Sword Art Online: 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 light novels, anime television series, and movies for both television and theaters. The video game section of the Sword Art Online franchise has 16 titles. It’s a lot of media for one franchise, even in the anime category.

Even fans of the series might be overwhelmed as they try and keep up with new material, so new fans have a lot of catching up to do. The series is easy to find on a variety of streaming services, but there’s an ideal order to watch them. Keeping an eye on the Story Arcs, which are numbered, is one of the guidelines.

The series’ aesthetic is intended to be surreal, so the setting and characters might seem fantastical or even inconsistent, even if viewed in the recommended SAO watch order. The anime doesn’t dramatically deviate from the manga or light novels, and reading the literature isn’t mandatory to understand any of the anime. This order also doesn’t include spinoffs, which are optional for viewers more interested in the expanded lore.

Updated March 10, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: The world of Sword Art Online has reached a tentative resolution with the completion of the Alicization arc. The door is still open for more additions to the SAO movies and shows, along with other sections of the popular franchise. There are a few dropped story threads and a promise that the main character will be back, even though every series comes to a permanent conclusion. That means there will likely be another series coming soon, and even more to add to this list in the future.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Sword Art Online (2012)

Two Story Arcs, 25 Episodes

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 (2021)

Movie Based On The Light Novel

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 (2022)

Movie Based On The Light Novel

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.

TV Movie Special

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.

Sword Art Online II (2014)

The Phantom Bullet Arc, 24 Episodes

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 (2017)

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 (2018-2019)

Parts 1 to 3, Story Arc 4, 24 Episodes

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.

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War Of The Underworld (2019-2020)

12 Episodes

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 (2020)

Parts 4 to 7, Story Arc 4, 11 Episodes

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.

Chronologically, this is the last series in the franchise, and part of the marketing was that this was the conclusion to not only the Alicization arc but the whole anime franchise. However, that doesn’t rule out OVAs, SAO movies, or video games.