Sword Art Online Alicization Episode 04

Departure (旅立ち) is the fourth episode of the Sword Art Online Alicization anime adaptation. It aired on October 27, 2018.

Plot
Having encountered a group of goblins at the Mountain Range at the Edge in their search for Selka on the 21st Day of the 3rd Month, Eugeo had become frozen in terror. As the monsters continued approaching them, Kirito helped Eugeo suppress his dread, before sharing his plan with the boy. The two would charge at the nearest goblins and douse the goblins' fire to earn an opportunity to retrieve a weapon from their stockpile. Ordering Eugeo to occupy the smaller goblins while he himself dealt with their leader, Kirito began executing their plan, successfully retrieving a sword for himself and one for Eugeo. As his partner distracted some of the goblins, Kirito charged through the remaining ones to meet with their leader, Ugachi the Lizard Killer in battle. During their battle, Kirito eventually activated a three-hit Sword Skill named «Sharp Nail», severing one of Ugachi's arms in the process.

However, prematurely celebrating his victory, Kirito momentarily lost his vigilance, allowing Ugachi to retaliate with a slash at the boy's own arm. Having collapsed and now suffering immense pain from the slash, Kirito somehow managed to rise to his feet and launch a second attack with a Sword Skill, before being kicked back to the ground by the goblin. Just as the boy was about to receive the finishing blow in his state of terror, Eugeo conquered his fear and rushed to his friend's aid, suffering a lethal injury during the clash. As blood spilled from his wounds, the boy recalled his suppressed childhood memories with Kirito, triggering the latter's own suppressed memories of his time with Eugeo and Alice during his first FullDive.

As Eugeo lost consciousness, the anguish from Kirito's memories overshadowed his physical pain, filling him with renewed vigour. Using this newfound energy, Kirito assaulted Ugachi, eventually severing the goblin's head with another Sword Skill, named «Sonic Leap». Once the other goblins began fleeing at the sight of their leader's severed head, Kirito quickly untied Selka and brought her to Eugeo to help seal the boy's wounds. As regular Sacred Arts could no longer help with the wounds, Selka requested Kirito's help with a higher-level art. Using the art, the girl began transferring Kirito's and her own Durability to the boy, causing the wound to begin sealing. Just before losing consciousness due to losing a large amount of his Durability, Kirito was visited by a phantom of Alice, telling the boy that she would be waiting for him and Eugeo at the top of the Central Cathedral in Centoria.

Several days later, the now recovered Eugeo returned to working at the Gigas Cedar with Kirito. When the latter's turn at cutting the tree came, the swordsman decided to use the Blue Rose Sword instead of the Dragon Bone Axe, as he had become able to wield the once-heavy sword properly due to increasing his Object Control Authority through the battle against the goblins. With a single strike of the sword with the «Horizontal» Sword Skill, Kirito was able to deal significant damage to the tree, shocking Eugeo in the process. Having also become able to wield the sword due to the goblin battle, the boy requested Kirito to teach him his swordsmanship to fulfil his long-held desire of rescuing Alice.

The two boys spent the following days practicing with the sword, either against a fictional opponent or against the Gigas Cedar. Eventually, while practicing the use of Sword Skills, Eugeo finally felled the tree, resulting in a celebration in the village later that evening. During the celebration, Eugeo was given the right to choose his new Sacred Task by the village chief, Gasupht Zuberg. Having asserted his desire to become a swordsman and received permission to travel to Zakkaria to achieve his goal from the village chief, Eugeo approached Selka the following morning, vowing to safely return to the village with Alice. Some time later, Eugeo and Kirito departed from the village on their journey, hoping to ultimately reach Alice at the Central Cathedral.

New Characters

 * Sadina Zuberg (cameo)

Known Sword Skills

 * Sharp Nail
 * Sonic Leap

Locations

 * Mountain Range at the Edge
 * Gigas Cedar
 * Rulid Village

Adaptation Notes

 * Adapted from Volume 9, Chapter 1, Parts 4-6


 * In the novel, Ugachi attempted to warn the other goblins to protect the fires when he noticed what Eugeo and Kirito were planning.
 * After the fires were doused, the goblins reacted to Eugeo's glowing grass before Kirito managed to provide him with a sword in the novel. Additionally, Kirito, rather than Eugeo, was the one who realised that the goblins disliked the glowing grass and he gave Eugeo a sword directly to his hands while the goblins were distracted, before instructing the boy on their further course of action.
 * In the novel, Kirito did not encounter any goblin henchmen when he charged towards Ugachi after retrieving a sword. Additionally, Ugachi was attempting to protect his eyes from the light of Eugeo's grass at that moment.
 * The choreography of the battle between Kirito and Ugachi did not follow the description of the novel. Kirito was unable to pierce through the goblin's armour and only barely managed to avoid some of Ugachi's attacks.
 * Kirito was unaware of the existence of Sword Skills in Underworld before his battle with Ugachi. Instead, he accidentally triggered one while subconsciously attempting to reproduce the movements of the skill manually in an attempt to chain multiple attacks to overpower the goblin.
 * Kirito's musings about pain after suffering his first injury from Ugachi were greatly simplified in the anime.
 * During the fight between Kirito and Ugachi, the sequence of events from Kirito rising to his feet after being injured by the goblin until he was kicked to the ground again were anime-original. In the novel, Kirito was unable to rise to his feet until Eugeo intervened, due to being paralysed by fear.
 * The scene of Eugeo overcoming his fear to come to Kirito's aid was anime-original.
 * The choreography of Eugeo's battle against Ugachi did not follow the description of the novel. In the novel, Eugeo assaulted the goblin with a series of fast swings, while Ugachi focused on defence, enjoying the resistance of his prey. However, due to Eugeo's predictable rhythm, Ugachi tripped the boy by hitting his support leg, creating an opening for his fatal slash. Additionally, Eugeo did not use his glowing grass during the battle.
 * In the novel, Eugeo attempted to rise to his feet after being struck by Ugachi, despite having suffered a lethal injury.
 * The sequence of events in Kirito's final confrontation with Ugachi was different from the novel. In the novel, Kirito severed Ugachi's other arm before the goblin remarked about Kirito being an Ium. At that point, Kirito was able to sever the goblin's head with Sonic Leap with little resistance.
 * In the novel, a goblin named Aburi responded to Kirito's challenge after Ugachi's death; however, Kirito disposed of the goblin with another Sonic Leap before it could even finish its taunt.
 * In the novel, when Kirito checked Eugeo's status window, his Durability was decreasing at a rate of one point every two seconds. This decrease was accelerated in the anime for dramatic effect.
 * During the scene where Kirito came to Selka, he awoke her by shaking her shoulders, rather than calling her name from a distance, in the novel. Additionally, Selka did not immediately recognise the boy and attempted to push him aside due to mistaking him for a goblin.
 * In the novel, Kirito lifted Selka to bring her to Eugeo when the girl was about to begin to weep in


 * The mention regarding the villagers' reactions upon Kirito, Eugeo and Selka's return, as well as their shock upon seeing Ugachi's severed head, was omitted.
 * Eugeo's inner conflict when he asked Kirito to train him to be a swordsman was adapted differently and some of his dialogue was moved to a later scene instead.
 * The scene where Kirito and Eugeo ran away from the falling Gigas Cedar's trunk, as well as Kirito falling down in the process and losing 50 Durability, was omitted.
 * The mention of some villagers wanting to punish Kirito and Eugeo, for their unorthodox method of using Blue Rose Sword for felling the Gigas Cedar, was omitted.
 * The mention of Selka's skill at Sacred Arts having increased following her usage of a highly dangerous Sacred Arts after the fight against the goblins was omitted.
 * The duel between Eugeo and Jink was omitted.
 * The scene where Kirito tries out alcohol in Underworld and discovers its effects being as real as real life, was omitted.
 * The scene where Kirito kissed Selka on her forehead, in order to confirm that he was not an Artificial Fluctlight himself by attempting an act his real self would never do, was omitted.
 * The scene where Eugeo promises to Selka that he will bring Alice back was anime exclusive content.
 * The scene where Kirito retrieved the top branch of the Gigas Cedar, in order to have a craftsman in the Central Capital carve it into a sword, was omitted.

Errors

 * Before Selka used Durability Transfer on Eugeo, his Stacia Window showcased his Object Control Authority level at 39. While the Alicization Beginning does not mention his Object Authority level, at this point, Eugeo was granted the benefits of defeating Ugachi, causing this to be an animation error, as it is not high enough for Eugeo to wield Blue Rose Sword.
 * 2 days after the events in the mountains, when Kirito is sitting next to Gigas Cedar, his Stacia Window shows his System Control Authority to be at 1. Later Novels indicate that after defeating the Goblins, Kirito's System Control Authority level had risen.