Episode 17

## Video

This is the sixth episode of the Fairy Dance Arc, and the seventeenth episode of Sword Art Online Abridged overall.

## Plot

After much flying, Kirito and Leafa arrive in Arun, home of the World Tree and ALfheim Online's largest freestanding Pinwheel. Kirito comments on how beautiful the view is, but realizes how incredibly hopeless the situation is upon seeing the full scale of the tree. Leafa tells Kirito to cheer up, as they just had a long day of diplomacy and light treason, before advising him to relax and enjoy the moment. Kirito takes this advice, but Yui's still distressed, reminding the two that the wedding they're trying to prevent is two days away and they still don't the manpower to stop it. Leafa tells Yui to calm down, stating that, while they don't have an army yet, they're in the largest city in the game. She then suggests that they should look for the strongest and most bribable players they can find and recruit them to their side.

However, as she says this, the system announces that the server will be shutting down for the next eleven hours to apply the game's "Say No to Drugs" update, causing Leafa to reschedule their recruitment process to the next day. With no alternative, Yui states that she will guide the duo to the nearest inn. She then warns Leafa that, if they suffer any more delays due to her tomfoolery, there shall be a reckoning. Leafa pays no attention to this threat, however, as she's just realized that Yui sounds like "a teeny tiny prospector" whenever she gets mad, which infuriates Yui even more. Kirito states that having their plans delayed is probably for the best, as they're all pretty exhausted and need be at their freshest to take on the World Tree. He then states that they might need to give the city some time to "air itself out", as all the drug addicted citizens of Arun are rioting in response to the update, destroying the largest pinwheel in the process.

The next day, back in the real world, Kazuto is washing his face in the outside sink when he's confronted by a very sleepy Suguha. After exchanging very bitter greetings, Kazuto tells Suguha that, once he's finished washing up, he's going to visit the hospital again to check on Asuna. Hearing this, Suguha remembers her conversation with Yui about taking the first step to repair their relationship. She reluctantly admits to herself that Yui might be right, only to be caught off guard when she hears Yui in her head reinforcing her statement. Trying to take the initiative, Suguha offers to tag along, stating that she wants to meet her "sister-in-law". This makes Kazuto wary, however, wondering why she's trying to be so nice all of a sudden. Suguha tries to convince him that she's just trying to support him as his sister, prompting Kazuto to sarcastically claim that he thought she was a feral possum this entire time. Trying to have the moral high ground, Suguha to turn her back to Kazuto, chastising him for being an asshole. However, this gives Kazuto the opportunity to pour cold water down her back as a prank, causing Suguha to scream loudly. Kazuto's delighted to finally get one over on Suguha, only to have her hit with a rock as payback.

Meanwhile, back in ALO, Asuna discovers where Sugou's been keeping all the captured SAO players, whose consciousness are being stored within numerous brain terminals. Asuna coldly criticises how inefficient it is to have a terminal for each brain, stating that Sugou should just cram all of the players into one terminal to save space, ignoring the fact that each captive player is suffering from various negative emotions. Suddenly, two brain technicians, named Shoji and Kyle, enter the room to check on a terminal glitch, forcing Asuna to hide. Shoji asks Kyle why their avatars are slug-like creatures while everyone else is a beautiful, majestic fairy. Kyle tells him that it's probably payback from the character modeler, Trisha, because Shoji keeps stealing her yogurt. Shoji tries to defend himself, stating that Trisha doesn't label her yogurt, only for Kyle to point out that Shoji never brings yogurt to work.

Back in the real world, Kazuto and Suguha board the bus to the hospital, with Kazuto commenting that Suguha's taking her joke a little far. Suguha tells him she's not joking, and that she really does want to meet his "wife", but Kazuto still isn't convinced, particularly because she keeps hesitating before saying the word "wife". Changing the subject, Suguha asks Kazuto how he and Asuna met. This confuses Kazuto, as they obviously met in the death game. Annoyed by Kazuto's ignorance, Suguha clarifies that she meant how the two fell in love. Kazuto then tells Suguha about the time he and Asuna worked together to solve a murder mystery, but Suguha doesn't believe him, stating that Kazuto described the plot of the Lake House.

Meanwhile, as she sneaks around the experiment room, Asuna notices an Admin Console, which she recognises from her adventure with Yui. She wonders if she can make it to the console, only to see that Shoji and Kyle are still arguing. Kyle blames his appearance on Shoji for dragging him into his conflict with Trisha, which Shoji takes offense to, thinking that Kyle should have his back. Kyle then points out that Trisha has special dietary needs, and that her yogurt is medicated, only for Shoji to admit that the medication is the best part, as it brings out the raspberry flavor. Taking advantage of their argument, Asuna runs over to the Admin Console, praying that she'll be able to use the menu, which she remarkably succeeds at. As she searches for the log out button, Asuna finds something "interesting" that catches her eye, which gives her an idea. Meanwhile, Shoji and Kyle continue to argue about Trisha, with Kyle telling Shoji that it seems like he's always looking for reasons to antagonize her. Shoji tries to defend himself, complaining that Trisha's always "on a high horse", but Kyle reminds him that she's in a wheelchair. After "messing around", Asuna finally finds the log out button, but accidentally presses the help desk button above it instead. As she tries to back out, Asuna suddenly finds herself on a call with Sean, ALO's tech support representative. Pretending to be an employee, Asuna tries to take advantage of this and awkwardly asks how she can log out the test subjects, although she nearly calls them hostages in the process. Luckily, Sean isn't suspicious of this request, and asks Sugou if he can log the test subjects out, prompting Sugou to fire him. Annoyed by this turn of events, Sean puts Asuna on hold. Unfortunately for Asuna, Shoji and Kyle hear her talking to Sean, and sneak up behind him.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the siblings arrive at the hospital, where Kazuto warns Suguha that security will arrive in fifteen seconds if she tries anything. Suguha asks him what he thinks she'll do, to which Kazuto responds that he doesn't know, and that's what scares him. Annoyed, Suguha tells Kazuto to enter the room, which he begrudgingly does. Once inside, Kazuto introduces the still unconscious Asuna to his sister, who yells her introduction at Asuna. Kazuto chastises Suguha for her lack of respect to a coma patient, prompting her to try a more friendly introduction. Unfortunately, Asuna wasn't aware of this, as she was being held in the air by Shoji back in the game. Asuna angrily shouts at the slugs, threatening to write her "FUDGING MEMOIRS IN [their] MOTHER'S BLOOD!". Shoji is terrified of this, due to his prior experience with Asuna, and asks Kyle what they should do, as his grip of a barking Asuna is slipping. Kyle then decides to log out and go get Sugou, as he'll know how to handle Asuna. This terrifies Shoji even more and begs Kyle not to leave him alone with the woman who has already brutalized him. Unfortunately, with no other option, Kyle logs out, reassuring Shoji that he can handle this. With the two left alone, Asuna says hi to the terrified Shoji.

Back at the hospital, Suguha comments on how gentle Asuna looks, comparing her to an angel. Kazuto chuckles at this remark, stating that, if Asuna was an angel, she'd probably be Lucifer. Feeling awkward with the atmosphere, Suguha decides to refill the flower vase at Asuna's bedside. As she does, Suguha questions what Kazuto gets out of visiting Asuna, asking if he expects Asuna to be grateful that he didn't abandon her. She then tries to make witty comment about how Asuna wouldn't be much fun at parties in her current state, but stops herself when she sees Kazuto sadly holding Asuna's hand. Seeing how much Kazuto cares for Asuna, Suguha apologizes for her comment and starts to realize that she might be the problem.

Back in the experiment room, Asuna starts toying with Shoji, stating that his eyes are growing back nice after the last time she stabbed them out. Shoji tries to stay strong against Asuna, repeating the words of wisdom his therapist gave him. He then reminds Asuna that she can't really harm him, since they're in a video game, and tells her to do her worst. Asuna commends Shoji on his mental health journey, but she manages to get under his skin by bringing up his dog, Biscuit. Horrified, Shoji asks Asuna how she knows about his dog, but Asuna dismisses the question, threatening to "eat that Biscuit" if he doesn't let her go. Fearing for his dog's life, Shoji complies and starts putting Asuna down. However, he's interrupted when Kyle logs back in, having failed to get Sugou. Horrified that Shoji's releasing Asuna, Kyle reminds him that she'll kill them all if she's set free. Trying to hide his weakness, with Asuna glaring at him, Shoji claims that he was molesting Asuna, preferring to be branded as a sex offender than having his dog harmed. Kyle is disgusted by this claim, telling Shoji that he'll report this to the higher ups, which Shoji states is fair. As the slugs are distracted, Asuna manages to steal a key card that was sticking out of the Admin Console. She's then dragged her back to her cage, with Kyle telling Shoji that he's uninvited to his son's christening.

With the maintenance finished, Leafa logs back into ALO and takes a moment to reflect on how her brother really cares about Asuna. Just then, Kirito logs in and asks Leafa how she is. Hearing this question, Leafa bursts into tears, stating that she doesn't know how she's feeling, much to Kirito's awkwardness, as now he has yet another crying woman in his life. Trying to keep things vague, Leafa explains that she knows a guy and thought he was the problem, but she's realized that he might be nice, which means she might be the problem, something Leafa doesn't want to be. Unsure what to say, Kirito sits down and tells Leafa that he doesn't have time for this, a statement that confuses Leafa. Kirito explains that this is making him uncomfortable, since they're basically strangers, and gently tells her to bottle up her emotions until he's rescued his wife and at a safe distance. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, and Leafa starts crying even harder, calling Kirito the worst brother ever, but luckily, she's too incomprehensible for Kirito to understand. Seeing how upset Leafa is, Kirito apologizes and decides to be her shoulder to cry on, telling Leafa to take all the time she needs. Eventually, Leafa regains her composure and apologizes her outburst, telling Kirito that they better keep moving. Kirito tries to make sure that Leafa's actually alright, but Yui yells at them continue their quest.

As the pair are walking though Arun, Kirito notices that things have really been cleaned up after the update, commenting how nice it is to see the streets full of different races are getting along. Despite this, however, he then states that he still feels on edge for some reason. Leafa agrees with this, stating that she's always been creeped out by the city, before criticising a Gnome and Cait Sith couple for "living in sin". Kirito assumes that Leafa's roleplaying again, sarcastically commenting that he missed her character, much to her confusion. As they're walking through the city, Yui detects that Sugou has updated his Facebook status, moving up the wedding to that night. Kirito is horrified by the revelation, while Leafa's more shocked that Sugou still uses Facebook. Meanwhile, Sugou's on the phone with the baker responsible for the wedding cake, yelling at him about moving up his complicated cake idea, to the point that the baker starts crying. Back in the game, Yui launches another scan, which tells her that Asuna's right above them, and Kirito flies towards the branches. Leafa chases after them, trying to warn them about something, but she's too late and Kirito hits an invisible wall.

At the top of the World Tree, Sugou calls Asuna to tell her that he's at their wedding venue, causing her to groan in frustration. As he comments on how breath-taking the decorations are, he accidentally calls the event "[his] big day". Although he initially tries to correct himself, he decides to stick with his statement, as he's "earned this". Just then, Asuna hears Kirito thudding on the invisible wall below, calling her name, and bolts out of her chair. Sugou hears the sound too and asks if he should come over. Worried that Sugou will try to stop Kirito, Asuna tells him not to come, claiming that the noise was her accidentally banging her head on the table, repeatedly. She then tells Sugou that she's excited for the wedding, claiming that she's looking at pictures of her red and black wedding dress, calling it a bold choice. Sugou is disgusted by this claim and decides to fix this mistake at once, kissing Asuna goodbye. Once Sugou hangs up, Asuna asks if Kirito's there, before berating him for constantly hitting the invisible wall.

Despite being unsuccessful, Kirito continues to attack the wall, much to Leafa's confusion. Kirito explains he's trying to see if hitting the wall at the right angle will glitch him through, stating that if it's good enough for Mario Kart, it's good enough for him. Leafa asks Yui why she's not stopping him, to which Yui explains that Kirito's logic is sound enough. Leafa then points out that continuing to hit the wall will only end up hurting Kirito, but Yui says she's willing to risk that in order to save Asuna, before recommending where Kirito should hit next. As he tries one last punch, Kirito sees the card Asuna stole falling from the sky and catches it, discovering that it has "USE THE DOOR, IDIOT! ♡" scratched on it. Kirito realizes this is a message from Asuna, reassuring him and Yui that she's okay. Yui then scans the card and realizes that it's a system admin access code, which they can use to log out Asuna. Kirito says they better do this at once, to which Leafa reminds him of their plan to recruit other players. Kirito states that they don't have time, however, pointing out that the admins might change the code once they realize the card is missing. He then states that they'll just have to rush in and hope for the best, which Leafa says is a terrible plan and that he's being an idiot. Kirito admits that she's probably right, but flies down to the entrance anyway, declaring that "fools rush in". Leafa thinks this is a reference to the movie of the same name and declares that it was a terrible one.

As Kirito crash lands in the streets and makes his way towards the tree, Yui tells him that Leafa's no longer following them. Kirito doesn't respond to this, however, as he's purely focused on his mission. As Kirito arrives at the gates to the final Dungeon, he's blocked by two knight statues. The statues tell him that only those with a noble heart and a keen mind may enter the tree, and that he needs to proclaim his glory to get past them. However, Kirito learns almost immediately that this means accepting the game's prompt when it pops up, which he does. Satisfied that he has accepted the quest, the statues let Kirito in. Kirito then psyches himself up for the battle to come and enters the Dungeon.

Once inside, Kirito is annoyed to find that the Dungeon's just a giant empty tube. He then voices his frustration at this revelation and starts flying his way to the top. However, as he makes his way up, he is confronted by an army of Guardian Knights, who are all rip offs of the B1 Battle Droids from Star Wars, much to Kirito's annoyance. As he engages the Guardian Knights, Kirito complains about how overly advertised the final Dungeon seems to be, sarcastically stating that he wishes he recruited an army of "offensive racial stereotypes", before commenting that doing so would probably be "a little too appropriate" giving the annoying players of ALO. Eventually, Kirito gets tired of fighting the Guardian Knights and heads straight for the doors at the end of the Dungeon. However, he soon finds himself outnumbered by a squadron of archers, who begin shooting him. Kirito refuses to back down, however, and continues to head to the door, but is almost immediately impaled by five swords. Kirito states that this isn't enough to stop him, but he soon runs out of health and dies, leaving him floating in the air as a Remain Light.

While waiting to respawn, Kirito laments on his failures, stating that he would've been able to beat the quest before, and how things were better back in SAO. However, as he says this, he realizes what he saying and is repulsed that he misses being in the death game. He then starts mocking his hero complex and tells himself that he's not invincible, he's just a kid who's good at video games, which was useful exactly once. He then tells himself that there was only one place where he had the ability to make anyone like him and it's gone now, along with the people who liked him. Dejected, Kirito begins wondering what he has left now, with Asuna slipping away and Tiffany focusing on his family. He then realizes that he only has Suguha left. He initially dismisses this possibility but soon acknowledges how kind she's been recently. This reminds him of how they used to have each other's back when they were little, and doubts that they could be like that ever again. Suddenly, Leafa flies into the Dungeon to save him. She manages to retrieve Kirito's Remain Light, chastising him for not listening to her in the process, but is eventually shot and beaten to the ground by the Guardian Knights. She then staggers to her feet, avoiding a hail of swords and arrows, and manages to escape the Dungeon.

Now safely outside, Leafa revives Kirito with a Healing Potion and berates him for trying to do everything on his own. However, much to her surprise, Kirito thanks Leafa for saving him, admitting that he rushed in too quickly and that he's going to need help with this. Relived that Kirito seems to have learned his lesson, Leafa suggests that they head back into town to recruit some players. However, Kirito gets back up and starts heading back to the Dungeon. Leafa asks him where he's going, to which Kirito states that, while he did die, he almost made it to the door. He then states that, if Leafa backs him up, he believes that they'll be able to beat the quest. While briefly touched by this, Leafa tries to convince Kirito that it still won't be enough, as the Dungeon keeps spawning more Guardian Knights no matter how many you defeat. Kirito dismisses this, however, stating that they better get to the door quickly then. Hearing this, Leafa runs over to Kirito and hugs him, telling him to just stop, as he'll keep getting hurt for no reason if he continues. Kirito states that he has every reason, however, as Asuna's in trouble and needs his help. Hurt by how far Kirito's willing to go for Asuna, Leafa asks him why he couldn't fight for her this hard, accidentally calling him Kazuto in the process. As Leafa backs away in horror, realizing what she's done, a confused Kirito realizes that Leafa is his sister. Knowing that she's been caught, Leafa panics and logs out, leaving a very confused Kirito behind.

Back in the real world, Suguha wakes up crying, only to hear Kazuto knocking on her door, asking if she's in her room. She tells him to go away, but he doesn't listen, stating that he has some question for her. Kazuto asks Suguha if she knew who he was the whole time and when she started playing video games, since she always called them "stupid nerd shit". He then wonders if Suguha bought an AmuSphere, and became Leafa, just fuck with him. Assuming this is the case, Kazuto points out that Suguha went to the hospital with him, so she can't still think that Asuna's not real. He then asks if all of this was an elaborate prank, or if Suguha was so cruel that she can never let Kazuto be happy, asking if she hated him that much. Angered by his remarks, Suguha opens the door and tells Kazuto that she can't hate him, because she doesn't even know him anymore, not since he left her behind. She then laments that they used to be best friends, and that she wanted to be just like him, which is why when their grandfather wanted to teach him kendo, she wanted to learn too. This comment confuses Kazuto, to which Suguha reveals that their grandfather never wanted to train her, he was only interested in his grandson. This means, when Kazuto changed his interest to computers, she had to "man up" for her brother. Despite their grandfather doing everything he could to get her to quit, Suguha persevered, hoping that Kazuto would come back. She explains that all the times she was showing off was actually her trying to make kendo seem fun, so Kazuto would change his mind, but he continued to shut her out in favor of his games.

Kazuto tries to defend himself, reminding her that it was their mother who wanted him to learn coding, but Suguha calls bullshit on this claim, pointing out that Kazuto didn't even try to fight their mother on the subject. She then tells Kazuto that all she's seen during their adventure is how hard he fights for the things he cares for, asking if she was just not worth the effort. Suguha then questions if their bond as siblings was only in her head, before chastising Kazuto for accusing her of hating him when he clearly never gave a shit about her. Expecting to hear another rebuttal, Suguha is surprised when Kazuto looks away ashamed, admitting that he had no idea what his sister was going through. With nothing else to say, Suguha tells Kazuto to leave her alone, stating that he's had enough practice, before shutting the door in his face.

## Cast

* **LennonDrake:** Suguha Kirigaya/Leafa
* **YamatoSFX:** Kazuto Kirigaya/xVx\_K1r1t0\_xVx\_KillMe
* **redasatomato:** Yui
* **Coffinjockey**: Sean, ALfheim Announcer, Additional Voices
* **Mezmoreeyez:** Pinwheel Guy, Statue 1
* **xbubblemunkyx:** Asuna, Additional Voices
* **MyToasterIsMoist:** Kyle
* **Grimmjack69:** Shoji Yanai
* **KaiserNeko:** Nobuyuki Sugou
* **eagle8burger:** Statue 2, Additional Voices
* **Hayabusa449:** Additional Voices

## Music

* **Greek Fire:** "A Real Life"
* **Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack vol.1:** "Swordland", "Quiet Strain", "A Strategy Meeting", "We Have To Defeat It", "Confront Battle", "With My Friend"
* **Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack vol.2:** "Sorrowfully", "Victory", "In Time of Peace", "Past Sadness", "Town in the Morning", "I Wonder", "Oberon", "Got to Win", "Aerial Fight"
* **Angels with Scaly Wings Soundtrack:** "Threat"
* **Buso Renkin Original Soundtrack:** "Renkinjutsushi", "Giwaku", "Kindan no Kenkyuu"
* **Epidemic Sound:** "Canon In D Major (String Quartet Version)"
* **Mushoku Tensei Original Soundtrack 1:** "Rudy's Error", "Days of the Greyrat Family"

## Differences from the Original

The following is a list of differences *only* from this episode. To view any differences for the characters, view their pages, or if you want to see more click here.

* Leafa looking upon Alne in awe is skipped.
* Alne doesn't have a massive pinwheel.
* In the original, Yui takes the time to admire the view along with Kirito and Leafa. In the abridged version, she reminds them how urgent their deadline is.
* Leafa doesn't come up with a plan to recruit the citizens of Alne.
* It's never stated that ALO had a rampant drug problem.
* The update that shuts down the server isn't an anti-drug one.
	+ The players don't riot upon hearing the announcement.
	+ The announcement is now only said once rather than twice.
* In the original, Leafa asks Yui to guide them to an inn for the night. In the abridged version, Yui does it independently.
* Kazuto asking Suguha what time she went to bed is skipped.
* Suguha doesn't hallucinate Yui listening to her thoughts.
* In the original, Suguha turned around because Kazuto asked her to. In the abridged version, she turned around because she was annoyed with annoyed with Kazuto's snarky comments.
	+ Suguha doesn't throw a rock at Kazuto for splashing her with water, she asks him to buy her a parfait.
* Asuna sneaking around and discovering the laboratory's map is skipped.
* In the original, Suguha asked to tag along with Kazuto's trip to the hospital when they were making breakfast together. In the abridged version, she asked to join him when they were outside.
	+ Kazuto doesn't find Suguha asking to tag along suspicious.
* In the original, Asuna is horrified by the brain terminals. In the abridged version, she comments how inefficient is to store each brain in their own separate terminal.
	+ Asuna reassuring the brain is skipped.
* In the original, the brain technicians enter the room because it time to examine the brains. In the abridged version, they enter because one of the terminals was experiencing a glitch.
* It's never stated that the reason why the brain technicians were slug-like creatures was because one of them had a rivalry with the game's character modeller.
	+ The brain technicians talking about the brain's test results is skipped.
* In the original, Suguha asks Kazuto about his academic career. In the abridged version, she asks how Kazuto and Asuna fell in love.
	+ Kazuto telling Suguha about the SAO Survivor School, followed by Suguha offering to be his tutor, is replaced with Kazuto telling her about the murder mystery.
* Asuna doesn't accidentally call technical support while trying to log out.
* Kazuto and Suguha commenting on the hospital is skipped.
* Kazuto and Suguha's ride in the elevator is skipped.
* Suguha commenting on Asuna using her real name in SAO is skipped.
* Kazuto introducing Asuna to Suguha is skipped.
* Suguha doesn't initially yell her introduction to Asuna.
* In the original, the brain technicians initially don't recognize Asuna, so she tries to convince them that she's a friend of Sugou's. In the abridged version, they are very aware of who she is, and she threatens to kill their mothers when she escapes.
* Asuna trying to log out with her foot is skipped.
* The brain technicians telling Asuna about their experiments is skipped.
* In the original, it was the brain technician who caught Asuna's idea to ask Sugou about Asuna. In the abridged version, it was the one who had his tentacles free.
* The brain technician's offer to do electro drugs with Asuna is skipped.
* In the original, the brain technician did molest Asuna, only stopping because she bit him and then tried to hide what he did when the other technician returned. In the abridged version, Asuna threatens him into nearly letting her go and he lies about molesting her to cover up his weakness.
	+ The other brain technician doesn't state he's going to report his colleague for his misconduct.
* Suguha doesn't ask Kazuto why he keeps visiting Asuna.
* Asuna getting put back in her cage is skipped.
* Leafa no longer tries to stop herself from crying.
	+ Kirito doesn't initially tell Leafa to bottle her emotions up.
* Leafa thanking Kirito for his pep talk is skipped.
* Leafa asking Yui about her sleeping is skipped.
* Leafa doesn't chastise the Gnome and Cait Sith couple for "living in sin".
* Kirito and Leafa admiring the World Tree is skipped.
	+ Leafa telling Kirito about the World Tree's restrictions is skipped.
* Leafa wondering if Asuna is that important to Kirito is skipped.
* Leafa trying to stop Kirito from hitting the invisible wall again is skipped.
	+ Yui trying to get passed the invisible wall is skipped.
* Sugou doesn't have the ability to call Asuna from the real world.
* In the original, Asuna got out of her chair because she heard Yui calling her via the game's warning mode. In the abridged version, she got up because she heard Kirito banging on the invisible wall.
* Asuna thinking of dropping the Admin Card is skipped.
* Leafa doesn't ask Kirito why he keeps banging on the invisible wall.
	+ Yui doesn't encourage Kirito to keep hitting the invisible wall.
* Asuna doesn't scratch a message onto the Admin Card.
* Kirito trying to access the Admin Card's menu is skipped.
* Kirito asking Leafa where the World Tree's gate is located is skipped.
* Kirito putting the Admin Card in his pocket is skipped.
* Kirito thanking Leafa and telling her he'll be going on alone is skipped.
* The Pooka girl isn't played by a guy.
	+ It's never stated that the Pooka was allergic to latex.
* The Gnome and Pooka couple wondering if Kirito falling from the sky is an event is skipped.
* Kirito asking Yui for directions to the World Tree's gate is skipped.
* Yui asking Kirito if raiding the World Tree alone is a good idea is skipped.
* Kirito telling Yui to stay in his pocket is skipped.
* Kirito doesn't complain about how easy the final Dungeon seems to be.
* Kirito's flashback to his time with Asuna is skipped.
* Kirito getting excited by the fight is skipped.
* ALO's game over screen isn't like the one from Dark Souls series.
* In the original, Kirito chastises himself for thinking that ALO would be easier than SAO just because he couldn't die. In the abridged version, he chastises himself for feeling nostalgic about SAO and for using video games as escapism.
	+ Kirito doesn't wonder what the world has left for him now that he's losing Asuna before realizing he still has Suguha.
* Leafa doesn't chastise Kirito for not listening to her.
* In the original, Kirito tells Leafa to get away. In the abridged version, he voices his relief that she came to rescue him.
* In the original, Kirito tells Leafa not to follow him into the World Tree again before telling her he's going back in alone. In the abridged version, he admits that he was wrong to try fighting alone before saying he wants to try fighting with Leafa at his side.
* Kazuto is no longer startled by Suguha telling him to go away.
* In the original, Kazuto asks Suguha if she's mad that he's been using the NerveGear again. In the abridged version, he asks when Suguha started playing video games.

## Errors

* When we see a close up of a brain getting experimented on, half of the two images we see are merged together for a single frame.
* The footage of Asuna's bedside is reused, which means there is an inconsistency with what type of flowers are in her hospital room.
* When Kirito tells Leafa he is uncomfortable with her crying his mouth is missing.

## Trivia

* This episode originally aired on March 29, 2023, as part of SAO Abridged's 10 Year Anniversary stream on Twitch.
* Originally, Yui was going to inform Kirito that Sugou sent him an email update for his invitation to the wedding, followed by Leafa calling Sugou a maniac for inviting Kazuto to it. This was changed because Something Witty Entertainment realized deep into production that this contradicted the fact that Sugou told Kazuto not to come to the wedding. This change set the production of the episode back a considerable bit.
* Originally, the thing that would've granted players access to the World Tree was going to be the "What has four legs in the morning" riddle. This would've had two punch lines, Kirito cutting the statues off and Leafa repeatedly screaming the wrong answer before accidentally answering it correctly. The joke was changed because they couldn't find any footage for the second joke.

## References

1. ↑ Invite fumble 1
2. ↑ Invite fumble 2
3. ↑ Riddle joke