Sword Art Online (series)


 * This article is about the series. You may be looking for the VRMMORPG.



Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン) is a Japanese light novel series written by Kawahara Reki and illustrated by abec. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label. It has been adapted into two anime series by A-1 Pictures which aired from July to December 2012 and from July to December 2014. The series has also been adapted into multiple manga series, with illustrations by Nakamura Tamako, Minami Juusei, Hazuki Tsubasa, Kiseki Himura and Nekobyō Neko and others. The series has also been adapted into multiple game adaptations.

Aincrad (First Arc, SAO)
In the year 2022, Kirito (the main protagonist), a solo player who had the luck-of-the-draw to play the beta version, and the many other players of Sword Art Online (SAO) are trapped inside of a game, unable to logout; the only way to live is to win. Death in-game means death in the real world; tampering with or prolonged power outages to the Nerve Gear, the gear that simulates in-game character control by redirecting brain signals, also means death. To win means to defeat the final boss on the top floor; out of the original 10,000 players at the start, two years later, over 6,000 remain with 26 floors left to clear.

Volume 2 also contains four side stories that take place within two years of the SAO incident.


 * Black Swordsman (Aincrad 35th Floor, February 2024)
 * Pina, a «Feathery Dragon», dies protecting her tamer Silica, one of the rare Beast Tamers in SAO. In order to revive her, Silica must obtain the «Pneuma Flower» in four days. Will she and Kirito succeed or fail?


 * Warmth of the Heart (Aincrad 48th Floor, June 2024)
 * Lisbeth, a Blacksmith, is visited by Kirito and requested to make a high level sword. But to do so they need a special ore. Will the two succeed in this quest or die trying?


 * Morning Dew Girl (Aincrad 22nd Floor, October 2024)
 * Kirito and Asuna are now married in SAO and living together. One day they stumble upon a girl named Yui with no memories, who is younger than any player they have seen so far. Who is this girl and what secrets does she hold?


 * Red-nosed Reindeer (Aincrad 46th Floor, December 19–23, 2023)
 * Kirito has been leveling up without any regards to his life in preparation for a game event. Just what happened that caused Kirito to go so far?

Fairy Dance (Second Arc, ALO)
"The Hero" Kirito (Kazuto) has completed and exited the game along with the majority of the living players. However, 300 players, including Kazuto's sweetheart Yuuki Asuna, are still trapped by the NerveGear and have failed to awaken. Kazuto finds a picture of what looks like Asuna in one of the other VRMMO games known as ALfheim Online (ALO). And so he must now embark on another quest for the sake of his love, who is held captive in ALfheim Online.

Phantom Bullet (Third Arc, GGO)
Thanks to the "World Seed", entrusted to Kirito who uploaded it onto the internet, the development of VRMMOs has progressed extensively. However, Gun Gale Online, a VRMMO game that focuses on guns and shooting rather than sword and sorcery, has had some of their players killed by a certain individual while in the game world, but the mystery is that they also died at the same time in the real world. Kirito must once again embark for a new world in search of the man supposedly behind the deaths, "Death Gun".

Mother's Rosario (Side Story Arc, ALO)
A new player named Yuuki, who earned the nickname Absolute Sword (Zekken), appeared in ALfheim Online and challenged the players to a duel, promising an eleven-hit combo Original Sword Skill as a reward to whoever defeats her. Asuna decided to accept the challenge, but just as their intense duel was about to end in Yuuki's victory, she stopped and requested her help. Will Asuna have what it takes? And can she somehow uncover the secrets that Yuuki and her guild, the Sleeping Knights, hold?

Early and Late (Side Story Collection, ALO & SAO)
The volume contains three side stories that take place either in Sword Art Online or ALfheim Online.


 * A Murder Case in the Area (Aincrad 57th Floor, April 2024) (SAO Side Story)
 * A murder takes place within a town's safe «area». Now Kirito and Asuna must unravel the mystery of this supposedly impossible death. Otherwise nowhere in Aincrad will be safe any more.


 * Calibur (Alfheim, December 2025) (ALO Side Story)


 * In the Fairy Dance Arc, while traveling to the World Tree, Kirito and Leafa had discovered the location of the Legendary Sword, Excalibur. Now a few weeks after the events of Phantom Bullet, Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Silica, Lisbeth, Klein and Sinon embark on the quest to claim the strongest weapon in ALO. However things are not as they seem, and the quest for the Legendary Sword turns out to be one that may decide the very future of ALfhiem itself.


 * First Day (Aincrad 1st Floor, November 2022) (SAO Side Story)
 * The Logout button is gone and Sword Art Online has become a "Death game". This chapter tells the story of what Kirito did in his first day trapped in Aincrad after leaving Starting City.

Alicization (Fourth Arc, Project Alicization [PA])
Kirito awakens to find himself lost in a new world. With the realistic world and his "lost" memories with this world, he questions his own identity and his existence in the world he used to know and the world he is currently in. He soon finds out that this is a virtual world with the name "Underworld", and pursues to find the truth about this world and the objective of Rath for making this realistic world.

Beginning
The first part of the arc begins with Kirito, Eugeo and Alice, setting out to explore a cave said to harbour a dragon and ice. After entering the cave the trio leave and pass close to the "Dark Territory", where a terrible mishap occurs, and Alice is taken away from her village by an Integrity Knight to be tried and executed for breaking the Taboo Index, the "absolute law" of the Axiom Church. However, Eugeo believes she is still alive. Six years later, Kirito reappears, and he helps Eugeo in his Sacred Task, by cutting down a demon tree known as the Gigas Cedar, so that they can go find Alice at the top of the Cathedral tower.

Running
During the confrontation with Johnny Black, Kazuto was injected with a deadly dose of succinylcholine, which put him into a coma. After his condition was stabilized, he mysteriously disappeared while being transported to a hospital, and Asuna set out to find him. With the help of Yui and Koujiro Rinko, she found Kazuto in the custody of Kikuoka Seijirou in a secret government base in the Pacific Ocean, where Kazuto was being treated to have his neural network restored with the help of the Soul Translator, the fourth generation FullDive system that Kazuto had been testing. There she learns the truth about Project Alicization and why the Soul Translator was created.

Meanwhile, Kirito and Eugeo journeyed to the south of Rulid, to a large settlement in the northern area of the empire called Zakkaria to participate in the Zakkaria Sword Arts Tournament to continue on their journey to gain access to the Central Cathedral, where Alice was supposed to be held.

Turning
Now in the second year of the North Centoria's Imperial Sword Mastery Academy, Kirito and Eugeo were working their way up to the top of the Academy's ranks to be given the right to participate in the Norlangarth North Empire Empire Swordsmanship Tournament and, later, the Four Empires Unity Tournament. However, after a certain incident midterm, they both ended up breaking the Taboo Index and were arrested by an Integrity Knight, who turned out to be Alice, with no memory of her life in Rulid. After escaping the Axiom Church's jail and an encounter with another Integrity Knight, they were saved by the world's Cardinal, which had taken the form of a human avatar and no longer in control of Underworld. From her, Kirito learned the secret of the Axiom Church and its immortal ruler, Quinella.

Rising
The story of Cardinal continues from the previous book. Quinella, the ruler of the Axiom Church was a Fluctlight whom became the "Administrator" of Underworld after merging the world's Cardinal System into herself, and obtaining eternal youth. However, after a conflict within herself, and an attempt to rectify errors which this change caused, the being calling herself "Cardinal" was separated from Quinella. After a brutal battle, Cardinal retreated into a Library that had no physical entrance.

After learning the truth behind the Axiom Church's existence, Kirito learned of Rath's plans with the residents of Underworld, and the terrible war that was sure to come. He became intent on stopping it, but had to first put an end to Quinella's actions. He and Eugeo are then sent to retrieve their swords, and must then climb the 100 floors of the Central Cathedral, fighting the Integrity Knights within the tower, while simultaneously honing their skills and becoming stronger.

Dividing
Kirito and Alice were sent flying from the 80th floor after the pair's swords had clashed with great power and created a hole in the side of the tower. The two hung on for dear life and agreed to a truce until they could return into the tower. As they climbed up the side of the tower, they noticed creatures from the Dark Territory, the gargoyles.

Meanwhile, Eugeo forged onward without his partner. As he went up the floors, he encountered Integrity Knight Bercouli Synthesis One in the bathing area and defeated him by using the Armament Full Control Art of his Blue Rose Sword. As Bercouli fainted, a small clown-like person came out and jumped to Eugeo. Eugeo then blacked out due to the effects of his Blue Rose Sword's freezing and «Life» draining ability.

Outside the Cathedral, Kirito and Alice managed to eat the meat buns Kirito got from Cardinal. While chatting, Kirito mentioned Selka, Alice's sister, and managed to get a reaction. As Alice decided to walk out of her duties as an Integrity Knight, her Seal of the Right Eye activated, the same phenomenon that happened to Eugeo. Alice suffered immense pain in her right eye with the warning sign titled "System Alert" being displayed on it. Kirito then promised her that he would lead her to Selka one day after they defeat the Administrator.

Progressive

 * Aria of a Starless Night


 * Rondo of a Fragile Blade


 * Concerto of Black and White
 * Aincrad's 2nd Floor Boss was defeated by the «Clearers». After the victory, swordsmen «Beater» Kirito and his partner, the fencer Asuna, withdraw from the main group and ascend the stairs to the next floor. There, Kirito and Asuna wait in a dense forest that spanned the entire floor, and start their largest campaign quest. In the forest, a «forest elf» knight and a «dark elf» knight do battle. In the beta test, the battle between the two NPCs was supposed to end in a draw, but Kirito and Asuna managed to ensure the survival of the female dark elf «Kizmel». Kirito was confused at the difference from the beta, but after a deep interaction with Kizmel, he confirmed that she was an NPC. Meanwhile, the other players started the «Guild Quest», and Aincrad's first «guilds» were formed. In a while, the 3rd Floor «Strategy Meeting» would be opened. However, in that meeting, Kirito and Asuna are faced with a serious decision with Lind, a scimitar user and the leader of the new «Dragons Knight Brigade».


 * Barcarolle of Froth
 * Having said their good-byes to the mysterious elven knight Kizmel, Kirito and Asuna set their sights on the fourth floor of Aincrad. But once they open the door, they find the way forward blocked by a powerfully flowing river - the updated version of the fourth floor had been changed into a water world. When they finally arrive at the floor's town, they're greeted by chalk-white streets and countless gondolas of all sizes. To navigate this place, Kirito and Asuna will need their own gondola--but getting one will involve confronting an eight-meter-tall beast of flame: Magnaterium...

Other Side Stories
Other Side stories from different Arcs.


 * The Fourteenth Autumn (Aincrad 35th Floor, 4 October 2024)
 * Like she had done a few times before, Silica invites Kirito for a meal as a celebration for defeating a floor boss - this time, being Floor 73. This celebration, however, has another reason secret only to her. She is therefore surprised when Kirito seemed to have understood the reason beforehand.


 * The Day Before (Aincrad 22nd Floor, 24 October 2024)
 * After proposing to Asuna, Kirito leads her to the house they will be living in, only to find out that it's gone. During the investigation of its disappearance, a short adventure starts that would include the information broker Argo, a long-coated dog, a «Scarecrow», a suit of armor named «Tin», and a «Werelion» without a mane.


 * 16.8.5 (Aincrad 22nd Floor, 2024)


 * Breaking Damage's Limit (Aincrad, 2024)


 * Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer (Aincrad 48th Floor August 2024)
 * Kirito goes to «Lisbeth's Smith Shop» to reinforce his weapons.


 * Celeste Fairy (Real World, April 2025)
 * To celebrate Kazuto's one-year-late enrollment to high school, Suguha and their parents decided to buy Kazuto a Bianchi bicycle. However, while cycling 2 days later, Kazuto discovers that the previous owner of the bike had left something valuable stuck inside it...


 * The Day After (New Aincrad, June 2025)
 * 1 month after the release of New Aincrad, Kirito, Asuna and their friends battle against the Floor Boss of the 8th Floor, while Asuna keeps experiencing a strange «separation» phenomenon...


 * Calibur SS (Failure Side)
 * An alternate ending, based on what would have happened if Klein hadn't saved Freyja during the quest for Excalibur.


 * A Spot of Sunshine in the Winter (New Aincrad 22nd Floor, 31 December 2025)
 * After an argument with her parents, Silica escapes from the real world, ending up in front of the wooden house near the lake in the 22nd floor of «New Aincrad». Inside, she finds one of the owners of the house and they talk about their memories about «Old Aincrad».


 * Versus (Accel World crossover)
 * Roppongi, 2026. Kazuto/Kirito has been called in to test the newly developed «4th-Generation FullDive Experimental Unit». But what he finds in the virtual world is a battle with Silver Crow/Haruyuki Arita of the year 2047.


 * Cradle of the Moon (Alicization Side Story)
 * Stories that happened in the web version storyline of Underworld during the extreme acceleration phase.


 * There is But One Ultimate Way
 * Taking place after the Underworld Arc (after Volume 15). The third year students' summer holidays are about to end. It seems that the girls have something planned for Kirito. Something that involves being Married-in-game, with a twist. Confirmed to be not canon. The story was originally a web release, but then later became a part of the Material Edition: Assemblage, though it was never printed independently.


 * chromatic colors (New Aincrad, 8 February 2026)
 * Kirito, Asuna, Yuuki, and Sinon enter a secret boss room on the 5th Floor, only to find a woman and her Tamed Monster attempting to solo the boss. Upon finding out her reasoning for attempting to defeat the boss on her own, the four decide to help her in any way possible. This story was released as part of the abec Art Works book.

Sword Art Online: Material Editions

 * The Material Edition (ME) series is a series of doujinshis created by Kawahara Reki himself using the pen name "Kunori Fumio" (the same pen name he used when he wrote the web novel of SAO).


 * ME1 : The Progressers
 * Published in COMITIA82. An argument over the method of defeating a floor boss turns into a duel between Kirito and Asuna.


 * ME2 : Early Characters
 * Published in COMITIA83. Early character designs and descriptions as well as status parameters.


 * ME3 : Ceramic Heart
 * Published in COMITIA84. The story of Yui learning what love is as well as loss.


 * ME4 : Cold Hands, Warm Heart
 * Published in COMITIA86. Kirito is afflicted by an unidentified negative status. Unable to handle it he messages Klein for help, but the one who appears to take care of him is...


 * ME5 : Salvia (Real World before the events of Fairy Dance, January 2025)
 * Published in COMITIA88. Kazuto and Suguha remember a treasured memory from their childhood.


 * ME6 : Algade Showdown (Aincrad 22nd floor, October 2024)
 * Published in COMITIA90. Is that an NPC or a Player? Asuna and Kirito attempt to find out the identity of a certain cook.


 * ME7 : Continuation : Aria of a Starless Night (December 2022)
 * Published in COMITIA97. Continuation of Aria in the Starless Night side story immediately after the defeat of the first floor boss.


 * ME8 : Rondo of a Fragile Blade - first chapter
 * Published in COMITIA98. Sequel to Aria in the Starless Night. The Black Swordsman Kirito is now in hiding because of the choice he made. However, Asuna does not plan on abandoning him. Together, they seek to upgrade their weapons, in anticipation for the battle against the Second Floor Boss.


 * ME9 : Concerto of Black and White - first chapter
 * Published in COMITIA99, the second floor has been cleared. Kirito and Asuna head towards the third floor. Kirito aims at beginning an NPC Quest he learned about during the Beta Test and Asuna decides to tag along. But will everything work out as it is supposed to?


 * ME10 : 16.6
 * Published in COMITIA106. A sequel to The Day Before that describes the marriage of Kirito and Asuna and what happened afterwards.


 * ME11 : 16.7
 * Published in COMITIA107. A sequel to ME10 16.6


 * ME12 : 16.8
 * Published in COMITIA108. A sequel to ME11 16.7


 * ME13 : 16.9
 * Published in COMITIA109. A sequel to ME12 16.8 and the 16.8.5 story


 * ME14 : Sugary Days 5
 * Published in COMITIA110. A sequel to ME13 16.9


 * ME15 : Sugary Days 6
 * Published in COMITIA112. A sequel to ME14 Sugary Days 5


 * ME16 : Sugary Days 7
 * Published in COMITIA113. A sequel to ME15 Sugary Days 6.


 * ME17 :
 * Published in COMITIA114.


 * ME18 : Sugary Days 8
 * Published in COMITIA115. A sequel to ME16 Sugary Days 7.


 * ME19 : Sugary Days 9
 * Published in COMITIA116. A sequel to ME18 Sugary Days 8.


 * ME20 : Monochromatic Colors
 * Published in COMITIA117. A sequel to the chromatic colors side story.

Light Novels

 * Volume 1 - Aincrad
 * Volume 2 - Aincrad
 * Volume 3 - Fairy Dance
 * Volume 4 - Fairy Dance
 * Volume 5 - Phantom Bullet
 * Volume 6 - Phantom Bullet
 * Volume 7 - Mother's Rosario
 * Volume 8 - Early and Late
 * Volume 9 - Alicization Beginning
 * Volume 10 - Alicization Running
 * Volume 11 - Alicization Turning
 * Volume 12 - Alicization Rising
 * Volume 13 - Alicization Dividing
 * Volume 14 - Alicization Uniting
 * Volume 15 - Alicization Invading
 * Volume 16 - Alicization Exploding
 * Volume 17 - Alicization Awakening
 * Volume 18 - Alicization Lasting

Progressive series

 * Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 01
 * Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 02
 * Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 03
 * Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 04

Gun Gale Online series

 * Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Volume 01
 * Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Volume 02
 * Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Volume 03
 * Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Volume 04
 * Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Volume 05

Material Editions
Each of the following are sold in COMITIA doujin-selling panel. The six aforementioned Material Edition were compiled into Sword Art Online: Material Editions Assemblage, which was published on February 13, 2011.
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 01 - The Progressers
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 02 - Early Character
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 03 - Ceramic Heart
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 04 - Cold Hand, Warm Heart
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 05 - Salvia
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 06 - Algade Showdown
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 07 - Continuation: Aria of a Starless Night
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 08 - Rondo of a Fragile Blade (first chapter)
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 09 - Concerto of Black and White (first chapter)
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 10 - 16.6
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 11 - 16.7
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 12 - 16.8
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 13 - 16.9
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 14 - Sugary Days 5
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 15 - Sugary Days 6
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 16 - Sugary Days 7
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 17
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 18 - Sugary Days 8
 * Sword Art Online Material Edition 19 - Sugary Days 9

In other series

 * Accel World Volume 10 Chapter 3 - Versus: Accel World & Sword Art Online crossover

In magazines

 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Calibur SS
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Celeste Fairy
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Breaking Damage's Limit
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Story Pencil Board
 * The irregular at magic high school X Sword Art Online: Dream Game -Crossover-
 * Sword Art Online X The irregular at magic high school: Versus II

On webpages

 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Cradle of the Moon
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - There is But One Ultimate Way

Official Doujin

 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Lisbeth Edition
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Silica Edition
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Pina Edition

BD/DVD Bonuses

 * Sword Art Online Side Story - The Day Before
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - The Day After
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Rainbow Bridge
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Sugary Days
 * Sword Art Online Side Story - Sisters' Prayer

Manga
The Sword Art Online series currently has nine manga adaptations. An Aincrad arc adaptation by Nakamura Tamako, a Fairy Dance arc adaptation by Hazuki Tsubasa, a Phantom Bullet arc adaptation by Yamada Kōtarō, an adaptation of Calibur by Kiya Shii and an adaptation of Mother's Rosario by Hazuki Tsubasa, as well as a Progressive arc adaptation by Kiseki Himura. There is also a 4-koma comedy manga related to some parts of the light novels, as well as a spin-off manga by Nekobyō Neko and an adaptation of the Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online series by Tamori Tadadi. Sword Art Online also has several comic anthologies and 4-koma anthologies.

Video Games
A video game adaptation, Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment (ソードアート・オンライン -インフィニティ・モーメント), was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game follows an alternate story line, in which a glitch causes Kirito and the other players to remain in Sword Art Online despite defeating Heathcliff on 75th Floor, whilst players from other VMMORPGs, such as Leafa and Sinon get sucked into the game. A new character, Strea, was also added to the game. The game was released in both regular and limited edition box sets on March 14, 2013.

Its sequel, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, was released on PlayStation Vita on April 24, 2014. The game incorporates its predecessor, Infinity Moment, while also adding a new Hollow Area to explore, along with a new character, Philia. The game was released via the PlayStation Network in North America on August 19, 2014, and in Europe and Australia on August 20, 2014. A port of this game was released on the PlayStation 4 as Sword Art Online: Re: Hollow Fragment in both Japan and the West in 2015, with its Japanese release being bundled together with the PS4 edition Lost Song.

The third major game in the series, Sword Art Online: Lost Song, was released in Japan for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 on March 26, 2015, with English and Traditional Chinese releases in Asia to be pulished that same year. Unlike Infinity Moment and Hollow Fragment, Lost Song takes place in ALfheim Online, and features a new "Svartálfaheimr" region to explore. A port of this game will be released on the PlayStation 4 in both Japan and the West later in 2015.

The fourth game in this series, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, will be released for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Unlike the previous games, Hollow Realization is set in a game-original Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game, called Sword Art: Origin, which is based on the servers for the original Sword Art Online.

There are also three different SAO-themed mobile social games, namely Sword Art Online: End World, Sword Art Online: Code Register, and Sword Art Online: Progress Link, each of which operates on a different platform, but all of them are restricted to Japanese users.

An Android game, called SAO-LOG OUT-, initially came together with the Drama CD but is now also being sold via Google Play, priced at around 2.77 USD.

Sword Art Online has also cooperated with different crossover titles, card games, and online games to release characters/theme/cards/stages that are related to SAO.

Others
A guidebook called Anime "Sword Art Online" no Subete (アニメ『ソードアート・オンライン』ノ全テ) was released on June 27, 2014.

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