Right after Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld reached its final episode, the next chapter of the Sword Art Online franchise was announced. Interestingly enough, it is not the next continuation of the story but rather a look back to what most fans consider to be the best arc in the franchise, the Aincrad Arc. Aincrad arc was the one that started everything for the Sword Art Online franchise, and was also the one that made the fans fall in love with SAO. Unfortunately, it only covers about the first half of the first season. Either because he realized that the fans wanted more of Aincrad or because he has more story to tell, Reki Kawahara, the writer of the Sword Art Online light novel, published a new series called Sword Art Online: Progressive at relatively the same time as the Alicization.Sword Art Online: Progressive tells the story of the iconic duo of Kirito and Asuna during their early days in Aincrad. The first movie adaptation was released in 2021 while the second one will hit theaters in 2022. These movies cover the duo's adventure as they explore the first couple of levels in Aincrad. Fans of the series welcomed this movie adaptation with open arms and the movie itself proves to be one of the best things that ever happened to the franchise. Sword Art Online: Progressive truly makes the series’ best Arc even better, and here's why.
An Expansion to the Most Exciting Story in Sword Art Online
Aincrad represents one of the best, if not the best, story arcs in the entire Sword Art Online franchise. The things that made it stood out from the rest of the arcs in the series were the characters and the settings. Sure, every story arc in Sword Art Online features Kirito, Asuna, and a slew of other familiar characters, but Aincrad is where they were introduced and properly developed.
After Aincrad, there's not much development for the original cast of characters, especially Kirito. Moreover, Aincrad also has such a rich and wondrous world that begged to be explored. From the vast landscape, curious creatures, unique monsters, breathtaking locales, there are just so many wonderful things to be explored within Aincrad. The first half of the first season was simply not enough to see what Aincrad has to offer.
That is pretty much why the SAO: Progressive movies are such a great idea. These movies give fans what they've been wanting all along, which is a deeper exploration into every nook and cranny of Aincrad. Since it tells the story of the times when Kirito and Asuna first spent some time together, fans also get the chance to follow their journey right from the very beginning, instead of the sudden timeskip that happens in the original series.
Exploring the More Game-like Aspects of the Aincrad Arc
Sword Art Online is essentially an isekai anime. However, unlike other isekai anime where the protagonist found themselves in a new fantasy world, the characters in SAO were stuck in a fantasy game world. Both concepts might include swords and monsters, but the key difference between SAO and the rest is the fact that SAO is an MMORPG game.
That means there are quests to take on, missions to complete, key NPCs to talk to, items to find, weapons to create, and compiling hints and strategies needed to defeat the floor bosses. Those are the important aspects of the story that will be explored more deeply in SAO: Progressive movies.
SAO: Progressive will see Kirito and Asuna exploring the early levels in Aincrad in order to find new quests and other activities that fans usually do in an MMORPG game. There's drama, romance, and exciting action sequences here, but the story itself puts a heavy emphasis on that exploration and game-like elements. That is what makes it so intriguing to watch compared to similar isekai anime.
The Story Unfolds Through Asuna's Point of View
Sword Art Online, from the very first season to the latest Alicization Arc, is basically the story of Kirito. The tale and struggle of the swordsman clad in black is always the focus of the story. Viewers see everything that happened in Sword Art Online through the eyes of this lone wolf.
That is not the case at all in Sword Art Online: Progressive. As mentioned before, the story will still revolve around the two main characters as they explore Aincrad and develop their relationship. However, for the first time in the franchise, fans will see the story unfolding through Asuna’s perspective.
This creates an entirely different dynamic than what the fans have seen in the first season of the series. Asuna's generally positive and optimistic outlook paints a very different picture than the brooding and calculating Kirito. That is why despite knowing how the story will progress, SAO: Progressive can somehow still feel new and fresh.
Numerous fans of the original Sword Art Online series have slowly but surely left the franchise due to what seems to be highly repetitive stories. Even those who decided to stick to it may find themselves wondering where else the story can take Kirito after Alicization. The answer is apparently not in the future, but instead lies neatly in the past. By expanding and revitalizing the Aincrad arc, Sword Art Online manages to make the series' best arc even better.