SPOILERS The second half of the War of Underworld is slightly better than the first half, but suffers from feeling too repetitive in adding "layers" or variables to its fights. Especially nearing the end, we just start getting cameos that add no real value other than a time waster and "look its that character you know." While I did appreciate some aspects of adding layers to the battles, some of it felt extremely unnecessary like said cameos. And as this season has technically two different acts happening at the same time, the real world and Alicization, the real world plot feels interesting enough yet they do pull out bullshit sometimes, like with a certain robot. Nevertheless, both are typically engaging with realistic obstacles that effect both plots. What I also appreciated was them actually giving a backstory to one of the villains ahead of time, unlike season 2 where we get an explanation of who they are at the very end. Finally getting a fight between two characters where we understand who they really are, why they have the intentions and motivations at this point. And because of those I feel like the fights are definitely much more entertaining and meaningful than before. Everything that has improved since the start of Alicization stays very much at the same level. Animation, sound design, and music being the most notable ones. However the pacing does get a bit sloppy as mentioned before with its add-on fights. Another huge plus I have to give to this season is Kirito as a character. Finally do we see the build-up of everything he's gone through to really ask "would he be able to live with all this tragedy?" And so we see a kind of purgatory hell that he finds himself in, unable to forgive himself for all that he has caused or the lives he's taken. It's an interesting approach to giving the weight of his actions and mistakes front and center attention. However, this does not really elevate anything beforehand, because we don't really see it building up besides a failed attempt at exploring his PTSD in season 2. We know he's witnessed a lot of death in his life, some being his own fault but wasn't very well explored until now. But nevertheless, this segment was very well done and made Kirito engaging to watch. And of course, we have the rape scene. It's never going away is it? This one is arguably one of the worst, tentacles are back and the scene in question is boring, gross, and completely out of left field. It really goes to show that not only does the author (I'm assuming its in the manga) like rape scenes as a kink, but uses them for the sole purpose of saying "bad person bad" and that's about it. Gross stuff, and really goes to show that these are used as mere sick "fan service." I also feel the need to address the end of the season, the aftermath portion. Typically I appreciate when a story does this, giving more closure than simply ending it right after the final climax if the story has reason to. In Sword Art Online's case, I do think it is necessary to have but I won't act like its anything engaging or interesting. It makes Alice a real world person, somewhat like Yui but in full human form which is a bit unnerving. It also sets up a potential next season with the consequences of this season which I am a fan of. Actions and consequences from the past having effects on the future is always much more impactful than throwing in the towel and setting up something completely new. With all of that in turn, we have a pretty good season with worse things that stick out compared to the first half but have interesting and well executed ideas that have been building throughout both parts in a satisfying way.