Best Order To Watch All The Series & Movies

The saga of Sword Art Online began with a series of novels written by Reki Kawahara between 2002 and 2008. Almost two decades later, the franchise has grown to include other various forms of media and also includes light novels, several anime television series, and movies for both television and theaters.

The anime series section of the SAO library has an aesthetic based on a mix of romance and dark fantasy, so the setting and characters might seem fantastical or even inconsistent even if viewed in the recommended watch order. It’s easier to have a viewing guide for those who want to enjoy the anime series. Although Netflix has owned the rights to a live-action production since 2018, there are no plans to make anything yet, and perhaps the streaming service is waiting as the anime series continues with the Gun Gale Online arc.

Updated November 8, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: The video game section of the Sword Art Online franchise alone has 17 titles. The most recent was added this year, Fractured Daydream, as part of the PR campaign for the upcoming anime series. It’s an example of the sheer volume of media for this one franchise. Other lists are required for separate categories, which is why the following entries focus only on the animated series. The anime doesn’t dramatically deviate from the manga or light novels, and reading the literature isn’t mandatory to understand the anime — which is fortunate, because that’s also an impressive collection.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Sword Art Online

The Original Two-Story Arc From 2012

This series neatly explains everything in the very first episode, including the development of the new “virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game” or VRMMORPG, its flagship title being the new Sword Art Online.

The original Sword Art Online anime series has a widespread appeal for those who like fantasy, romance, or gaming-related anime. It’s also a great story and is beautifully rendered with some of the best combinations of CGI and hand-drawn animation that existed at the time.

The plot follows the main character Kirito, a dedicated gamer who was also active in the beta-test version, as he and the other players become trapped within the game world. He seeks to beat the game and free himself along with all the other players. The series takes place in two virtual worlds.

• Story Arc 1: Aincrad takes the audience to the floating castle Aincrad of SAO. The first episode is mostly expository and explains how the gaming system works. The setting is a classic fantasy, complete with a sword and sorcery aesthetic. Anyone who has played an RPG will recognize the motif.
• Story Arc 2: Fairy Dance takes viewers and characters to the world of ALfheim Online where all the characters are elves and can fly, hence the title. Asuna is being held captive this time, still trapped in yet another gaming world, and Kirito has to find a way to defeat the game without her help.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria Of A Starless Night

The Original Story From Asuna’s Viewpoint

Although this movie is a more recent addition to the extensive anime library of the SAO universe, the story takes place during the same time as the first season that was released in 2012. This time, however, the story is told from Asuna’s point of view instead of Kirito’s. It is a retelling of the Aincrad and Fairy Dance arcs from Asuna’s point of view.

For those who have seen the first series, many of the tentpole events are still the same. That includes the moment when the head developer, Kayaba, refuses to let the players leave and insists that they fight for their lives. It also features the famous fight scene when Asuna first meets the solitary Kirito. The plotline follows her rise from a nervous level one player to “a floor-clearing badass” by the time they meet again.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo Of Deep Night

More Of A Prequel Series With Asuna’s POV

The next movie in the Progressive arc, Scherzo Of Deep Night, continues the Sword Art Online chronology. It also features Asuna and her first experiences while leveling in Aincrad, putting it earlier in the SAO watch order. This concludes that plotline but from Asuna’s POV, and although this is a unique take, neither fans nor critics were impressed by the lack of new material.

The story recalls the second meeting of Kirito and Aincrad, this time when Asuna is geared to the max and one of the leaders of the server’s biggest and most powerful guild. Viewers might recall the storyline from the original series about the journey to the final boss and how the guilds rallied together as one, even accepting the help of an outsider, loner, and “beater” Kirito to defeat it.

A Made-For-TV Movie That Condenses Previous Events

For those who would rather take a shortcut to the second anime series, there’s the option of watching Sword Art Online Extra Edition first instead and skipping the original anime entirely through part of the entire SAO watch order. On the other hand, those who are familiar with the first series can skip this movie and not miss anything.

It’s a synopsis of the previous anime season condensed into about an hour and a half. There’s also some new footage added in, so it’s not a total bore for viewers who have already seen the original season. The film is intended more as promotional material for the upcoming Sword Art Online II than a conventional movie that’s intended to stand on its own.

The Phantom Bullet Arc

An Introduction To Gun Gale Online

Sword Art Online II is a direct sequel to the first series, bringing viewers to Story Arc 3: Phantom Bullet. It begins with the two main characters who have now returned to their real-life selves, doing their best to live normal lives.

However, the hero, who now uses his real name of Kazuto, has gained some notoriety as some sort of expert when it comes to issues with VRMMORPGs. So when yet another new game, this time a first-person shooter (FPS) called Gun Gale Online, starts to have some unique problems, the authorities ask Kazuto to investigate the game on their behalf.

The issue with Gun Gale Online is that the in-game weapons are actually injuring and even killing players. The first season is referenced to the point where the viewer can’t help but smell some fan service, but it’s an exciting story all the same. It’s almost the same length as its predecessor, consisting of 24 episodes.

Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale

Takes Place Four Years After The Original Series In The SAO Universe

The appeal of the SAO franchise is partly due to the clever twist that seems to form the basis for each subsequent plotline. The new game this time is combat-based and called Ordinal Scale, which is one of many games using a new VR technology called The Augma.

This is an alternative to the previous FullDive technology and is the real focus of the plot. When Aincrad bosses start to appear in Ordinal Scale, our heroes create new avatars to investigate. Much of the story is tied to the first series again, but it makes more sense in the wider scope of the plot this time.

Unlike the previous movie, which was a summary of the first season with some new footage, Ordinal Scale is intended as a direct sequel to Sword Art Online II. However, it isn’t assigned a story arc like the anime series are, so it’s hard to know where to put it when deciding about the best Sword Art Online viewing order. Generally, it should be watched after the original but before the Alicization arc.

The movie ends with a moment that everyone was waiting for even though it was coming, and it feels like it could be a satisfying end to the anime series. There’s plenty more to come, however, although after this point the story takes on a more unconventional style.

Sword Art Online: Alicization

Parts 1 to 3, Story Arc 4

The third season of the Sword Art Online series is labeled Story Arc 4: Alicization. This arc looks extensive on paper because it’s broken into so many parts, but it’s still only as long as a regular season with 24 episodes.

It’s revealed that the opening sequence was a dream and the setting returns to the “real” world where Kazuto is back with his usual friends playing Gun Gale Online. The same day, he’s attacked, poisoned, and ends up in a coma, where he returns to his strange dream and lives as Kirito again.

• Part 1: Alicization Beginning. The first episode features Kirito as a child, growing up in what seems like a fantasy world, which may or may not be a game. Many of the popular characters from the previous seasons and movies are absent and seem to never have existed.
• Part 2: Alicization Rising. There are two stories in this season. One is the adventure Kirito has in his dream. The other is the drama of his friends in real life, led by Asuna, trying to help him as he lies in the hospital. Asuna is not only the person who discovers his location, but also finds out about the new Underworld technology. It turns out that Kazuto’s brain is one of the test subjects.
• Part 3: Alicization Uniting. The end of the story arc consists of four episodes and includes the showdown between Kirito and the Administrator. The light novels have several more chapters.

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War Of The Underworld

Introduction To The Underworld

The first part of the series is about the new MMORPG known as Underworld, and this exposition and character development consists of 25 episodes. Kirito is comatose for much of it, haunted by disturbing dreams. He regains consciousness in Part 7 in time to join his friends as they learn the true secret of the child that Kirito thought was his avatar’s younger sister, Alice.

In yet another compelling twist, the character that lent their name to the series is the key to everything. It turns out Alice is the world’s first true AI, and despite the attempts to find and capture her, she manages to escape with Kirito’s help.

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War Of Underworld Part 2

Parts 4 to 7, Story Arc 4

This season starts where the first one left off. The Administrator has been gone for several months, but the army she amassed has already been given their orders.

• Part 4: Alicization Invading. Kirito has defeated the Administrator, but his “Fluctlight” has been damaged and he can’t function, falling into a catatonic state. Alice is taking care of him in the virtual world when the story continues.
• Part 5: Alicization Exploding. The Human Empire is invaded by the Dark Territory Army. The main characters have parallel storylines as they resist the Dark Army in various ways in different locations.
• Part 6: Alicization Awakening. The battle of the Underworld continues with Alice traveling to the World’s End Altar and the rest of our heroes trying to save the world’s first and so far only type of artificial intelligence.
• Part 7: Alicization Lasting. Alice reaches the World’s End Altar and the final battle takes place between various forces and Kirito, Asuna, and their various allies. Alice disappears, but it appears she has mailed herself in digital form to his house. They return to Cardina, the Human Empire, as legendary heroes.

Part of the marketing was that this was the conclusion to not only the Alicization arc but the whole anime franchise. However, that only refers to this timeline. The anime series continued with the story of Gun Gale Online.

The Game Clearing Event Commercial

Part Of The Hype For The Next SAO Anime

• Aired on November 7th, 2024, on the 12th anniversary of Kirito winning the game.

According to the lore of Sword Art Online, Kirito beat the final boss of the original game on November 7th. This live action “news update” even records the time, 2:55pm, and shows the scene immediately after the final battle when the world starts to erode.

This commercial is a tribute to the character’s victory, and also part of the PR campaign that included both the release of the video game Fractured Daydream and the debut of the next anime series. The commercial is in Japanese and describes the final boss and announces that 6000 surviving players are waking up from their MMO-induced comas.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

A New MMO And A New Adventure

The story of Gun Gale Online has now been released, this time without many of the characters from the original series, making this feel like more of a true spinoff. The first season was released in 2018 and was the first SOA-related series not to feature any of the main characters.

Even Shinon from Sword Art Online II: Phantom Bullet, which is another incanrnation of Kazuto Kirigaya’s avatar, is absent from the cast, but his legacy lives on in another online game with an equally immersive game called Gun Gale Online. The system that ran the original SAO was deemed too dangerous to be used again and destroyed, but there’s a new system called the AmuSphere that’s been developed, and it’s led to a resurgence of MMOs, including Gun Gale Online.

Karen Kohiruimaki is the main character this time, and one of her defining features is being self-concious of her height, and has chosen to play Gun Gale Online because the game has the perfect avatar. In the game, her name is Llen, and she has a distinctive pick outfit which includes a matching gun.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

Six Years Later, Season Two Launches

The second season of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online begins with the same protagonist, the avatar of Llen as played by Karen, engaged in some co-op team action. This continues neatly from the previous season, which ended with Llen and Pitohui returning to the game together.

Pitohui and Llen combine their teams to work together instead of against each other, as the gaming area is slowly reduced to a small island. Rather than just an FPS fight, the players are also given a survivalist challenge. The show is currently only up to episode five and our heroes are still trapped between several others also vying for the winning position, which at this point is just a question of not getting killed.