Summary
Originally released as a web novel in 2002,Sword Art Online(SAO)has achieved massive notoriety worldwide, spawning multiple light novels, anime and manga series, as well as games, movies and much more. While anime fans may be well acquainted withthe Isekai genreby now, whenSAOfirst came onto the scene it was still a relatively novel idea, especially due to the nature of its subject matter.
SAOwas one of the first mainstream series focusing on online gaming, VR and many other technologies that would only become more relevant in the decades to come. The series has taken fans to many new places over the years, but it all started with one of the most famous settings in anime; Aincrad.
The Journey Begins - Introducing the World of Aincrad
Sword Art Onlinebegins by introducing us to ourprotagonist, Kazuto Kirigaya. This is only his IRL name though, as he goes by Kirito in-game and among friends (combining the “Kiri” from Kirigaya and “To” from “Kazuto”). He is a massive video game fan and seemingly an avid follower of the developer of an incredibly promising new game,Sword Art Online. But not only is the game promising, so is the technology behind it.
Creator Akihiko Kayaba and his team developed a VR technology known as NerveGear, offering an incredibly immersive VR experience known as “Full-Dive”, that allows players to fully experience the world of Aincrad (and possibly more), as if it were real-life. You can taste the in-game food, smell in-game flowers, and as we come to find out, feel in-game pain. Kirito has been a beta tester forSAO, and as we begin the story, we learn that the long-awaited launch day has finally arrived.
However, Kirito’s experiences in the beta will not have prepared him for the ultimate test that the launch of the game ultimately brings. As Kirito attempts to log out, we learn a shocking truth. The log-out button has been removed. Those who have journeyed to Aincrad using the NerveGear are now stuck in the game, and attempting to remove the device will ultimately kill the user. Finally, one of the most infamous revelations in pop culture becomes clear; if you die in the game, you die in real life/
If I die in the game, I’ll die in real life!
Climbing the Floors of Aincrad
The Players Face the Reality of This Death Game
In the anime, it is revealed that in the Beta, Kirito had already made it to Floor 8. Like the setup of many MMOs, you cannot progress to the next area (in Aincrad’s case, “floors”) until youbeat a final boss. Due to terrifying rumors and the ever-present worry of real-life death, it takes the players a long time to finally find and confront the boss of Floor 1. This is where the very real stakes of this “death game” become apparent. The players argue about the responsibility of the beta testers, claiming that they did not provide enough help for the many players who were already killed (we learn that 2,000 players have already died without Floor 1 being passed, and we know that around 10,000 copies of the game have already been sold).
After much conflict, players begin to band together to locate and defeat the floor boss, with the goal of continuing to work together to progress through the game and ultimately win. It is through this initiative that Kirito initially meets up with Asuna, his partner, not only for this boss raid event, but for most of the rest ofSword Art Online’s adventures. Asuna is at first a bit apprehensive as she is unfamiliar with MMOs, and without friends of her own to rely on. But after a horrifying surprise leads to the organizer of the raid team dying and Kirito ultimately going off on his own again, Asuna resolves to fight harder and not let this game beat her.
I’d rather stay the way I am until the last moment. Even if a monster beats me and I die, I won’t lose to this game or this world.
MMOs Are Truly a Multiplayer Experience
Our Characters Learn Why It Can Be Necessary (and Devastating) to Rely on Others
There is a bit of time that passes before Asuna and Kirito really team up again, and during that period Kirito experiences a lot of hope and heartbreak. It is revealed that at one point he had joined a guild and was trying to be more of a “team player”. But due to a tragic situation where his team got caught unprepared, his guild members ultimately perished. From then on, he vowed to be a solo player, but no matter how hard he tried, he would consistently come across another person trying to make their way through Aincrad, people who he could not help but leave a mark on.
When he finally meets back up with Asuna, they are tasked with uncovering a mystery that threatens the safety of players ofSAO, and is one of the first times they question the mechanics of this game. While they may have butted heads, they ultimately become closer through this encounter. It is the next time they meet up, when fighting yet another boss, that their relationship is really challenged. After close calls with their lives, Kirito and Asuna take a break from the duties of the game,recognize their feelings for each otherand decide to get married and retire to a cabin in the woods.
But eventually, after many other misadventures (they manage to acquire an AI program that they adopt as their “daughter”), they return to the frontlines. After a major fight with heavy casualties on Floor 75, it is revealed that the creator ofSAO, Akihito Kayaba, was in fact the leader of the main boss raid team this entire time,plotting on his own within the game, unbeknownst to any of the players. Upon being discovered, Kayaba offers Kirito a chance to free all the players ofSAOif he can succeed where he had failed before: to beat him in a duel.
The End of Aincrad?
Kirito Faces Off With Kayaba Once and For All
Kirito, having realized that Kayaba essentially made himself unbeatable, considers that this may be an ultimately foolhardy pursuit, but decides to face off against Kayaba anyway. During the duel, with Kayaba preparing to deliver the final blow to Kirito, Asuna sacrifices herself and takes the hit meant to finish him. In a rage, Kirito rises again, and manages toovercome Kayaba’s strength and defeat him. Kirito is then transported to a new place where Kayaba explains that he has released all the players and details the true motives behind his Aincrad experiment. Kirito then reunites with Asuna, who is revealed to still be alive. With this knowledge, along with the determination to meet her in the real world, Kirito finally exits the game, as the arc ends with Kirito in a weakened state, looking for Asuna.
