by Hasegawa Tohaku, an important cultural property, are in the guest halls.
Address
530 Shimogawara-cho, Kodaiji, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone number
075-525-0101
How to access
Approx. 20 minutes walk from Gion-Shijo Station of Keihan Railway
○Official homepage
https://www.kodaiji.com/entoku-in/
■ Summary
How was it?
In this issue, we have introduced the synopsis of "Sword Art Online II" and the sacred places in Kyoto.
Sword Art Online II will feature Kyoto in its final 24th and opening episode.
This probably appeared because Asuna's father's family lived in the Kyoto area.
The places where they appear are all famous tourist spots, such as Kyoto Station, Kiyomizu Temple, Bamboo Grove Lane, and Entokuin Temple.
When you make a pilgrimage to the sacred site, please be sure to see the Kiyomizu no Butai (stage of Kiyomizu) that appeared in the anime and Entokuin, where you can view the garden, from the same location.
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