Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is an anime television series animated by A-1 Pictures that began airing on Tokyo MX in July 2012. Author Reki Kawahara created the light novel series with illustrations by abec. Tomohiko Ito directed the initial 25 episodes.

Around 10,000 players log into the launch of a virtual reality multiplayer role-playing game controlled through the NerveGear helmet in 2022. Game creator Akihiko Kayaba traps the users inside the virtual world by disabling the logout command. Kayaba reveals that death in the virtual game or forced removal of the helmet triggers a fatal microwave surge in the real world. Skilled solo player Kazuto Kirigaya, using the avatar Kirito, works to clear all 100 floors of the floating castle Aincrad to liberate the trapped players.

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka voices Kirito, and Haruka Tomatsu voices heroine Asuna Yuuki. Shingo Adachi designed the characters, while Yuki Kajiura composed the music score. The anime spanned 25 episodes in 2012, followed by a second 24-episode season in 2014. A third season titled Sword Art Online: Alicization ran for 47 episodes from 2018 to 2020. Animated films include Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale in 2017, Aria of a Starless Night in 2021, and Scherzo of Deep Night in 2022. Ordinal Scale grossed over 4.3 billion yen in worldwide theatrical ticket sales.

Crunchyroll began streaming the series with English subtitles to international audiences in July 2012. Japanese television accolades followed during the subsequent awards cycle. The 2013 Tokyo Anime Award competition presented the series with the Television Animation Award. At the 2012 Newtype Anime Awards, voters selected the anime as the Best TV Anime of the year. The ceremony also awarded top honors to its leads, naming Kirito the Best Male Character and Asuna the Best Female Character. Screenwriter Reki Kawahara received second place in the Best Screenplay category at the same event.