The Emotional Genius of Mother’s Rosario | Sword Art Online Analysis

It seems that, above any other arc in Sword Art Online pre-Alicization, there is no other that resonates with audiences quite like that of the Mother’s Rosario. Despite being the most low-stakes in terms of magnitude as well as only being 7 episodes in length, it’s regarded as the best arc by most viewers of the show, even by people who dislike it, and I find that pretty interesting, but it makes sense when you look at how it approaches telling its story. As you might have noticed, fellow YouTuber Craftsdwarf and I have been analyzing the thematic core of SAO arc by arc, me covering Aincrad while Craftsdwarf has already covered Fairy Dance and Phantom Bullet (by the way, you should check out those videos and subscribe to us and hit the bell so you don’t miss us cover Ordinal Scale and Alicization haha shameless plug).

What you’ll notice with each arc is that they cover different aspects of what it means to live in the virtual world, with Aincrad being focused on finding life in the virtual as well as having the bravery to face our own reality through the connections we make, Fairy Dance being about following one’s own path rather than being constricted by rigid systems, and Phantom Bullet about the meaning of true strength. However, when looking at Mother’s Rosario, there is no one thing you can really use to pin down what this arc is about…which might be why it’s the most commonly liked. Mother’s Rosario as an arc is what I would consider to be a culmination of everything SAO is up until that point in a condensed and highly emotional package. By delivering the core of SAO as a whole through a far lower stakes arc that focuses purely on emotion, not only does it bring the meaning of the series full circle, but it also prepares you for what would be the arc that similarly embodies the series’ core but on a whole new level. And who better to center our story around than the other half of the duo that stands at our story’s center?

As previously established, what defined Asuna more than anything else in the Aincrad arc was that she desired only to not die in this world that she could only see as a game, only changing when she found a connection through love that made her discover the value of the virtual. But what made her so dismissive of this world is related to her upbringing that we only got a glimpse of in previous arcs, most notably the fact that her father was so unattentive and unaware of her feelings that he didn’t notice that Sugou was only taking advantage of his position to force himself onto her, and as we can see from how her mother is already trying to set her up with suitors that this hasn’t changed. In fact, when Asuna points this out to her mother, she waves it away saying “well, he was a creep anyway.” The picture that’s painted of her home life isn’t very positive, contrasted by the previous episode where she and the rest of the usual party managed to reclaim the house where she, Kirito and Yui formed a family of their own; a house full of joy, warmth and happy memories. Her house is cold, empty and even the dinner she has with her own mother is dark and full of tension. A life full of constricting rules and overbearing expectations controlled by a mother who couldn’t understand why her daughter was so absorbed by that game that ruined her life in the first place. What was the point of entering that world if there was nothing to be gained but the fleeting emotion of fun?

There’s an inherent disconnect there that exists between these two, which is to be expected considering the power dynamic. A mother has superiority over her daughter, and Asuna was without the power she gained in that virtual world she was trapped in for two years. That strength she gained after finding the worth of the virtual never returned, even after being freed from Sugou’s grasp. While she and Kirito had regained that house that was filled with her memories that they shared together, she was a shadow of the once powerful Lightning Flash that struck fear in the hearts of everyone within SAO. So to regain that strength, we see the entrance of the Absolute Sword; the mysterious player known as Zekken.

Being notable for having won 67 consecutive duels, one of which being against Kirito himself, Zekken was a mysterious player with a unique sword skill that challenged any foe on a certain day. After being egged on to take the challenge by Lizbeth, she found herself in the face of that mysterious figure…who turned out to be a little girl. But even though she was small in stature, she was able to push Asuna to her limits, forcing her to, just for an instant, recall that strength she had so long ago. Because back in the world of Aincrad, she wasn’t the Berserk Healer, nor was she simply Yuuki Asuna under the thumb of her mother. She was the vice-commander of the strongest guild in SAO that rivaled even the Black Swordsman in strength. By being faced with a powerful adversary, Asuna reawoke as the Lightning Flash, and that was enough to convince Zekken to ask Asuna to join her party, revealing her true name to be Konno Yuuki.

Yuuki embodies very specific aspects that we’ve seen thus far in the story: namely power as well as finding reality in the virtual world, because as it’s discovered later on, she wasn’t just another player like everyone else, something Kirito honed in on during his first duel with her, pointing out to her that he knew she was someone who was born in this world.

Asuna’s connection to Kirito was born from an inverse of his relationship with the virtual; as Kirito used it as a means of escapism to run away from his real life and Asuna wanting to escape the game itself because she saw it as worthless. Together they were able to realize the worth in both realities. So for this arc, seeing a child born in the virtual world interact with Asuna calls back to that similar relationship with Kirito. For Asuna to regain her strength and in succession connect with her mother who refused to acknowledge the worth of that world she loved, she would first have to regain what she lost, and what better way than through the goal of the Sleeping Knights, the guild put together by Yuuki with the sole objective of beating one of New Aincrad’s floors all by themselves rather than with the help of other guilds; to immortalize their names on the Monument of Swordsmen. In Yuuki, Asuna was given a chance to fight once again, quite literally reconquering a part of the world she left so long ago. And with her days as a member of the Sleeping Knights, she found herself little by little regaining pieces of herself and gaining joy through every day she spent, thinking it could go on forever…but that wasn’t the case for Yuuki. While Yuuki was strong in terms of her power in the game…that was the only place she could be seen as strong. For in reality she was nothing but a frail girl who had no choice but to escape into that virtual world, not for the sake of running away from her real life but to be able to live at all.

The guild that Asuna grew to love in those days preparing to conquer the 27th  floor wasn’t just a regular group of players with an ambition to be the best. They were originally a group of friends who met through Serene Garden, a VR world for the terminally ill, that wanted to go on adventures together, originally started by Yuuki’s older sister Ran until she fell prey to the same autoimmune disease that Yuuki was doomed to succumb to one day. They all knew that one day they too wouldn’t be in this world anymore, as three of their members had already passed. So the goal for the Sleeping Knights was, before any more of them went away, to immortalize their names in history by appearing on the Monument of Swordsmen…to make sure that no one would forget them…that something, anything about their lives existed when they disappeared. And because of Asuna, on the 27th floor they were able to conquer the boss and carve their names in history forever. The goal they fought so hard to achieve was finally there…and with that, Yuuki ran away and disappeared.

Yuuki, just like Asuna in Aincrad, was afraid of dying. No matter how much she tried to be strong, that fear still filled her heart, as well as the hearts of the other Sleeping Knights. I mean, why wouldn’t it? One by one they had to come to the realization that the people they loved and formed bonds with would never return, and they were next. The reason they resolved to go on one last mission and then separate was so they didn’t have to face this fear…but there is a difference between living and not dying, a lesson learned by the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. In this moment, Asuna, who previously lost her strength and was given it back by that tiny girl who revealed that she was just like her all those years ago–afraid of confronting the possibility of death instead of choosing to live in spite of that impending destiny–gave that girl who had no choice but to escape in order to live another chance at seeing the world she thought she never would again. She let her live out the highschool life she would never experience. Whereas Asuna regained her life within the virtual, Yuuki was in turn given back her life in the real world. She finally chose to stop fearing death and confront her life until the final day came.

Now that we’ve come towards the end, I want to address why this arc is named Mother’s Rosario. We’ve established the dynamic of power between a mother and a daughter, but there is a concept hidden within that: the relationship between a mother and daughter…and even further their love. In episode 23, Asuna and Yuuki go to visit her old house, where it’s revealed that her aunt is going to be tearing it down. Even though the house that held all of her precious memories would be gone, she still wanted to see it one last time, and in this conversation we hear the meaning behind a mother’s rosario.

The feelings of love that a mother has for their daughter can’t just be expressed with simple words, and no mother would ever wish harm upon their daughter. What Asuna’s mom wanted for her was nothing but the best. She grew up embarrassed of her poor upbringing and wanted to be someone greater, but felt that by leaving her own family she was cut off from them, holding shame and resentment in her heart. She wanted her daughter to never experience that same shame, and tried her best to guide her towards a better future, yet neither one was able to communicate. What prevented Asuna from talking to her mother was her own perceived lack of strength, the same strength she sought in Yuuki.

So what if the world Asuna found strength in wasn’t real? So what if Yuuki’s brave face and joyful smile was nothing but an act? It doesn’t matter if it’s fully real, because the words and actions aren’t what matter: it’s the feelings and bonds. It was Yuuki’s brave face that reignited Asuna’s strength to fight, and even though it wasn’t real strength, it was enough to push them through adversity. Asuna’s body in Aincrad was nothing more than data, but the feelings she had for everyone she met were real; her bond with Yuuki was what was real. Their blades that clashed in that world pushed that strength out from one another because strength isn’t something you earn, it’s something you have when you choose to fight even though you don’t believe you can win, because at least you chose to express yourself and open your heart to another. So Asuna, instead of running away, finally chose to embrace her mother and show her what made that world so real.

The will to live despite the fear of death takes a certain level of strength. It’s to face the reality that everyone you know and love will never see you again; that those bonds you formed will cause you even more pain when you eventually need to leave. Yuuki had experienced it over and over again, but it wasn’t until she met Asuna that she chose to live. Conquering the 27th floor was her last goal before she died, but because of Asuna pushing her to live, she didn’t just stop there: the Sleeping Knights conquered yet another floor. Yuuki was able to face off against the hero of Aincrad and defeat him. She was able to go to school which she thought would never be a possibility. Rather than fearing that the end would come, she realized that she should make the most of her every day. Likewise, Asuna regained her pride and was able to form a connection with not just Yuuki and the Sleeping Knights, but also with her mother, who finally came to acknowledge the worth of that world she rejected. It was only in these final days that they lived to their fullest that both were able to form a powerful connection. Even the Sleeping Knights who were destined to dissolve after they achieved their final wish chose to keep going out of inspiration from Yuuki’s choice to keep living. So much so, in fact, that some who lost hope that they could ever live again chose to keep fighting and were given a second chance at life; a second chance they would have never been given had they simply stopped at the 27th floor. 

A Mother’s Rosario is a prayer from a mother that their daughter would live a happy life: proof of their connection. And it’s fitting that Yuuki’s final gift to Asuna was her strongest sword skill named after that bond of love. In her final moments, as she looked up to the sky covered in every single player that came to honor the greatest swordsman in all of Alfheim, she realized that what was left wasn’t her death…but proof that she lived in the bonds that she formed.