Sword Art Online Alicization Episode 06

Project Alicization (アリシゼーション計画) is the sixth episode of the Sword Art Online Alicization anime adaptation. It aired on November 10, 2018.

Plot
Having arrived at the Ocean Turtle and discarded her disguise, Yuuki Asuna shrilly demanded the information about Kazuto Kirigaya from Kikuoka Seijirou. The man, in a calm tone, responded that due to Kazuto sustaining a serious damage to his brain, he had to be put in the Soul Translator (STL), which would help to regenerate the boy’s crippled Fluctlight. As Asuna accepted the explanation for now, Koujiro Rinko requested to learn everything about the secret project that was being conducted there. After making sure that both women were aware of STL technology, Seijorou revealed that his true purpose was to create Bottom-Up Artificial Intelligence (Bottom-Up AI) which, contrary to Top-Down AI, would be able to respond appropriately to any situation despite not being learnt beforehand.

In order to achieve that, they had used STL technology to scan and copy humans’ Fluctlight; however, there was still a significant difference between a copied Fluctlught and a real life’s intelligence. Following that, Seijirou asked Higa Takeru to hold a conversation with his own copy, which, after learning about not being an original, lost its stability and collapsed. After the demonstration, Seijirou and Takeru revealed that to overcome the obstacle, they had copied sixteen Fluctlights of newborn infants and had placed them in a VRMMO world created with the Seed. Having them raised by RATH’s employees, the artificial Fluctlights, after 480 years, were able to create a middle age-like society with the population of about 80 000 citizens.

However, despite being Bottom-Up AIs, there was still one barrier that prevented them from becoming equal to real life human beings. It turned out that artificial Fluctlights, absolutely obeying their own internally created law of the Taboo Index, were not able to conduct any hostile action towards each other. Hearing that made Asuna realize that the real reason behind research on the Ocean Turtle was to create an AIs capable of murder, to which Seijirou admitted. As he recalled how the innovation of NerveGear and Sword Art Online Incident made him cognizant of the potential of VRMMO games, Asuna told him that Kazuto would never agree to support this project due to aritificial Fluctlights having the same right as humans.

After remarking that a life of one solider is more important to him that life of 100 000 AIs, Seijirou, asked by Rinko, revealed that Kazuto’s participation was essential due to his experience with VRMMO worlds. Soon after the conversation, Asuna logged into ALfheim Online (ALO) to share with her friends all the information she had learnt on the Ocean Turtle. It turned out that Kazuto had spent 10 years, with no memories from the real world, in Underworld, where he had befriended with two artificial Fluctlights, a boy and a girl. At some point the girl, called Alice, had broken the absolute law of the Taboo Index, which resulted in her being corrected by the Axiom Church. Since she had the potential to become first real Bottom-Up AI, RATHs’ aim was to have her located and transported to the real world.

Having recalled Seijirou’s remark, how the girl’s name coincided with the acronym A.L.I.C.E (Artificial Labile Intelligent Cybernated Existence, or a highly adaptive artificial intelligence), Asuna bid farewell to her friends as she would be now allowed to see Kazuto. Looking at her boyfriend being connected to STL together with Rinko, she was approached by Aki Natsuki. The nurse revealed she had been working for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and was assigned by Kikuoka Seijirou to oversee Kazuto's medical condition. Seeing the sorrow on Asuna’s face, Natsuki cheered her by confirm that Kazuto’s treatment was going well.

Following that, Rinko invited Asuna to her room to reveal her connection with Kayaba Akihiko. Having met at the Shigemura Tetsuhiro Lab, the two had started a relationship. The woman confessed that she had taken care of Kayaba’s body during entire SAO Incident and apologized to Asuna for not doing anything to prevent it, despite having such an opportunity. Watching Rinko crying in front on her, Asuna comforted the woman by saying that even though the death game had been a horrible experience for many, it also had brought the happiest days in her life. Later, after having a strange dream of being visited by Akihiko, Rinko awoke suddenly and, confused, looked outside her room.

Locations

 * Ocean Turtle
 * ALfheim Online
 * Toto Institute of Technology in Japan - Shigemura Lab (flashback)

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted from Volume 10, Chapter 2, Parts 2-3


 * In the Light Novel, Yui was the one who explained the concept of «Top-Down AI» and «Bottom-Up AI» during Asuna's, Leafa's and Sinon's meeting in ALfheim Online.
 * Because of this, Asuna already understood the basic concept when Seijirou brought it up.
 * Details on how the Rath staff who raised the original eight Artificial Fluctlights exited the Underworld were omitted.
 * Details regarding mankind's present disposition towards war and the current political climate, to explain why AI's designed for military purposes have become increasingly necessary, were omitted.
 * Details on how the memory blocking procedure works were omitted.
 * Details regarding Kirito's second childhood in the Underworld were omitted.
 * Details regarding possible side-effects from Kirito spending years in the Underworld were omitted.
 * The scene where Asuna explains the situation to Leafa, Sinon, Lisbeth and Silica in Alfheim Online was anime original content.
 * In the Light Novel, when Rinko confronted Kayaba following the outbreak of the SAO Incident, she was carrying a gun rather than of the knife.
 * The scene of Kayaba's and Rinko's first meeting and growing relationship was anime original content.
 * The scene where Rinko sees Kayaba in a dream was anime original content.