Sword Art Online

is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec, which has been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2009.

The series has been licensed for an English release by Yen Press under their Yen On imprint.

Synopsis
In the year 2022, virtual reality has progressed by leaps and bounds, and a massive online role-playing game called Sword Art Online (SAO) is launched. With the aid of "NerveGear" technology, players can control their avatars within the game using nothing but their own thoughts.

Kazuto Kirigaya, nicknamed "Kirito," is among the lucky few enthusiasts who get their hands on the first shipment of the game. He logs in to find himself, with ten-thousand others, in the scenic and elaborate world of Aincrad, one full of fantastic medieval weapons and gruesome monsters. However, in a cruel turn of events, the players soon realize they cannot log out; the game's creator has trapped them in his new world until they complete all one hundred levels of the game.

In order to escape Aincrad, Kirito will now have to interact and cooperate with his fellow players. Some are allies, while others are foes, like Asuna Yuuki, who commands the leading group attempting to escape from the ruthless game. To make matters worse, Sword Art Online is not all fun and games: if they die in Aincrad, they die in real life. Kirito must adapt to his new reality, fight for his survival, and hopefully break free from his virtual hell.

Characters

 * Kirigaya Kazuto / Kirito
 * Yuuki Asuna / Asuna
 * Alice Zuberg
 * Kirigaya Suguha / Leafa
 * Asada Shino / Sinon
 * Eugeo
 * Yui
 * Rika Shinozaki / Lisbeth
 * Ayano Keiko / Silica
 * Tsuboi Ryoutarou / Klein
 * Andrew Gilbert Mills / Agil
 * Konno Yuuki / Yuuki
 * Hosaka Tomo / Argo

Sword Art Online: Aincrad
The manga adaptation of the first two volumes of the light novel: with art by Tamako Nakamura. It was serialised in Dengeki Bunko Magazine and published under the Dengeki Comics imprint from September 2012.

Sword Art Online: Fairy Dance
The manga adaptation of the third and fourth of the light novel: with art by Tsubasa Hazuki. It was serialised in Dengeki Bunko Magazine and published under the Dengeki Comics imprint from October 2012.

Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet
The manga adaptation of the fifth and sixth of the light novel: with art by Koutarou Yamada. It was serialised on ComicWalker and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from September 2014.

Sword Art Online: Mother's Rosario
The manga adaptation of the seventh of the light novel: with art by Tsubasa Hazuki. It was serialised in Dengeki Bunko Magazine and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from December 2014.

Sword Art Online: Calibur
The manga adaptation of the part of the eighth of the light novel: with art by Kiya Shii. It was serialised in Dengeki G's Comic and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from August 2015.

Sword Art Online: Project Alicization
The manga adaptation of volume 9-18 of the light novel: with art by Koutarou Yamada. It was serialised on Web DenPlay Comic and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from October 2017.

Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly
The manga adaptation of 22nd volume the light novel: with art by Bekkourico. It was serialised in Dengeki Maoh and was published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from March 2020.

Sword Art Online: Re:Aincrad
The manga adaptation of the aspects of the Aincrad arc that were not included in the anime adaptation. It features art by ???. It is serialised in Dengeki Daioh and set to release under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint.

Sword Art Online: Girls Ops
The manga spin-off based on the light novel: with art by Neko Nekobyou. It was serialised in Dengeki Bunko Magazine and later Web DenPlay Comic. It was published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from July 2014.

Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (Manga)
The manga adaptation of the anime original movie based on the light novel: with art by IsII. It was serialised on Web DenPlay Comic and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from March 2017.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization
The manga adaptation of the video game spin-off based on the light novel: with art by Tomo Hirokawa. It was serialised in Dengeki Maoh and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from March 2017.

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris
The manga adaptation of the video game spin-off based on the light novel: with art by Tomo Hirokawa. It was serialised on Web DenPlay Comic and published under the Dengeki Comics NEXT imprint from May 2020.

Anime
The anime adaptation of the light novel, produced by A-1 Pictures, released in 4 seasons between 2012 and 2020.
 * see: Sword Art Online (Anime)

Related Series

 * Sword Art Online: Progressive (Retelling of Aincrad Arc)
 * Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (Spin-Off)
 * Sword Art Online Alternative: Clover's Regret (Spin-Off)