Global InformationSword Art Online information
| Sword Art Online | |
 First light novel volume cover, featuring Kirito (left) and Asuna (right) | |
| ソードアート・オンライン (Sōdo Āto Onrain) | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
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| Novel series | |
| Written by | Reki Kawahara |
| Published by | Self-published |
| Original run | 2002 – 2008 |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Reki Kawahara |
| Illustrated by | abec |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| English publisher |
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| Imprint | Dengeki Bunko |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | April 10, 2009 – present |
| Volumes | 27 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Tomohiko Itō |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | List
|
| Music by | Yuki Kajiura |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Licensed by |
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| Original network | Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, tvk, TVS, TVA, RKB, HBC, MBS, AT-X, Chiba TV, BS11 |
| English network |
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| Original run | July 8, 2012 – December 23, 2012 |
| Episodes | 25 |
| Light novel | |
| Sword Art Online: Progressive | |
| Written by | Reki Kawahara |
| Illustrated by | abec |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| English publisher |
|
| Imprint | Dengeki Bunko |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | October 10, 2012 – present |
| Volumes | 8 |
| Anime television film | |
| Sword Art Online: Extra Edition | |
| Directed by | Tomohiko Itō |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
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| Music by | Yuki Kajiura |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Licensed by |
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| Original network | Tokyo MX, BS11 |
| Released | December 31, 2013 |
| Runtime | 100 minutes |
| Anime television series | |
| Sword Art Online II | |
| Directed by | Tomohiko Itō |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | List
|
| Music by | Yuki Kajiura |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Licensed by |
|
| Original network | Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, tvk, TVS, CTC, TVA, MBS, TVQ, TVh, AT-X, BS11 |
| English network |
|
| Original run | July 5, 2014 – December 20, 2014 |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Light novel | |
| Sword Art Online Alternative Clover's Regret | |
| Written by | Watase Souichirou |
| Illustrated by | Ginta |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| English publisher |
|
| Imprint | Dengeki Bunko |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | November 10, 2016 – August 10, 2018 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Anime television series | |
| |
| Directed by | Manabu Ono |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | List
|
| Music by | Yuki Kajiura |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Licensed by |
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| Original network | Tokyo MX, GYT, GTV, BS11, MBS, AT-X, TV Aichi |
| English network |
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| Original run | October 7, 2018 – September 20, 2020 |
| Episodes | 47 |
| Other | |
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| Video games | |
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Sword Art Online (Japanese: ソードアート・オンライン, Hepburn: Sōdo Āto Onrain) is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the 2020s and focuses on protagonists Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds, and later their involvement in the matters of a simulated civilization. Kawahara originally wrote the series as a web novel on his website from 2002 to 2008.[3] The light novels began publication on ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint from April 10, 2009, with a spin-off series launching in October 2012. The series has spawned twelve manga adaptations published by ASCII Media Works and Kadokawa. The novels and the manga adaptations have been licensed for release in North America by Yen Press.
An anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures, known simply as Sword Art Online, aired in Japan between July and December 2012, with a television film Sword Art Online: Extra Edition airing on December 31, 2013, and a second season, titled Sword Art Online II, airing between July and December 2014. An animated film titled Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, featuring an original story by Kawahara, premiered in Japan and Southeast Asia on February 18, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 9, 2017. A spin-off anime series titled Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online premiered in April 2018, while a third season titled Sword Art Online: Alicization aired from October 2018 to September 2020. An anime film adaptation of Sword Art Online: Progressive titled Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night premiered on October 30, 2021. A second film titled Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night premiered on October 22, 2022. A live-action series based on the light novels is set to be produced by Netflix. Six video games based on the series have been released for multiple consoles.
Sword Art Online has received widespread commercial success, with the light novels having over 30 million copies sold worldwide. The anime series has received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for its animation, musical score, and exploration of the psychological aspects of virtual reality, but criticisms for its pacing and writing.
- ^ "Sword Art Online Vol. 1 Aincrad Part 1 (Eps 1-7)". Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ^ "Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad (light novel)". Yen Press. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Kawahara, Reki (April 22, 2014). Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad. New York: Yen On. ISBN 9780316371247.
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