Every Sword Art Online Season Ranked Worst To Best

7. Alfheim Online - Season 1, Part 2

It really could be nothing else. The second half of season one, otherwise known as the Fairy Dance Arc, is such a poor example of an anime reinventing itself that it's easy to see why many viewers thought they'd be done with the series.

The land of Alfheim did have some plus points, but the overwhelming majority of the season was made up of awkward choices and character destroying moments.

In this arc, Kirito - freshly escaped from SAO - ventures to a new VR game called Alfheim online to save Asuna who's still trapped in the Nerve Gear. Alongside this is a narrative with his cousin Sughua as she plays the game with Kasuto and battles her feelings for him.

The pseudo-incestuous angle between Kirito and Sughua is uncomfortable and continues the trend of female characters falling in love with Kirito. It does have some great emotional moments but felt like a baffling romantic choice.

However, the worst aspect of the arc has to be the treatment of Asuna. She went from being a badass second in command and dual protagonist to a damsel in distress who's quite literally trapped in a birdcage. It was disappointing character assassination, and the new VR world didn't distract from it.