How to Watch Sword Art Online Series in Right Order

Have you been looking for the right sequence in which to watch the Sword Art Online series? If so, then this article is just for you.

In this article, I’m going to tell you how to watch the Sword Art Online series in order so that you can get the most out of this entertaining and action-packed series. Read On!

Sword Art Online is a series that has become quite popular in recent years. It is a series that has a large fanbase and is loved by many. The series centers around a virtual reality game called Sword Art Online. 

The game starts off with a group of people trying to finish the game, but instead, they get stuck in it forever. Now I will tell you how to watch the Sword Art Online series in order so that you can enjoy them all without any hesitation.

How many episodes are in the Sword Art Online Series?

There are a total of 96 episodes in the “Sword Art Online” series. “The World of Swords” is the first episode of the Sword Art Online series and “New World” is the last episode of the Sword Art Online series. We highly recommend watching the episodes in order to avoid any confusion and to truly enjoy the story arc.

Sword Art Online Series in Order of Release Date

Sword Art Online is a popular manga series written and illustrated by Reki Kawahara. It has been adapted into multiple anime series of the same title. The series follows a boy named Kirito, who becomes trapped in a game of sword fighting and is forced to form a group of allies in order to survive.

But with so many parts in the series, it can be tough for people to watch them in order. To help you out, I’ve provided a list of the Sword Art Online series in order of release date.

1. TV Series

• Season 1: Sword Art Online (2012)
• Season 2: Sword Art Online II (2014)
• Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (2018)
• Season 3, Part 1: Sword Art Online: Alicization (2018–19)
• Season 3, Part 2: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld (2019–20)
• Season 3, Part 3: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2 (2020)

2. Movies

• Sword Art Online: Extra Edition (2013)
• Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (2017)
• Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night (2021)

3. ONAs

• Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet: The Third Episode – Pilot-ban (2018)

4. Specials

• Sword Art Online: Sword Art Offline (2013)
• Sword Art Online: Extra Edition (2013)
• Sword Art Online: Sword Art Offline – Extra Edition (2014)
• Sword Art Online II: Debriefing (2014)
• Sword Art Online II: Sword Art Offline II (2014)
• Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale – Sword Art Offline (2017)
• Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet: The Third Episode (2018)
• Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online – Refrain (2018)
• Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Reflection (2018)
• Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Recap (2020)

5. Upcoming

• Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of a Dark Dusk (2022)

Sword Art Online Series in Chronological Order of Events

Now I will give you a detailed list to watch the Sword Art Online series in chronological order so that you can understand the complete story without any hesitation. Keep reading!

• Season 1: Sword Art Online
• Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
• Sword Art Online: Extra Edition
• Season 2: Sword Art Online II
• Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
• Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale
• Season 3, Part 1: Sword Art Online: Alicization
• Season 3, Part 2: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld
• Season 3, Part 3: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2

1. Season 1: Sword Art Online

• Year: 2012
• Director: Tomohiko Itō
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Bryce Papenbrook, Cassandra Lee Morris, Michelle Ruff, Christine Marie Cabanos.
• IMDb Rating: ***
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

The first season of the Sword Art Online anime series was directed by Tomohiko Itō and produced by A-1 Pictures. It was first released on July 8, 2012, and ran for 25 episodes until December 23, 2012.

The first season follows the story of Kirito, a player who is trapped in a virtual reality world called Sword Art Online. In the game, the players can only escape by clearing all 100 floors of the game.

The first season introduces the characters and the virtual world of Sword Art Online. Kirito meets Asuna, who becomes his partner and love interest, and they work together to clear the game. The first season ends with Kirito and Asuna defeating the final boss and escaping Sword Art Online.

2. Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night

• Year: 2021
• Director: Ayako Kōno
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Inori Minase, Hiroaki Hirata, Hiroki Yasumoto, Rina Hidaka.
• IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%

The Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night was directed by Ayako Kōno and written by Reki Kawahara and produced by A-1 Pictures. The series is a spin-off of the original Sword Art Online story and focuses on Kirito and Asuna’s adventures after the events of the Fairy Dance Arc.

Aria of a Starless Night picks up right where the previous book, War of the Underworld, left off. Kirito and Asuna are now married and have a daughter, Yui. Together, they must face new challenges and protect their loved ones from the dangers that lurk in the virtual world.

If you’re a fan of Sword Art Online, be sure to check out the Progressive series! It’s a great way to continue the story and see what happens to your favourite characters.

3. Sword Art Online: Extra Edition

• Year: 2013
• Director: Tomohiko Itō
• Cast: Erica Lindbeck, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Ayana Taketatsu, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Haruka Tomatsu, Hiroaki Hirata.
• IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is a TV special that was released on December 31, 2013. It takes place between the first and second seasons of Sword Art Online and features an original story with Kirito and Asuna.

The story follows Kirito as he’s contacted by Seijirou Kikuoka from the Virtual Reality Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Seijirou asks for Kirito’s help in investigating a game called “Gun Gale Online” (GGO), where players are being killed in real life by another player.

Kirito eventually agrees to help, and he and Asuna travel to Gun Gale Online to investigate the deaths. They meet Sinon, the female protagonist of GGO, and discover that the player who is killing people in GGO is actually a female called Death Gun.

The team work together to try and find out who Death Gun is and stop them from killing any more players. Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is an interesting look into the backstories of some of the characters from the main series.

4. Season 2: Sword Art Online II

• Year: 2014
• Director: Tomohiko Itō
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Bryce Papenbrook, Cassandra Lee Morris, Michelle Ruff.
• IMDb Rating: ***
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

The second season of the Sword Art Online anime series was directed by Tomohiko Itō and produced by A-1 Pictures. It was first released on July 5, 2014, and ran for 24 episodes until December 20, 2014.

Season 2 of Sword Art Online is set two years after the events of the first season. Kirito is now a member of the cleared ALO game and is exploring a new game called Gun Gale Online (GGO) in search of a friend. While in GGO, Kirito meets Sinon, a skilled sniper who is also investigating the death game.

As the two explore the game, they uncover the identity of the person behind both games: Sugou Nobuyuki, Asuna’s former fiancé. Nobuyuki captures Asuna and takes her back to ALO, where he forces her to fight in his game against her will. Kirito and his friends then enter ALO to save her.

The second season introduces many new characters, including Sinon, Leafa, Klein, and Lisbeth. It also introduces new gaming mechanics, such as sprinting and double jumping.

5. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

• Year: 2018
• Director: Tomohiko Itō
• Cast: Tomori Kusunoki, Yôko Hikasa, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Ray Chase, Kira Buckland, Allegra Clark.
• IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

The Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online anime series aired in 2018 and is a spin-off of the main Sword Art Online series. This show was written by Keiichi Sigsawa and illustrated by Kouhaku Kuroboshi and published by ASCII Media Works.

The story follows Karen Kohiruimaki, a petite girl who is obsessed with guns and finds solace in virtual reality shooting games. After meeting “pitiful” players in the game world, she sets out to become the best player in the game. The series has received mixed reviews but is still a great watch for any Sword Art Online fans.

6. Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale

• Year: 2017
• Director: Tomohiko Itō
• Cast: Haruka Tomatsu, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Ayana Taketatsu, Kanae Itō, Rina Hidaka, Ayahi Takagaki.
• IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

The most popular movie in the Sword Art Online series is Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale. It was released in 2017 and takes place after the events of the second season of the anime. This movie was directed by Tomohiko Itō and screenplay by Reki Kawahara, Tomohiko Itō.

In the movie, Kirito and his friends are once again pulled into the virtual world of Sword Art Online. This time, they’re fighting a new enemy known as the Ordinal Scale. The stakes are high, and the danger is real.

If you’re a fan of the Sword Art Online series, then you won’t want to miss this one. It’s a great way to catch up on the story and see your favourite characters in action.

7. Season 3, Part 1: Sword Art Online: Alicization

• Year: 2018-19
• Director: Manabu Ono
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Ai Kayano, Nobunaga Shimazaki.
• IMDb Rating: ***
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

Part 1 of the third season of the Sword Art Online anime series was directed by Manabu Ono and produced by A-1 Pictures. The story takes place after Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale, as it incorporates elements from the film not in the novels.

In the first part of the Alicization arc, we follow Kirito as he is sucked into a new VR game called Underworld. In Underworld, Kirito meets a mysterious girl named Alice and the two of them must team up to take on the game’s challenges.

While in the game, Kirito discovers that he has the ability to dual wield swords and he quickly becomes one of the most powerful players in the game. As he progresses further into the game, Kirito learns that there is more to the Underworld than meets the eye.

8. Season 3, Part 2: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld

• Year: 2019-20
• Director: Manabu Ono
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Ai Kayano, Nobunaga Shimazaki.
• IMDb Rating: ***
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

Part 2 of the third season of the Sword Art Online anime series was directed by Manabu Ono and produced by A-1 Pictures. The story follows Kirito and his friends who are now trapped in a virtual world called Underworld, where they must fight to survive.

As they journey through the dark world, they come into conflict with powerful beings known as Integrity Knights. Along the way, Kirito also discovers the dark secrets of the Underworld. The War of Underworld is divided into two parts and the second part of this show was released in 2020.

9. Season 3, Part 3: Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2

• Year: 2020
• Director: Manabu Ono
• Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, Ai Kayano, Nobunaga Shimazaki.
• IMDb Rating: ***
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ***

Part 3 of the third season follows the final battle against the Dark Territory as players from all over the world overwhelm the servers of the Underworld and plunge the human kingdom into utter chaos. Asuna Yuuki and her friends defend their new ally with everything they have, but their numbers are dwindling.

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2 is the epic ending to Akihiko Kayaba’s dream of creating artificial human intelligence. Now it’s up to Kirito and his friends to protect this collapsing world from those who still think this is just a game. If you’re looking to catch up on the latest Sword Art Online story arc, we recommend checking out the Alicization anime series.

Why should you watch Sword Art Online in order?

There are a few reasons why you should watch Sword Art Online in order. First, the story is told in a non-linear way. That means that new viewers can be easily lost and might not understand what’s going on. The series is best enjoyed when watched in order so that you can follow the story properly.

Second, each episode builds on the previous one. The characters and relationships develop over the course of the series, so it’s best to watch them in order to get the most out of it. Last but not least, some events in later episodes are foreshadowed in earlier episodes, so it’s important to watch them all to get the full experience.

Where to watch the Sword Art Online series?

Sword Art Online is one of the most popular anime series in recent years. With the amazing story and the heartbreaking moments, people are just dying to watch it. But where is the best place to watch the series?

Below is the list of streaming platforms where you can watch the Sword Art Online series from anywhere in the world.

• Hulu – English dubbed and original Japanese with English subtitles.
• Netflix – English subtitles.
• Crunchyroll – English subtitles.
• JustWatch – English subtitles.
• Funimation – English dubbed and English, Spanish subtitles.
• Amazon Prime Video – English subtitles.

Will there be more Sword Art Online Anime?

Yes, Season 4 and Progressive Sequel film of Sword Art Online is coming in the future. It is very popular and is considered one of the best new anime shows. Season 4 of “Sword Art Online” has been officially confirmed and it is currently set for release in 2023-24 and the Progressive sequel movie is set for release in 2023.

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Conclusion

In short, the Sword Art Online series follows Kirito, a regular video gamer who gets invited to a virtual world called Sword Art Online. In the game, he’s tasked with saving the world along with a band of other players.

If they succeed, they will be able to leave the game, but Kirito soon learns that this world is all too real. He has to figure out the way to escape and save the game’s beautiful, female lead, Asuna. I know it can be tricky if you plan on watching the Sword Art Online series in order. That’s why I have provided a list that will make it easier for you to watch!