Sword Art Online (SAO): Top Popular Japanese Anime

Sword Art Online is one of the best modern anime in the world

Sword Art Online is one of the most popular Japanese anime based on a light novel. The future dream with Virtual Reality is represented in this anime with the VR technology.


“Wow..time flies!!”

This was the first word which came out from my mouth after watching all 25 episodes of Sword Art Online (SAO) Season 1. It’s very easy to “waste” a whole day, positively saying.

SAO is an animation based on hit light novels which have been sold 19 million copies worldwide. And I can easily explain you why it’s one of the hottest animations currently.

What Attracts Me??

“Reality” in Virtual Reality. (This is the answer!)

The animation is set in 2022 when the advanced VR online game called Sword Art Online is invented. Using the game console, players can feel all senses in the VR world as it’s real, being able to fight, eat, sleep and even fall in love. FullDive technology enables players to immerse themselves in VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.)

All 10,000 players of SAO find themselves trapped in the VR world as they are unable to log out soon after setting off the game. So the RPG world begins to be a real world to them. Death in the game means so in the real world. The only way to return to the real world is completely beating the game: reach the 100th floor and defeat the final boss.

The fear of being real in unrealistic world. This was the biggest trigger to draw me into this animation, presenting “phobia” which is familiar to us in real social network world.

VR technology is being developed especially in Silicon Valley as you know. The VRMMORPG can come true before too long.

About SAO

SAO is originally written by Reki Kawahara as online novels in early 2000s. Including various contents range from animation to video games. The story is mainly divided into 4 parts: Aincrad, Fairy Dance, Phantom Bullet and Alicization.

The 1st season (Aincrad, Fairy Dance) of SAO was broadcasted in 2012 in Japan . Followed by the season 2nd (Phantom Bullet and two spin-off stories Mother’s Rosario and Calibur) in 2014.

The Newest Movie will be Released in February 2017!!

And in February this year, Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale will be released. The setting of Original Scale is AR (Augmented Reality) instead of VR of the former stories. You should be familiar with AR because of Pokémon GO. The movie starts as the story between Mother’s Rosario and Alicization.

Get to know all characters!


Here is a great news for big fans of SAO: Be the first witness to the brand new movie!! with SAO pilgrimage tour 2017

More information↓↓

Sword Art Online Official Website

▽Related Articles▽

Written by

Hi! I’m a writer and editor at Japan Web Magazine. Since 2017, I’ve written over 500 articles covering a wide range of Japan-related topics—must-visit travel spots, local food culture, helpful travel tips, seasonal events, anime, manga, and more.   I travel all over Japan, from the snowy landscapes of Hokkaido to the tropical beaches of Okinawa. My hobbies, such as hunting for the best ramen shops and keeping up with the latest anime every season, help me share the magic of Japan with people from all over the world. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a Japan fan planning your dream trip, I want to help you experience the best of what this country has to offer.   After traveling to many countries around the world, I still love Japan the most, and I continue to share information while making the most of my perspective as someone who was born and raised here. 📲 Connect with me ▷You can find more of my writing and follow my latest thoughts on Japan over on Medium. A bit more about me: 🗾 Traveler at heart ▷Most unforgettable trip: Chichijima Island, a remote island that takes over 23 hours to reach by ferry from Tokyo! ▷Favorite neighborhood in Tokyo: Kagurazaka 🍜 Foodie life ▷Obsessed with sushi and ramen ▷Proud foodie moment: Scored a seat at the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro 🎌 Passionate otaku ▷Favorite anime: March Comes in Like a Lion and Attack on Titan ▷Manga I live by: One Piece and Slam Dunk