Sword Art Online popularized the idea of virtual world isekais - to the point of dividing anime fandom into whether its take on a power fantasy is “too much” or “just right” to be entertaining. Criticisms aside, Sword Art Online has had a decent run throughout the years, with the story evolving outside the core “Sword Art Online” MMO and into new games with equally-dangerous challenges.
As with any evolving anime story, each new Sword Art Online arc boasts a new setting, new characters, and a new threat to be faced. With each SAO arc being more or less a “standalone” story, it’s not surprising for fans to compare them with each other. However, just which SAO arc dominates the rest?
Updated on May 8, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With the anime series Sword Art Online Progressive - Scherzo Of A Dark Dusk set to release in Fall 2022, fans of the video game isekai franchise have a new anime film to look forward to, set in the separate SAO Progressive light novel continuity. While the first film Aria Of A Starless Night showed Asuna’s perspective on the horrors of players stuck on the first floor of the “Sword Art Online” death game, Scherzo Of A Dark Dusk adapts the fourth volume that tells of Kirito’s trials in the game’s fifth floor. While the Progressive films so far cover a retelling of events in the first arc of the anime, fans of the franchise might get intrigued as to what other arcs - and games - the Sword Art Online franchise offers.
9 Calibur
- Anime: Season 2, Episodes 15 to 17
Given the emphasis on the plot, it’s no surprise that both the Aincrad and Fairy Dance arcs compromised a bit of character development for the sake of the story. Thankfully, the Calibur mini-arc features sets of stories taking place in both the world of Aincrad and ALO that try to cement the roles of side characters inside and outside of Kirito’s circle. The story arc culminates when all characters join Kirito in a hunt for the Holy Sword Excalibur.
Despite the added depth to characters in the series, Calibur proves there’s perhaps more value to the core Sword Art Online experience when viewed from the lens of separate stories instead of being solely about Kirito’s exploits. Sadly, the lack of this emphasis and the focus of Calibur to just flesh out characters make it more of an arc for development compensation instead of a solid release.
Season’s Highlight
The unique nature of each side story in the Calibur arc definitely fleshes out the personalities of the main cast so far, which makes it a welcome development for Kirito’s appropriately-criticized “harem.” No longer do the likes of Lisbeth, Silica, and Yui become “waifu material” for fans but rather characters in their own right. Unfortunately, there’s not much development on their end in the other seasons beyond this arc, making Calibur a source of both character potential and unnecessary frustrations.
8 War Of The Underworld
- Anime: Alicization - War of the Underworld, Episodes 25 to 47
Serving as the second part of the Alicization season in Sword Art Online, War of the Underworld largely adapts the concluding chapters of the Project Alicization arc in the novels. Taking place in the climax of the Alicization arc, the War will have Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice reuniting to stop an impending threat from ruining their lives in the Underworld.
Unfortunately, aside from the rather heroic pretext, War of the Underworld leaves much to be desired in other elements. Flashy and stylistic combat aside, there are not just a lot of redeemable qualities that separate War of the Underworld from the rest of the series. Aside from unnecessary mature scenes, there are power scaling problems and narrative progression mishaps that just neutralize its climactic moments.
Season’s Highlight
Unlike other seasons, it’s perhaps War of the Underworld that definitely taps into the deeper and more mature aspects of the anime’s narrative and plot. This is supposedly where the hard VR elements of the anime go full circle, forcing not just Kirito and Alice but also everyone around them to reevaluate their position as “players” in a game world that its denizens treat as real.
7 Fairy Dance
- Anime: Season 1, Episodes 15 to 25
It’s such a shame for Fairy Dance to become quite a disappointment among critics and fans alike, especially due to the hype from the original Sword Art Online experience. Taking place soon after the Aincrad Arc, Kirito ventures into the fairy-themed MMO ALfheim Online after discovering that Asuna, who has yet to awaken from the hospital since the end of “SAO,” is held captive there. Now donning wings and accompanied by the mysterious Leafa, Kirito will fight to awaken his love amid a clan war amongst ALO’s different player groups.
A lot of fans criticize Fairy Dance for its rather odd take on narrative and mixture of tropes. Aside from a captive and helpless Asuna being too out of character for the strong heroine, the lowkey incestuous elements and some cringy scenes make Fairy Dance an arc to just forget entirely.
Season’s Highlight
Despite contention regarding the arc’s approach to the narrative, Fairy Dance does introduce a lot of elements absent from the first story. Compared to “SAO,” the fantasy setting of “ALO” is a welcome change of pace, and the addition of various fairy clans with various abilities is certainly an intriguing element in the overall lore of the VRMMO. Unfortunately, the lack of these gameplay elements in the core plot made Fairy Dance a bit lackluster in terms of execution.
6 Ordinal Scale
- Anime: Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale
Albeit a complete mini-arc in the light novels, Ordinal Scale becomes a full-fledged Sword Art Online film - and within reason, given its revolution around augmented reality (AR) gaming, and not virtual. Taking place soon after Phantom Bullet, Kirito and his friends get dragged into the AR craze courtesy of a nifty gadget and a new MMO, “Ordinal Scale.” However, things go awry when players not only encounter monsters from “Sword Art Online” but also start losing their memories from their experience in the VR game.
Despite having enough tools for a standalone story, Ordinal Scale falls apart soon when fans start studying its premise further. It’s one thing to be skilled in sword fighting in a VR game - but to translate those skills in real life through AR is just a bit too good to be true. Regardless, the short narrative of Ordinal Scale provides just enough action and drama to be bearable.
Season’s Highlight
While the “realism” in the film can be contested by fans, it’s the integration of the AR craze during the popularity of Pokemon GO that definitely makes Ordinal Scale stand apart from other seasons. Their depiction of how AR could affect the VR-heavy world of Sword Art Online canon is a nice change of pace from the anime’s niche.
5 Project Alicization
- Anime: Alicization Episodes 1 to 24
The Project Alicization Arc serves as one of the longer story arcs in Sword Art Online, earning both the irk and admiration of fans and critics alike. Taking place soon after the Phantom Bullet Arc, private company Rath contacts Kirito to test their advanced machine called the Soul Translator. To preserve the tests, Kirito’s real memories will be blocked in the game and vice versa. However, with an accident causing Kirito to stay in the Underworld with both his real and virtual memories intact, trouble ensues.
Project Alicization is by far the longest story arc in the entire series, and perhaps the most philosophical. Given the advanced nature of the Soul Translator, author Reki Kawahara dabbles into the nature of souls and AI with a more grandiose “grand scheme of things” writing.
Season’s Highlight
It’s Project Alicization that pushes the limits of the franchise further by fully going “virtual” in their reality. Despite the sometimes far-fetched ideas presented in the story, Alicization's focus on hard sci-fi and concepts such as “true” AI and virtual reality is a treat to sci-fi fans. This is definitely a new style compared to what fans have experienced and is a welcome change to those who want a look into the bigger real-world implications of the series’ concepts.
4 Mother’s Rosario
- Anime: Season 2, Episodes 18 to 24
Serving as a standalone side story during the events of Fairy Dance, Mother’s Rosario will have Asuna visit the mysterious player Yuuki, who offers an 11-hit Original Sword Skill called “Mother’s Rosario” to whoever gets to defeat her. However, her duel with Asuna abruptly stops when she asks her for help with a very personal problem.
Despite Mother’s Rosario being a short story arc with its own shortcomings, this manages to place Asuna’s superiority as the “OG” among Kirito’s harem in Sword Art Online. Asuna eventually becomes the center of fan criticism towards Sword Art Online, particularly for her having a more defined personality compared to Kirito. Others clamor for stories where Asuna takes the reins, and Mother’s Rosario finally delivers.
Season’s Highlight
Asuna fans will definitely have a blast throughout Mother Rosario, especially for how it helps further characterize Asuna as a character separate from being a member of Kirito’s “harem.” This reaffirms her place as the OG “waifu” for the protagonist, which may or may not satisfy fans. However, what remains divisive over this arc is how the main season’s delegation of her as a side character in most instances makes Mother’s Rosario her best depiction.
3 Progressive
- Anime: Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria Of A Starless Night
The original Sword Art Online received flak for its narrative that demanded character investment when said narrative lacked events that cemented character relationships. The Progressive line of light novels aims to change this as they provide a more cohesive experience of the Aincrad Arc, complete with side stories that emphasize other characters.
Despite being a decent rework of the first arc, Progressive will lack the “oomph” that made OG SAO attractive in the first place. This is especially the case with the anime film Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria Of A Starless Night, which is an in-depth retelling of Kirito and Asuna’s initial encounters. While Kirigaya “Gary Stu” Kazuto receives more character development in Progressive, one can’t deny that the OG “strongest-for-no-reason” direction for Kirito in the original Aincrad Arc makes him all the more iconic.
Season’s Highlight
Given the divisive nature of the first arc of the anime, the Progressive series definitely capitalizes on the anime’s strengths and pushes it to the limit throughout the story. The more condensed plot gives room for further character development and interactions, making the arc a great re-introduction to fans of the franchise and a redeeming element for fans who began to stray away from it.
2 Phantom Bullet
- Season 2, Episodes 1 to 14.5
A murder mystery is the last thing one would think of for an action-adventure series like Sword Art Online, yet somehow the Phantom Bullet Arc is able to deliver. Taking place in a VR shooter called “Gun Gale Online,” Kirito gets dragged into finding the player known as “Death Gun” - purportedly capable of killing both GGO character and its avatar in the real world. Aside from getting a female avatar, Kirito meets elusive sniper Sinon, who gets to help him in solving this mystery.
Despite its rather fast pace and story progression, Phantom Bullet remains one of the more comprehensive story arcs that makes SAO bearable even to critics. GGO was a welcome change to the other VRMMOs given its military fiction motif - and Kirito one-upping most shooters with the supposedly weak beam saber is a good callback to knifing in FPS games.
Season’s Highlight
It’s perhaps the radical change of atmosphere that gives Phantom Bullet the backdrop it needs for its murder mystery premise. The shift of genres from the typical fantasy VRMMO format into the military motif of the game is a love letter for FPS fans, and it’s a delight seeing the new cast wear tacticool-inspired outfits. Not to mention, gender-bent Kirito is also a dream come true for specific fan fiction fans.
1 Aincrad Arc
- Season 1, Episodes 1 to 14
It’s unsurprising for an extended series like Sword Art Online to have its first arc as its most iconic. The Aincrad Arc introduces Kirito - Kirigaya Kazuto - and his remarkable expertise in the realm of online gaming. He’s part of the unlucky gamers to be unable to log out of the new VR MMO “Sword Art Online” at the behest of its creator, Kayaba Akihiko. If Kirito and the other trapped gamers ever wish to get out of the game, they need to clear the boss from its top floor. But there’s a catch: dying in “SAO” means dying in real life.
With “Aincrad” referring to “Sword Art Online”’s game world, the Aincrad Arc served as the most cohesive and the most straightforward of the series’ arcs. Aside from introducing Kirito and his closest companions, it offers decent worldbuilding and a so-so narrative. Granted, Aincrad lacks the depth of character development offered by Progressive, but it remains the perfect way to introduce fans to the OG SAO experience.
Season’s Highlight
The anime’s first arc is evidently the best when it comes to representing both the stakes of the anime and worldbuilding elements common throughout the rest of the seasons. The sheer emphasis on their version of current virtual reality tech and how it translates into the gameplay of the original “SAO” game can tickle the imagination of any MMO lover who watches it.