Warning: The following contains spoilers for The New Gate episode #3!
A new isekai called The New Gate that many fans on Crunchyroll are mistakenly comparing to Sword Art Online is currently justifying the protagonist’s unique overpowered status by how he helps another character gain strength in what was already a very compellingly emotional situation. In fact, The New Gate‘s aforementioned justification draws from its true inspiration, In the Land of Leadale, as opposed to Sword Art Online.
It isn’t noteworthy that an isekai hero finds themselves with incredible powers once they have been transported to a new world, since it’s one of the most standard tropes from the genre’s already long list of them.
However, The New Gate‘s Shin Kiritani stands out because he was teleported into the far future of a game that he was stuck in and, therefore, what he has taken with him from the past separates him from everyone else now. Although partly unique save for its main inspiration, this whole set up is more effective as of episode 3 because Shin is using all this to help another character learn Purify so that she can keep an orphanage from closing.
The New Gate’s Winning Formula Draws From A Third Series
This brand-new series is heavily inspired by other isekai, while being wholly original
Obviously, when the well-being of children is at stake, it’s difficult for viewers not to get at least somewhat invested. The fact that there’s a bad actor as well who is actively trying to close the orphanage gives viewers someone to despise, which will compel them to keep watching, so they can see that person fail.
However, rather than just having Shin save everyone himself while they watch in awe from the sidelines, The New Gate uses Shin’s unique origins to help prop up this other character through a special type of training, the mechanics of which require a connection or understanding of the past that only he has: an ancient artifact, specialized knowledge, and more importantly, strength that only existed in the old days. Even the fact that Shin just so happens to have such an ancient artifact in his possession isn’t out of the realm of possibility based on earlier events.
The pairing of the orphanage situation with this specialized training, the mechanics of which might actually remind some viewers of Pokémon regarding how trainers sometimes use a stronger Pokémon to help level up a weaker one, is clearly a winning formula.
The pairing of the orphanage situation with this specialized training, the mechanics of which might actually remind some viewers of Pokémon regarding how trainers sometimes use a stronger Pokémon to help level up a weaker one, is clearly a winning formula. However, when the story later moves away from the orphanage as Shin takes on other quests, hopefully The New Gate will continue to leverage his powers in such a way that doesn’t put all the focus on him. Luckily, he is creating a long-lasting relationship with a moody and misunderstood hero from the present day and has already tamed a cute but incredibly powerful family, both of which could introduce similar if not other compelling dynamics.
Why The New Gate Is Not The True Successor of Sword Art Online
Despite their innate similarities, the two series are too different to be perfectly alike
Of course, this incredible situation is undoubtedly officially inspired by the series In The Land of Leadale, as opposed to anything from Sword Art Online. In The Land of Leadale‘s Cayna is transported into the far future of her game and gets into situations that require the use of her unique knowledge, power, and artifacts from the time period she comes from. Fans have understandably been calling The New Gate the successor of Sword Art Online because of its premise that follows the earlier franchise’s original plot almost word for word. However, everything after that backstory in The New Gate deviates so far away from Sword Art Online and more into the territory of In The Land of Leadale that The New Gate can’t really be called Sword Art Online‘s successor unless a later development changes where current events are clearly headed.
Similarly, the cliffhanger of The New Gate episode 3 plays off another major plot point from In The Land of Leadale, which further underscores the fact that it isn’t a true successor of Sword Art Online, though it would undoubtedly be an exciting and welcome development if that ever happens.
Sword Art Online
