Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

A new tournament, Squad Jam 3, has been announced in the popular VR game Gun Gale Online. This time, Pitohui, one of the best performers in the previous competition, offers to team up with Karen Kohiruimaki, better known in-game as LLENN, the "Pink Devil." Despite her initial reluctance, Karen agrees to join Pitohui's team, LPFM, since she looks forward to facing SHINC, her rivals from the previous Squad Jam.

The newly formed LPFM enrolls in the tournament and is quickly recognized as the favorite to win due to the caliber of its players. As they strive to come out on top and win Squad Jam 3, LLENN, Pitohui, and the other members of LPFM battle against other competitors and tackle unexpected challenges.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kohiruimaki, Karen Main

Kusunoki, Tomori Japanese

Pitohui Main

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Shinohara, Miyu Main

Akasaki, Chinatsu Japanese

Asougi, Goushi Main

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Kirigaya, Kazuto Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Clarence Supporting

Komatsu, Mikako Japanese

Kirishima, Mai Supporting

Kouno, Marika Japanese

Kusunoki, Risa Supporting

Shiraishi, Haruka Japanese

Nitobe, Saki Supporting

Asai, Ayaka Japanese

Shinohara Supporting

Kawada, Shinji Japanese

Yoshioka, Yuusuke Producer

Hashimoto, Wataru Producer

Sakoi, Masayuki Director

Aketagawa, Jin Sound Director

Reviews

Dec 20, 2024

Deivit_Lolicon

Recommended

Honestly, it was a huge surprise for me that this anime got a sequel after so many years, and while I don’t have much hope, I’d love for the same miracle to happen again six years from now.

The change in studio was beneficial for this anime. While the first six episodes are a bit closer in animation to the first season, the latter six showcase noticeably better animation quality. I can’t help but praise the aesthetics of the opening and endings—they were pure art. Another aspect that made me really happy was that we got more songs from Elza Kanzaki. I know it’s ReoNa, but ... they just hit differently.

But not everything was perfect. Even though the director is the same as in the first season, I felt a drop in the quality of the direction. In the first season, we had screen time for two tournaments, Karen's drama, and several other moments in the real world. Here in the second season, the tournaments often felt dragged out, lasting longer than they should and giving too much screen time to secondary characters who added little to the story. Because of this, we had very few real-world moments. I really wanted to see more of the dynamic between the main four characters together, something that wasn’t possible in the first season since Pito’s identity wasn’t revealed until the end. At least we got a beautiful fanservice scene with Elza in episode eight, and that was a big win for me 😭😭😭.

It was good while it lasted. Honestly, I prefer this spin-off to many of the arcs in the main story. I love seeing these characters, and for me, GGO is the best game in the SAO universe.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 30, 2024

colelouch

Mixed Feelings

This anime is a decent and enjoyable watch, but it falls short of its potential, leaving me frustrated with what could have been. My biggest issue lies with season two, which feels too “safe.” By the end of the series, there isn’t much new or significant information that changes what we already knew about the plot or characters from season one. While we do gain deeper insights into Llenn and Pitohui’s personalities and mindsets, their character arcs were already well-developed in the first season. That said, this aspect was handled competently.

Unfortunately, other characters like Fuka and M receive minimal development, and much of the focus ... remains on conflicts that were already resolved in season one. The game setting also feels outdated. While the concept worked well in 2018, by 2024, the mechanics, especially in the earlier episodes, seem dated. The constant tinkering by the developers within the game disrupts the flow, leaving the characters with little time to adapt or strategize properly.

Pitohui’s plans succeed far too often due to excessive plot armor: her reckless strategies prevail even when a single logical counteraction could have unraveled them. Additionally, there are no new characters introduced, and the story sticks to the same cast, same stakes, and same game. The final arc attempts to consolidate the cast and showcase new weapon types, but it doesn’t add much depth.

The lack of animation quality in episodes 9–11 ending is disappointing, especially when compared to the impressive visuals in the finale. However, the voice acting is a strong point, with Hisaka Youko’s energetic performance as Pitohui standing out.

Overall, while this anime is watchable and enjoyable, it plays things too safe. The production team seemed content with creating something decent rather than pushing for a standout project. What felt refreshing and exciting in 2018 now feels rather average in 2024, unable to truly stand out in today’s competitive market.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 22, 2025

1stDecame4Danime

Not Recommended

S1 had a story to tell, S2 does not. That alone immediately disqualifies this season as soulless cash-grab filler not worth watching.
It's simply 2 arcs of a pointless action battle royale and a siege mission in which the boring shooting action gets drawn out 5x longer by pointless stuff and brain-damaging dialogue filler.
The characters may as well be completely different people in-game vs irl because of how bad the lack of character consistency is.
The environmentalism and anti-war messaging was thrown in so hamfistedly and shallowly/briefly that it was comical and borderline damaging to its cause.
The barest of game mechanics they did establish such as with ... bullet lines were used inconsistently in ways that contradicted itself.
Whoever wrote this barely understands war games and mostly just did a bunch of dumb stormtrooper nonsense and silly exploits.
No worldbuilding. No character development. Trash/filler dialogue. No plot.

2/10 (where 5/10 is average)

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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	Poll: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Nov 22, 2024	88 replies	by Omega1Mastemon »» Yesterday, 4:13 PM
	Poll: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) tsubasalover - Oct 18, 2024	50 replies	by Speeddive7 »» Jan 27, 12:17 AM
	Poll: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Oct 11, 2024	62 replies	by Speeddive7 »» Jan 26, 2:49 AM
	Poll: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II Episode 11 Discussion tsubasalover - Dec 13, 2024	38 replies	by brunoyilli »» Oct 6, 2025 10:50 AM
	Poll: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 20, 2024	84 replies	by woodyotaku »» Sep 24, 2025 8:26 AM