Isekai anime is one of the most successful anime genres and have quickly risen to popularity and begun dominating the animation field with new series being produced and released every season. The isekai genre has brought dozens of amazing stories to fans all over the world, where an ordinary person is transported to another fantasy world, usually filled with monsters, magic, and a chance to be a hero. Sword Art Online was released in 2012 and received overwhelming praise as fans flocked to the anime for its unique concept, exciting story, and fan-favorite character, Kirito.
Set in a not-too-distant future where hyper-realistic virtual worlds are now mainstream, video games now take place using sophisticated gear that allows gamers to log into a world and feel like they are really there. Unfortunately, things go awry when the creator of the next big massively multiplayer game traps hundreds of players in the world, where if they die in the game, they die in real life. Kirito fights alongside the other players hoping to escape the game and return to the real world. Sword Art Online remains one of the top isekai anime and has released several seasons and animated films since its initial release.
9 Sword Art Online: Extra Edition
After the success of the first season of Sword Art Online, a special episode was released that foreshadowed the future season. In this single-release episode, Kirito, along with Asuna and others, visit the SAO survivor school for counseling.
The main plot of the episode is Kirto's first encounter with Seijiro Kikuoka, who seeks to adapt the accomplishments of his predecessor and learn as much about the SAO event for his own secret motives. While this special is mostly filler, it does serve as a setup for the future seasons of Sword Art Online.
8 Sword Art Online 2: Phantom Bullet
In the second season of Sword Art Online, Kirito is brought into a new game that has seemingly begun affecting the real world. Just a short time after escaping the SOA incident, Kirito is approached by the government and asked to investigate Gun Gale Online, where a single individual is able to kill other players in the game and in real life.
Gun Gale Online is a substantially different world from SAO and focuses heavily on gunplay and war-like combat of the modern era. Kirito befriends another player, Shino, and the two work together in order to draw out the Phantom shooter and bring him down.
7 Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is the first spin-off series of the original anime, Sword Art Online, and is the only series not to feature Kirito as a character. Instead, this season follows Karen, a university student struggling with her self-confidence.
In an attempt to escape her intrusive thoughts, Karen dives into Gun Gale Online and becomes the talk of the town for her impressive skill and uniquely small avatar. Karen is talked into competing in GGO's Battle Royale tournament, and with everyone out to get the infamous desert pink munchkin, she'll have to take on all comers.
6 Sword Art Alicization
Sword Art Online: Alicization could be considered a spin-off and a continuation of the Sword Art Online story. Now working for a corporation seeking to revolutionize virtual reality, Kirito is employed to test its new technology. Kirito finds himself trapped in yet another online virtual reality game after being injured in the real world, where he finds himself living another life with no memory of what came before.
Kirito and his NPC best friend in the game, Eugeo, must now take on the Underworld game world in hopes of finding their lost friend Alice, who has been taken for breaking a sacred rule in the game world.
5 Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale
Ordinal Scale was the first animated film after the original Sword Art Online series aired. The story is set just a few years after the SAO event, where most of the survivors are attempting to live a normal life. However, in the shadow of the virtual reality crisis, a new fad has risen to take its place.
A new device that augments reality has become all the rage and allows for playing a game in the real world. When Asuna and many other SAO survivors are targeted by the devices program and put in danger, Kirito must put a stop to a sinister plan of revenge or lose everything.
4 Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo Of A Deep Night
Sword Art Online: Scherzo of a Deep Night is the second progressive animated film of the Sword Art Online franchise and the third movie in the franchise overall. Proceeding just a few months after the events of Starless Night, Deep Night continues to explore the history between Asuna and Kirito before the assault on the final floor.
Asuna and Kirito's strength grows, and as an aggressive march is made to clear floors as quickly as possible, new difficulties in the relationship between players arise and threaten to begin a war.
3 Sword Art Online: Alicization - War Of The Underworld
War of the Underworld is the second part of the Sword Art Online: Alicization series. Kirito, still trapped inside the game world created by Rath called Underworld, is put in even more danger when his outside body comes under threat. With Kirito unable to function in the game, it is up to Alice to protect her savior and the world from the approaching doom.
However, Asuna decides to brave the virtual world in an attempt to save her beloved's life and the Underworld itself. Facing a war on two fronts, Asuna and Alice must work together to recover Kirito and then put a stop to the calamity that is hastily approaching.
2 Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria Of A Starless Night
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Starless Night is the first Progressive film of the Sword Art Online franchise and is a sort of retelling of the original events of the game and exploring the many years that occurred prior to the final assault.
Uniquely, Starless Night dives into Asuna's experiences from first logging into the game, diving deep into the challenges she faced, and the encounters she had before meeting Kirito. As months pass, Asuna barely holds it together as she tries to find the warrior she becomes before the game robs her of her life.
1 Sword Art Online: Season 1
The opening season of Sword Art Online is the premiere that changed the anime community forever. The introduction to thousands of players being trapped in a fantasy game world where they must fight to survive wowed viewers worldwide.
The lone solo player, Kirito, became one of the most celebrated characters in the world as fans followed his story as an early game beta tester to the legendary player known as the black swordsman. Sword Art Online Season 1 is considered the standard for the majority of isekai anime being released currently for its thrilling fights and emotional plot lines.