Based on the popular light novels by Reki Kawahara, Sword Art Online is one of the best-known anime of the past decade. The fantasy sci-fi series has captured the imaginations of viewers across the globe with its adventures through different game worlds and oftentimes blurs the lines between virtual reality and real life.

As the series continues to grow, it can exist intimidating to newcomers with its unique timeline and lengthy titles for story arcs and films. Here'due south a breakdown of the total SAO timeline and the best order in which to lookout it.

Season ane: Sword Fine art Online (Aincrad/Fairy Dance)

The outset season that started it all is separate into two arcs: the "Aincrad" Arc and the "Fairy Dance" Arc. "Aincrad" introduces protagonist Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, who in Nov 2022 is trapped, along with 10,000 other players, inside the VR world of Sword Art Online. The threat is real: anyone who dies in the game dies in real life, and all 100 floors must be cleared in order to escape the game and return to the real world. It's filled with heady battles and heartbreaking deaths — dear fifty-fifty blossoms in the midst of the life-or-expiry struggle.

Sword Art Online Kirito Yui and Asuna

"Fairy Dance" begins two months afterwards the end of "Aincrad." 300 players from the SAO incident remain trapped for reasons unknown, including Kirito'south beloved girlfriend Asuna. She remains unconscious and extremely frail in the real earth as Kirito finds out she is being held earnest in another VR game, ALfheim Online. The world and cast start to expand hither as Asuna's family unit and connections are introduced, along with a mysterious regime representative whose influence grows with each successive season.

This short film features Kirito giving a full recap of Season 1'south events to government official Seijirou Kikuoka. There'south also some make new content as the girls take a swimming adventure in the real world and the full cast finally enjoys a non-life threatening quest in ALO.

Season 2: Sword Art Online Two (Phantom Bullet/Calibur/Female parent's Rosario)

Flavour 2 begins with the "Phantom Bullet" Arc, a full year after the SAO incident. As the new shooter VR game Gun Gale Online grows in popularity, ii mysterious incidents involving a thespian named Expiry Gun alarm the regime. When Death Gun shoots a histrion's avatar, that histrion also ends upward dying in the existent earth. Due to Kirito's gaming knowledge and expertise, he is asked to dive into GGO and investigate. He teams up with sniper extraordinaire Shino "Sinon" Asada and learns the antagonists are more familiar than he realized.

The "Calibur" Arc is a curt but fun filler adventure for the full cast — now including Sinon — back in ALfheim Online. A lighthearted story that sits in between two significantly heavier ones.

"Mother's Rosario" is an emotional story that gives Asuna her long-awaited plow in the spotlight. Back in ALO, she hears of an adept sword fighter named Zekken who is undefeated in i-on-ane battles, including a victory over Kirito. Asuna and Zekken, real name Yuuki, become fast friends and Asuna joins her guild for a fourth dimension. Reality, however, isn't and so lighthearted equally Yuuki carries a devastating real-world burden connected to her desire to compete in ALO. Take tissues at the fix.

Sword Art Online Culling: Gun Gale Online

SAO Alternative is a separate series with a whole dissimilar cast of characters. Based on the light novels past Keiichi Sigsawa, the only similarity to the main series is that it takes place in the already-established earth of Gun Gale Online. Information technology can be viewed completely on its ain, although a couple of easter egg references to Sinon and Kirito might exist missed without watching the "Phantom Bullet" Arc first.

Shy higher pupil Karen Kouhirimaki struggles with socializing and making friends due to her exceptionally alpine height. She decides to endeavor VR games equally an escape and comes to love the thrill of Gun Gale Online, which too allows her to create her own avatar and become the brusque, pink-clad girl she always wanted to be. Now full of confidence as Llenn, she guns down all who stand up in her way as she competes in a tournament that means life or expiry for one particular histrion.

Sword Art Online: Ordinal Calibration (Motion-picture show)

Dorsum in the main timeline, theOrdinal Scale film takes identify a few weeks afterward the terminate of the "Mother's Rosario" Arc. Information technology likewise has the distinction of being an anime-sectional story, non actualization in author Kawahara'south calorie-free novels.

A new augmented reality device called the Augma is all the rage, with a combat-based game called Ordinal Scale condign the first ARMMORPG. Kirito shows footling interest in AR until Asuna and the others tell him that boss monsters from the original Sword Art Online game accept started actualization. The mysteries chemical compound when the game'south second-ranked player, Eiji, purposely injures Klein and his club, leaving them in the hospital. Multiple SAO survivors who interact with Eiji, including Asuna, begin to lose the memories of their time in SAO.

Season three: Sword Art Online - Alicization (Alicization/War of Underworld)

The 3rd and notwithstanding-ongoing season of SAO is its longest and most expansive so far. Split into iii arcs — "Alicization,""War of Underworld" Part 1" and "War of Underworld Part two" — information technology begins a few months after the events of Ordinal Scale.

"Alicization" sees Kirito working with the top clandestine authorities-run company Rath to test a new experimental full-dive automobile called the Soul Translator (STL). After being attacked in the real earth past a member of the Expiry Gun plot from Season ii, Kirito suffers significant encephalon harm and is merely kept alive thank you to the STL. As Kirito wakes upwards in the Underworld with his real-world memories intact, he must figure out how to survive in a much more realistic VR world than always before while Rath's truthful goals for the STL get clear.

The subsequent "War of Underworld" arc continues the events of Alicization as a world-spanning war breaks out in the Underworld with major international consequences for the real world besides. "Office 2" is currently airing and available to stream on Crunchyroll.

It can be confusing, but the SAO anime'due south chronology does fit in a proper gild — though Alternative can exist viewed independently —even though many of the stories begin very shortly later on their preceding arcs. Seems Kirito and friends get even shorter spans of peace and quiet than the Dragon Brawl cast.

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Nearly The Author

Joe Ballard (159 Articles Published)

Joe Ballard is an Illinois-based Editor for CBR and incurable anime lover. Anime was first injected into his veins every bit a teenager cheers to Dragon Ball and Yu Yu Hakusho airing on Toonami'southward Midnight Run. Since graduating from Illinois State with a BA in English, his journey has taken him from the music business to public relations to writing virtually anime and pop culture. He dreams of ane twenty-four hour period trying every unmarried dish shown in Food Wars. You can find him on Instagram @JoeBallard88 or reach out via email at joe.b@cbr.com!

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