Sword Art Online received immense support from fans globally as it sold almost twenty million copies worldwide. It has continuously been given praises and recognition since season 1 aired in 2012.
The animated series is still harboring positive reviews with its animation but a slight criticism for its writing and releases. The novel was written by Reki Kawahara as it was able to produce three seasons of the series and a fourth season being prepared in progress.
Sword Art Online Season 3, the “Alicization” premiered on October 7, 2018, until March 31, 2019, followed by Alicization: War of the Underworld which aired in October to December 2019.
Fans of the anime series are buzzing for the fourth season expected to be released by July 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the release of the adventure series is caught on hold and fans are to wait until further announcement from A-1 Pictures.
Before we begin, be guided that this post may contain spoilers from the most awaited season. Regardless, if peeking through a bit of the surprise does not bother you, we welcome you to read along with the article.
Sword Art Online Series
Sword Art Online is an adventure series where the plot revolves around two protagonists, Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna “Asuna” Yuuki, into playing a virtual reality game set in Aincrad.
The characters will form friendships as they continue with their virtual quests which are in turn connected to their real lives. The anime is based on their adventures inside the virtual reality world which have brought immense popularity among fans and otakus alike.
It was in Season 3 where Kazuto was scouted to try a new virtual reality machine named A.L.I.C.E. to be used in war. Along with the plot, someone inflicted damage to Kazuto’s real body forcing him to be stuck inside the game.
Fans are expecting more action and adventures from the most anticipated season that could lead Kazuto to finally wake up from the coma for being inside the game for too long.
Casts and Characters
There are two main protagonists of Sword Art Online namely, Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya being voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and Asuna “Asuna” Yukki as voiced by Haruka Tomatsu. Asuna and Kirito have an AI daughter who has emotions like a human named Yui.
The protagonists of the series also bonded with other gamers who later turned into close friends such as Klein, Kirito’s first friend made online, Keiko who also befriended Asuna and Kirito, Sinon who was tagged as the main character in Phantom Bullet Arc, Yuuki the latest main character in Alicization together with Asuna.
There are a number of notable characters in the series and more to look out for in the upcoming season as these characters will continue with their gameplay.
Season 4 Spoilers
Reki Kawahara revealed in his official twitter account that the Unital Ring’s title is almost identical to a mathematical term to that of the Ordinal Scale suggesting a connection between the two.
The Unital Ring Arc took place in 2026 roughly about 6 months after the Ordinal Scale incident. It was then when Kirito finally wakes up from his coma and finds himself in the real world once again.
However, his new life along with the others who made it back to the real world turns out to be more unordinary. Their adventures to the underworld caused them to take a lot of time before having a normal life in the real world.
Production Team
The anime television series is directed by Tomohiko Ito and produced by Kazuma Miki. Their musical scores and animation have been given positive feedback and praise by various fans of the show.
With the results coming from the previous seasons released, supporters of the animated series are expecting more with the animations of Sword Art Online Season 4 that is yet to be produced by A-1 Pictures in the future.
Release Date
Sword Art Online Season 1 aired in 2012 followed by the second season airing between July to December 2014 and its third season which premiered in October 2018. The fourth season is yet to be announced in an official statement by the animated series production team.
Season 4 Official Trailer
No official trailer has yet been released by A-1 pictures but soon enough, the producers of Sword Art Online will make an official announcement where we will keep you posted for any updates.