Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II - New Season, Same Excitement (2024)

Gun Gale Online is a spin-off of the famed Sword Art Online franchise. It was released back in 2018 and instantly became a cult classic. Some fans, like us, even dared to say that Gun Gale Online is better than some of the major storylines of the main Sword Art Online series.

Now, after more than five years of waiting, we finally get the long-awaited second season of Gun Gale Online as part of the Fall 2024 anime season. When it comes to sequels, there’s always a worry among fans that the new one won't be as good as the first one. So how does the first episode of Gun Gale Online 2 compare to its predecessor? Is it as exciting as the first season? The answer is a resounding yes.

Start with a Bang

With Llenn frantically running away from torrents of bullets while Pitohui is laughing and having the best time of her life, the first few minutes of the first episode of Gun Gale Online Season 2 successfully set the tone of the series and hook the viewers to stick around till the end. But the most exciting part of this first episode by far is the return of the pink devil and the beginning of the third squad jam tournament.

The Pink Devil and the Third Squad Jam

Llenn the Pink Devil and Pitohui the Merciless Beauty gained popularity through their remarkable performance in the previous Squad Jam tournaments. They were enemies at the time, but they decided to join forces for the upcoming Squad Jam.

The news about the union of these two power players sends the denizens of Gun Gale Online into a frenzy. Incidentally, Llenn and Pitohui are fan-favorite characters, which means, just like the nameless characters in this episode, the fans of this series are also excited about this team-up.

The Third Squad Jam

The Third Squad Jam also gained a lot of attention due to the return of some of the most stand-out teams from the previous tournaments, such as the team of real-life soldiers, the daunting Amazonian women, the reckless yet fun-to-watch machine gun fanatics, and many others.

Normally, seeing the same characters fight each other for the second or third time is not good entertainment. After all, we like to see something new in a new season. However, by framing it as a revenge match between the previous winners and losers of the tournaments makes those of us who are already invested in the series become even more excited to see how everything will unfold. So yes, Gun Gale Online Season 2 really does start with a bang.

Contrast and Gaming

Some of the reasons why the first season of Gun Gale Online was so successful was because it knew how to use contrast to make the story more interesting and it also knew the target audience of this series very well. Based on what we’ve seen in the first episode, these two things are alive and present in Season 2 as well, which pretty much guarantees we’ll have a great season ahead of us.

A Masterclass in Contrast

In the world of art, contrast is often used to create focus and interest. In a canvas filled with a shade of blue, a single red dot will stand out like a sore thumb. Not only will our eyes automatically be attracted to that dot, but our minds will also begin to wonder why there is a single red dot in the blue canvas. So yes, contrast creates focus and interest.

Gun Gale Online is a masterclass in contrast. The biggest use of contrast is on the characters themselves. Take the main character, Llenn, for example. From her short stature to her all-pink garb, Llenn was designed to be a cutesy character. We usually find this type of character in a romance or slice-of-life series, yet here she is using her P90 submachine gun to ruthlessly kill any players who are unfortunate enough to stand in her path.

This contrasting nature extends to the stark difference between the characters’ appearances in and outside the game. Llenn may be a cute short girl in the game, but she is actually a 6’0” college student named Kohiruimaki Karen in real life. Pitohui may be a merciless tall beauty in the game, but she is actually a famous petit singer named Kanzaki Elsa. These contrasts in appearances and behaviors make the characters so much more interesting to follow.

Made For Gamers

See Also

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II ‒ Episode 8

Although the Sword Arts Online franchise as a whole has always revolved around games, particularly VRMMORPG with full-dive technology, the game itself is rarely the focus of the story. Be it trying to stay alive in Sword Art Online or trying to find and save somebody in ALfheim Online, the games are simply the settings for a much bigger story. That is not the case at all for Gun Gale Online.

The story focuses solely on the game called Gun Gale Online. The decisions that the characters make in the game are based on their desire to get good at the game and to make their avatar look cool, just like gamers in real life. Llenn uses the iconic pink P90, not because it was some sort of mythical weapon needed to defeat the final boss. She used the P90 because it suits her combat style the most and she painted it pink to make it look cute.

All Llenn—and other characters as well for that matter—ever think about is how to maximize the enjoyment that she gets out of the game. There’s no higher purpose to achieve, no innocent soul to protect, just fun gaming sessions with friends and rivals. This is a sentiment that every gamer can relate to. This is also why quite a significant number of gamers, us included, utterly enjoy watching this series.

A Must-Watch Series for Fall 2024

There are quite a few heavy hitters for the Fall 2024 anime series—such as the new season of Bleach, Rurouni Kenshin, Re: Zero, Ao no Exorcist, and many others. But based on this first episode, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II is undoubtedly a title that should be on everybody’s must-watch list for the season.

For the Fans and New Viewers Alike

While it's true that long-time fans can instantly dive into the second season, that doesn’t mean new viewers cannot enjoy Gun Gale Online Season 2. On the contrary, the fact that the first episode of Season 2 spends a decent amount of time retelling some of the important events that happened in the first season without making it feel like a recap makes this series extremely friendly to the newcomers. This means you can jump into season 2 without having to watch the first season. That being said, watching season 1 first before following season 2 will certainly enhance your watching experience.

Where Fun and Action Combined

This first episode of season 2 proves that Gun Gale Online still stays true to its core principle, which is to provide great entertainment through thrilling actions, relatable characters, a lighthearted story, and gun-based combat filled with cunning tactics and unpredictable situations. So if you’re in the market for a fun little anime that can bring a smile to your face without a heavy story that will overwork your brain and break your heart, then you should watch the new season of Gun Gale Online.

Gun Gale Online Season II is available to stream on Crunchyroll.