Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale-

Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale- (劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン -オーディナル・スケール-) is a Sword Art Online movie that was released in about 1,000 theatres worldwide on February 18, 2017. The movie is set after Mother's Rosario, but before the Alicization Arc and has an original story written by the author, Kawahara Reki. The theme song of the movie is Catch the Moment, a new song by LiSA.

The stage of the movie is an Augmented Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (ARMMORPG) titled «Ordinal Scale» (OS) for an Augmented Reality device called the «Augma». A feature of Ordinal Scale is a «Ranking System», according to which, each player is assigned a rank, indicated by an ordinal number instead of a cardinal number. The game is set in the real world, and players can increase their rank by gathering items that appear in various places of the real world, or by defeating monsters. Higher-ranked players are granted overwhelming power and this is commonly a major factor in deciding the outcome of Player versus Player (PvP) battles.

Prologue
In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Kayaba Akihiko.

Called NerveGear, it was the first full-dive system and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere.

A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market.

The most popular game on the system is «Ordinal Scale», an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.

Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them.

They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…

Plot
In a flashback of the 22nd floor of Aincrad, Kirito and Asuna made a promise to see meteor showers in real life. Kirito also promised to gift Asuna something that day.

In 2026 the Augmented Reality (AR) device, Augma, and its games were quickly becoming popular among the masses, especially a certain game called Ordinal Scale. Given its MMORPG nature and its idol character, the AI singer Yuna, who was announced to hold an AR concert at the New National Stadium, Tokyo. Students of the specially established SAO Survivor School were granted a free Augma and a ticket for said concert.

Learning about the appearance of floor bosses from Aincrad in Ordinal Scale, Asuna persuaded Kirito to drive her to one of the spawn locations, where they meet Klein and his guild, Fuurinkazan. In addition to the boss, Kagachisa the Samurai Lord from Aincrad's tenth floor, Yuna was present, too, apparently buffing the players using her music. While fighting the boss, a player's stray shot flying towards Yuna was deflected by Eiji, the second-ranked player of OS, hitting the boss instead. Seeing the opening, Asuna moved in to land the final hit on the boss. Being passed by Asuna, Eiji called out a faint «Switch».

After the fight, a Fuurinkazan member was attacked by Eiji in an underground parking lot where he was hunting for collectible items.

Thinking about what Eiji said during the fight, Asuna thought that she had seen Eiji somewhere before, Kirito on the other hand complained about his physical abilities being limited in AR compared to VR. During another boss fight on the following day, Klein and the other Fuurinkazan members were lured away by the sudden spawn of a second boss. Eiji appeared, attacking and knocking them out, ultimately breaking Klein's arm. He then held Klein in a chokehold, letting the boss defeat him.

Recapitulating the fights in Kirito's and Asuna's house in ALO, Yui noticed that the spawn locations of the SAO bosses are similar to the layout of the dungeons they appeared in in old Aincrad. Asuna realized that Eiji could have been Nautilus, a lower-ranking member of the Knights of Blood in SAO. Training for upcoming OS battles at the place of the previous fight, Kirito met an intangible, hooded girl pointing to a specific direction while murmuring something, which is later interpreted by Yui as "search".

While playing OS with Lisbeth and Silica, Asuna meets Eiji again. When avoiding a boss monster, Silica runs into Eiji and stumbles. Asuna gets hit by the boss, fainting in the process. Kirito, watching from the sidelines, is enraged, seeking revenge but is halted by Eiji himself, noting the difference in their ranks.

Asuna finds that she is losing her memories with Kirito in SAO, and tells Kirito about it. They go to the hospital to find that her brain has been scanned for SAO memories, and that the scan may affect further brain functions. They also learn that similar incidents have happened, and that the victims are all SAO Survivors. In order to find out what's happening in OS, Kirito urges the community not to play the game so that he can investigate.

Sinon joins Kirito in investigating the OS mystery. When another SAO Survivor is defeated, Yui attempts to hack into an Augma drone to trace his memories, but is blocked by the system. Kirito finds that the hooded girl points to a specific location, and asks Yui to pinpoint the location. The location is Touto Technology University in Ookayama, where Professor Shigemura Tetsuhiro, Eiji's mentor, is a lecturer. Kirito goes to Touto Tech to ask Shigemura for information, but Shigemura declines to answer some questions. Kirito learns that Shigemura is also building robots and has a photo of a girl that looks like Yuna. Upon analysing his findings with Kikuoka, he discovers that Shigemura Yuna, the professor's daughter, also played SAO, but was unfortunately dead when her HP hit zero, which triggered the microwave. As Touto Tech is close to Setagaya, where Asuna lives, Kirito visits her and promises to get her memories back.

Kirito meets the hooded girl again, who reveals herself as Yuna, and tells him he cannot defeat Eiji with a low ranking. Through Suguha and Shino's help, and constant soloing of the bosses, Kirito continues to rank up.

On the day of Yuna's concert, Kirito heads to the stadium to confront Eiji. They fight, and eventually Kirito defeats Eiji. Eiji reveals the reasoning behind his actions: He was close to Yuna while in SAO. He also tells Kirito that the concert is a trap: Shigemura plans to capture the SAO memories of the Survivors gathered there to rebuild Yuna as an AI using the SAO boss monsters and drones placed throughout the stadium, however this time, the drones will emit microwaves similar to a NerveGear, killing everyone inside.

Kirito manages to get into the arena, fighting the monsters with his companions. Asuna's condition worsen, as the bosses trigger the survivors' fear needed to activate the microwave when a certain amount is reached. Hooded Yuna appears and defends them from a monster, telling Kirito that the Augma has a FullDive function. Kirito gives Asuna a ring as promise before diving into Aincrad.

Kirito, Agil, Silica, Lisbeth and Sinon enter the Ruby Palace on level 100 in Aincrad, where they fight "An Incarnating of Radius", the true ultimate boss of SAO. Just as they are about to be overpowered by the boss, Asuna dives in and joins the battle, with Leafa, Klein, the spirit of Yuuki, as well as other players from Alfheim and Glocken coming in later. Yui restores the save data of the SAO survivors, allowing them to turn the table on "An Incarnating of Radius". Kayaba's voice congratulates the players, and he gives Kirito a powerful sword.

Kirito appears in his Aincrad outfit in the stadium, wielding the sword to one-hit kill the boss monsters. With the hooded Yuna singing to motivate the Survivors, the monsters are eventually cleared. Kikuoka and his division move in to apprehend Shigemura, who is found in Argus' server room.

Hooded Yuna returns the memories of the Survivors and, as she is made of the data from Aincrad, and with "An Incarnating of Radius" defeated, she shall disappear as well.

Some time later, Kirito and Asuna fulfil their promises to see the meteor shower. Asuna returns the ring to Kirito, asking him to put it properly on her ring finger this time.

It's later revealed that Kikuoka isn't arresting Shigemura, who is revealed as the mentor to Kayaba and Sugou as well; rather, he sees potential in Shigemura's AI system, and recruits him to help working on Rath.

A text showing "SAO will return" is shown at the end, pointing to a possible upcoming third season.

New Characters

 * Yuna
 * Doctor Shigemura Tetsuhiro
 * Eiji (Nochizawa Eiji)

Preview
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