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.

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.

Sword Art Online
An anime adaptation of volumes 1-4 of the light novel. Aired for 24 episodes between July 8, 2012 and December 23, 2012

Sword Art Online II
An anime adaptation of volumes 5-8 of the light novel. Aired for 24 episodes between July 5, 2014 and December 20, 2014

Sword Art Online: Alicization
An anime adaptation of volumes 9-14 of the light novel. Aired for 24 episodes between October 7, 2018 and March 31, 2019

Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld
An anime adaptation of volumes 15-18 of the light novel. Aired for 23 episodes. The first 12 aired between October 13, 2019 and December 29, 2019. The remaining 11 episodes aired between July 12, 2020 and September 20, 2020

Sword Art Online The Movie: The Aria of the Night without Stars
An animated movie adapting the first volumes of Sword Art Online: Progressive. It is set to air in 2021.