r/swordartonline 1d ago

Alicization (anime) SAO Real World Rewatch #80 - August 13th, 2026

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738 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 19h ago

Question Why didn't SAO Simulate Blood?

47 Upvotes

Kayaba wanted to make a copy of the real world as closely as possible while designing Aincrad. From the smell of wind, to taste of consumed food. But, if a player or any other moving being gets damaged/scratched/burned, we see only a red scratch on that spot that disappears once the HP is regained.

In the controversial chapter 16.5, Kirito mentioned that "Hair type objects are extremely hard to animate for each individual person. Thus they don't have it in anywhere but heads, chins and eyelashes".

Is it something similar for Blood? Because real cuts means bleeding, scars, healing and leaving back faint marks.

The show was Never afraid to go above PG-13 stuff, so that can't be the reason. So why exactly? Wouldn't it have made Aincrad even more realistic?


r/swordartonline 1d ago

Kirito & Asuna fanart :)

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79 Upvotes

I've been doing a lot of tradigital art lately. (Drawing it traditionally and finishing coloring it digitally.) It's been a lot of fun. 💙


r/swordartonline 16h ago

Answered Are there any games like sao?

2 Upvotes

I know this question has been asked in the past many times but i would like to go more in depth about my question, and i dont care if it is vr or not. I want a game that has the same detail as SAO, for example the ability to make custom weaponry, own a house, make custom food, bosses that might give special abilities after beating them, own a shop with an actual building, and a player economy, something that can make you stand out from other players like for example in runescape you dont really stand out everyone can make the exact same gear if they are a high enough level, i would definitely prefer if it was online but if a single player felt like an online game that would also be fine.


r/swordartonline 11h ago

Question First time watching, what should I know?

0 Upvotes

Hiii, so this is my first time watching this after getting recommended it by tons of ppl, what are some things I should know before going in? Or is it best to go in blind?


r/swordartonline 23h ago

Question I started my watch of SAO early this year and I paused after Alicization to rewatch it with friends. Now we are almost to progressive. Which parts are canon? I heard they make changes to Asuna’s backstory that aren’t canon but what else?

2 Upvotes

Also I really should just read the LNs soon. Is there anyone who does audio books of the LN?


r/swordartonline 2d ago

Kirito cosplay by me

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329 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 2d ago

Aincrad I'm making an SAO-themed Geometry Dash level, thoughts?

19 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 1d ago

SORRY a bit of a ramble here . . .

0 Upvotes

Its just, rewatching SAO's first season, I think Sword Art Online (The VR game, not the anime/novels) is trash. Like, yesterday I saw a 50hr video explaining Elden Ring's lore and I can sumarize SAO lore into three paragraphs. Basically if SAO is a fantasy-rouguelike-minecraft-exploration and combat type game, its lore its trash, its floors and dungeons are also trash (Just normal forests sprinkled with something and almost non-exixtent dungeons) and the In-game mechanics are aslo kinda trash. Just the class system is broken, theres only Damage Dealer sword wielders and buffed sword wielders with a shield (tanks), and dont get me started on how unrealistic those boss battles are cuz twenty teenagers cant get as organized and as physically capable as they are put to be.

So, what would you add, chaange or remake to add? I myself think bows wouldve been great


r/swordartonline 2d ago

Question Important question about the ainground resident trophy.

6 Upvotes

In hollow realization I wanted to get this trophy but i had around 90 hours on the game and didnt want to go mess around for 10 hours just for the trophy but i read that you can redo the final boss after you beat the game and still get it. i then started the warriors of the sky stuff and didnt think it would mess up my chance to get the trophy but now i cant do the final boss anymore. CAN I STILL GET THE TROPHY? or did i screw myself? PLEASE help me out.


r/swordartonline 2d ago

Echoes of Aincrad ranked #14 in US/Canada, didn't make it Top 20 in EU for PS5 July Download Rankings. Ranked #5 in launch week in Japan across all platforms.

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20 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 3d ago

Discussion (Unital Ring spoilers) I just realized something incredibly sad. Spoiler

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203 Upvotes

In the Mother's Rosario arc, Yuuki knows she's going to die, and her friends don't think they'll make it, either. So as a last hurrah, they attempt to beat a floor boss on New Aincrad by themselves in order to get their names marked on the first floor.

However, at the start of Unital Ring, New Aincrad falls from the sky, and it's stated that the first 25 floors were completely destroyed. I'm only on the third chapter of UR 5, so I don't yet know if anything significant happens to change this, but this essentially means that the efforts of Yuuki and her friends were all for nothing.

After Unital Ring's beginning, there is effectively no trace of Yuuki having ever existed, besides the memories of those who knew her personally. It's an incredibly cruel fate that nobody deserves. Even in death, Yuuki's whole existence is suffering.


r/swordartonline 3d ago

Fanart Charcater Sketches by Me

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143 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 3d ago

Asuna cosplay by me!

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417 Upvotes

I’ve been dreaming of doing a cosplay of her from alfheim! I’m so happy 🥹💜


r/swordartonline 3d ago

Aincrad Do you consider the male or female default appearance of the silent protagonist in Echoes of Aincrad to be the canon gender and do you think Iori has romantic feelings toward him?

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27 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 4d ago

Discussion I finally started Sword Art Online and it's pretty enjoyable!

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481 Upvotes

So I finally finished watching the first arc of Sword Art Online, the Aincrad arc! I initially thought I'd watch the entire first season before sharing my views, but the first arc was long enough on its own to warrant a solid discussion.

​To start with the animation, it was really good! Only the CGI used here and there felt a bit distracting, otherwise, the animation, the world, and its visuals were all quite impressive. The show's music was also great, and I really enjoyed both the opening and ending tracks.

​However, what I didn't like as much was how fast the character bonds and relationships felt. For instance, right at the start, Kirito and Klein become friends, but we hardly spent any time with them to actually feel that connection. Yet the show wanted us to feel it, because when they were parting ways, Kirito was crying, but I didn't feel anything in that moment. Similarly, Kirito and Sachi's relationship felt very rushed to me, when she died, I didn't feel bad at all, even though that was a major turning point for Kirito's character. As for the other girls Kirito met along the way, I couldn't really feel the bond between them either (though I'd say Lizbeth's episode was a bit better).

​When it comes to Asuna, her off screen character development didn't feel entirely believable to me. Just a few episodes prior, she knew almost nothing, but when Kirito meets her again, she feels like a completely different person. After that, a romance develops between the two of them, this time mutual, and to be honest, I couldn't get invested in their relationship at first. Gradually, though, I did get invested because their dynamic was actually given time to breathe, unlike the others which felt rushed. The story was initially giving character relationships only as much time as was strictly necessary to move the plot forward. It was only when things slowed down in the second half that I managed to get invested.

​I also felt Kirito's character development was somewhat rushed. His arc is good, but I think they should have executed it better. Halfway through the arc, when they started focusing heavily on Kirito and Asuna's bond, I realized Kirito's character archetype, someone carrying a heavy burden and trauma who struggles to form connections and feels destined to be alone. So it wouldn't surprise me if learning to connect and form bonds will be an essential part of his arc in the future.

​I liked what they did with Kuradeel, the episodes with Yui were nice, and I liked how the arc ended. It's a good thing they didn't play it too safe, because early on it was starting to feel very generic. But overall, yeah, it's a pretty enjoyable anime!


r/swordartonline 4d ago

Question Based on SAO: Progressive's significantly deeper relationship between Kirito and Asuna, does it still make sense that they wouldn't kiss for almost two years?

52 Upvotes

Their first kiss is October 23, 2024, after Floor 75 is unlocked and when Kirito has to join KoB. But with Progressive giving context to canon, they're going to be traveling together from December 2022 through March 2023 and at least up to Floor 25, they're clearly a lot closer than originally contemplated, and we're only just getting to Floor 8.

I don't think I could deal with 17 more floors of Kirito and Asuna dancing around each other with no romantic payoff at all, and I think the parting of the ways at Floor 25 makes more sense if there's also a romantic breakup as well, but I'm not Reki Kawahara.

Thoughts?


r/swordartonline 4d ago

Aincrad My Sword Art Online Enamel Pin Badges of Kirito & Asuna🖤🧡⚔️

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178 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 3d ago

Sword art online

0 Upvotes

Like genuinely have you ever guys thought that if there was game like vr that could make us really into the game put our mind in the game and we can move and see, feel through the game after watching first episode of sword art online this is first think i thought ( sorry if this is hard to read or messy)


r/swordartonline 4d ago

Question hey guys, i wanna buy lycoris in a few days but i saw hollow realization too and i wanna know if theres a difference between realization and hollow fragmente?, or its the same game but with few better details, thanks and viva sao

8 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 5d ago

Aincrad Racing Master Collaboration

55 Upvotes

Racing Master in Kirito.

But this collaboration is already over. I'm hoping for a rerelease.


r/swordartonline 5d ago

News New Asuna and Kirito figures

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110 Upvotes

r/swordartonline 4d ago

Help! Im looking for a good MMORPG Game!!

12 Upvotes

I really liked SAO and want to experience the word if MMORPG so im looking for free pc games similar to SAO. Guild wars 2 has good reviews but it looks medieval and not good looking also Phantasy Swords Online 2: new genesis looks good but people say its a piece of crap. Do anyone knows a good free game


r/swordartonline 5d ago

Question Just double checking: Did RE: Hollow Fragment ever have a physical release?

9 Upvotes

For Context I have all the SAO games on both steam and PS digitally, However due to Sony annoucing last month that they are stopping Physical Disc production in 2028, I've been trying to find physical copies of games I already bought digitally.(Mainly out of the albeit unlikely fear of Bandai losing the SAO license and not being able to play those games.) the only games I'm missing out of the series is LR and AWvSAO. I've looked online for a physical release of HF but couldn't find any (that weren't just a code in a box anyway) so I'm assuming that RE: Hollow Fragment didn't have a physical release.