Sword Art Online

Kawahara Reki

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "game over" means certain death - both virtual and real...

action
adventure
comedy
drama
romance
sci-fi
anime tie-in
isekai

Volumes

Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad

Sword Art Online 2: Aincrad

Linked up and logged into the deadly VMMORPG "Sword Art Online" in both the real and virtual worlds, Kirito is stuck in a hell of one man's making, and like everyone else, unable to escape until the game is beaten. But while some players are crippled by fear and others throw themselves into completing the game, still others relax into everyday life in the face of their cruel predicament and live to the best of their ability...laughing, crying, but always enjoying the game. Among them are four women who make a mark upon the solo adventurer that Kirito has become: Silica, the beast-tamer; Lisbeth, the blacksmith; Yui, the mysterious orphan; and the tragic Sachi, never to be forgotten by the black swordsman...

Sword Art Online 2: Aincrad

Sword Art Online 3: Fairy Dance

Kirito has escaped Sword Art Online, the forbidden VRMMORPG of death, and returned to reality. He heads off to find his game partner and lover, Asuna Yuuki. But Asuna never made it back from the nightmare. Lost and desperate, Kirito's only clue to her virtual whereabouts is a mysterious screenshot of Asuna as a fairy trapped in a giant birdcage. His conclusion: She must be trapped within the new, high-powered VRMMORPG, ALfheim Online. Now Kirito must plunge into the world of ALO, where players are fairies who fly gracefully through the air!

Sword Art Online 3: Fairy Dance

Sword Art Online 4: Fairy Dance

Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon! Kirito plunges into a suspicious new VRMMORPG called ALfheim Online to rescue Asuna, who never returned from Sword Art Online. ALO offers many features to entertain players in the wake ofSAO: ultra-high-end graphics, action-heavy gameplay, a choice of fairy races, and a next-generation flight engine. Playing as a spriggan, Kirito heads for the location of Asuna's prison--the top of the World Tree, the final destination of every player in the game! Along the way, Kirito nearly falls to a plot hatched by the enemy salamanders, just barely surviving the ordeal with the help of a sylph named Leafa and his Navigation Pixie, Yui. But just as Kirito and Leafa make it to the foot of the World Tree, the end of their quest in sight, each realizes the other has a very big secret...

Sword Art Online 4: Fairy Dance

Sword Art Online 5: Phantom Bullet

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! Kirito reenters the world of VRMMOs, this time logging in to Gun Gale Online in order to investigate the Death Gun, an in-game item rumored to be responsible for real-world deaths. He immediately runs into trouble when, after transferring his old avatar into the new game, he discovers that he looks a bit more feminine than he'd anticipated! With the help of Sinon the sniper, he enters the Bullet of Bullets tournament and tries to adapt his old skills to the new gun-based combat of Gun Gale Online. He'll need every friend he can get and every trick in the book, though, to learn the truth about the Death Gun!

Sword Art Online 5: Phantom Bullet

Sword Art Online 6: Phantom Bullet

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! In an effort to discover the truth behind Death Gun, Kirito has entered the Bullet of Bullets tournament in Gun Gale Online. Both he and Sinon the sniper girl have made it to the finals, and the reality of what they discover is stranger than anything they could've prepared for. As Sinon is forced to face her own past, lives are on the line once again, and Kirito struggles to connect Death Gun to events in the original SAO game--but can Death Gun's bizarre rampage be stopped in time?

Sword Art Online 6: Phantom Bullet

Sword Art Online 7: Mother's Rosary

Kirito and Sinon's battle with Death Gun is over, but mere weeks later, something strange is afoot in the next-generation VRMMO ALfheim Online. A new duelist with a custom sword skill is defeating all comers--including Kirito! But when Asuna goes to face this duelist, she receives something she never expected: An invitation to an exclusive guild! But what is their aim? The Mother's Rosary arc begins!

Sword Art Online 7: Mother's Rosary

Sword Art Online 8: Early and Late

The saga of Sword Art Online continues with three side stories set during the Aincrad and Alfheim eras. The game of death took its toll on every player in a different way--when one turns up dead on the fifty-seventh floor, the game's afoot, and it's up to Asuna and Kirito to crack the case. There's also the story of how Kirito got his Excalibur sword in Alfheim (with a little help from his friends). And when the game of death first began, Kirito learned a difficult lesson--one he would never forget.

Sword Art Online 8: Early and Late

Sword Art Online 9: Alicization Beginning

Kirito awakens in a vast, fantastical forest filled with towering trees. In his search for clues to the truth of his surroundings, he encounters a young boy who seems to know him. He ought to be a simple NPC, but the depth of his emotions seem no different than a human. As they search for the boy's parents, Kirito finds a peculiar memory returning to him. A memory from his own childhood, of this boy and a girl, too, with golden hair, and a name he should have never forgotten--Alice.

Sword Art Online 9: Alicization Beginning

Sword Art Online 10: Alicization Running

Two years after waking up in a mysterious fantasy world, Kirito and his oddly human NPC friend, Eugeo, continue their quest to become Integrity Knights--and find Alice, who disappeared so long ago and yet has somehow lingered in the back of Kirito's mind. Their journey takes them to the Imperial Swordcraft Academy, where they must train to become two of the top twelve seats in the class to have even a hope of seeing Alice again. Meanwhile, as Asuna desperately searches for Kazuto Kirigaya, she stumbles across the deeper secret of his new world...

Sword Art Online 10: Alicization Running

Sword Art Online 11: Alicization Turning

Two years into Kirito and Eugeo's quest to reach the Central Cathedral, the pair have finally become elite disciples at the North Centoria Imperial Swordcraft Academy. Now all that's left to do is train for the next tournament, build their relationships with their trainee pages, and do so without violating the Taboo Index. But just because this peaceful world is governed by law and order doesn't mean evil can't fester below the surface...and when it comes time to choose between the rules and what's right, Kirito and Eugeo discover the darker secrets of the Underworld.

Sword Art Online 11: Alicization Turning

Sword Art Online 12: Alicization Rising

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! After a brief respite, Kirito and Eugeo set off again to climb Central Cathedral-but the powerful Integrity Knights are not about to let them reach the top. Meanwhile, Kirito has learned the dark history of the Underworld and the true stakes of the battle they're fighting, and every step toward Alice brings him closer to an impossible decision...

Sword Art Online 12: Alicization Rising

Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing

Following a mighty clash, Kirito and Eugeo find themselves separated for the last leg of their journey to the top of Central Cathedral. Kirito, forced into an unlikely alliance with Alice the Integrity Knight, continues his climb from the outside, while trying not to fall to his death. At the same time, Eugeo must face off against the Integrity Knight Commander himself, Bercouli Synthesis One! Although the journey is nearing its end, they'll soon learn that the cathedral is still full of surprises...

Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing

Sword Art Online 14: Alicization Uniting

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! Kirito has faced innumerable hardships in the two long years since he first awoke in the Underworld, but his greatest battle yet lies ahead. As they near Administrator's chamber at the top of Central Cathedral, Kirito and Alice confront a heartrendingly familiar foe on the ninety-ninth floor. The final obstacle standing before them is none other than Eugeo...wearing the armor of an Integrity Knight! Can Kirito's cries reach Eugeo in the tortured recesses of his mind? Or will Administrator have the last laugh?!

Sword Art Online 14: Alicization Uniting

Sword Art Online 15: Alicization Invading

Adminstrator's defeat has come at a heavy cost: The death of Eugeo as well as the mental decline of Kirito. Six months after the epic battle atop Central Cathedral, Kirito spends his days in the Underworld wheelchair-bound; bereft of emotion or even a will to live. Although Alice and Bercouli do what they can to help him, it isn't long before the armies of the dark territory are start to move in earnest. The "Final Stress Test" has begun. But will Kirito be ready?

Sword Art Online 15: Alicization Invading

Sword Art Online 16: Alicization Exploding

Fifty-thousand troops led by Gabriel Miller, aka Emperor Vecta, the God of Darkness prepare to invade the human lands defended by Bercouli and his army of five thousand. Kirito, still out of commission, is left in the care of Ronie and Tiese. Chancellor of the dark mages guild Dee Eye Ell also threatens to vanquish the army by launching a large-scale magical attack of her own. And in the midst of chaos, the one who appears to turn the tide of battle is none other than... Asuna?!

Sword Art Online 16: Alicization Exploding

Sword Art Online 17: Alicization Awakening

The final stress test bleeds into its second day. Driven to desperation by the Integrity Knights’ coordinated assault, the Dark Army reveals the ace up their sleeve! Critter, who has been observing the battle from the Ocean Turtle, has successfully created a gateway into the Underworld and masked it as an invitation to “an open beta test for a new, unannounced VRMMO." This digital invite bolsters the ranks of the Dark Army by the tens of thousands! Having already been pushed to her limits, the thought of taking on a fresh wave of bloodthirsty enemies fills Asuna with dread. But just when it seems like all is lost, two new deities of the Underworld appear to take up the fight: the Sun Goddess, Solus, and Terraria, the Earth Goddess. And the ones in possession of these super-accounts are none other than Sinon and Leafa!

Sword Art Online 17: Alicization Awakening

Sword Art Online 18: Alicization Lasting

The second day of the final stress test rages on. Lisbeth, Silica, and Asuna push through the pain as they hold out against the Dark Army. But their efforts fall short as Kirito is captured by PoH, the former leader of Laughing Coffin! With PoH’s twisted heart set on subjecting Kirito to the culmination of several years’ vengeance, he prepares to end him once and for all. But when hope seems lost, a voice cries out in Kirito’s heart. The voice of the person he lived with, laughed with, and fought with for years. The voice of his best friend…Grabbing hold of that light in the darkness, the Black Swordsman awakens...

Sword Art Online 18: Alicization Lasting

Sword Art Online 19: Moon Cradle

After three hundred years of conflict, a new era begins for the Underworld. The Lost Child of Vecta, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, has defeated the Dark God and given the world its first taste of peace. The human realm and dark realm have begun to intermingle, sparking the beginning of a much-needed cultural exchange. But while some see this as an opportunity to bury the hatchet and move forward, others are determined to sow the seeds of chaos anew. High in Central Cathedral, Apprentice Integrity Knight Ronie Arabel’s heart sinks as she receives foreboding words from Swordsman Delegate Kirito: “At this rate, there’s going to be another war.” “War will come again.”

Sword Art Online 19: Moon Cradle

Sword Art Online 20: Moon Cradle

It’s back to the drawing board as the kidnapper just barely slips from Kirito’s grasp. The new plan calls for a visit to the scene of the crime so that Asuna can use her scrying art to peek into the past, though what she learns is troubling to say the least...But before they can act on the new information, the villain strikes again! This time, Ronie and Tiese have been captured, and their fates rest in the claws of a young yellow dragon...!

Sword Art Online 20: Moon Cradle

Sword Art Online 21: Unital Ring I

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! A year has passed since Kirito and Asuna’s return from the Underworld. With them is Alice, who has been given a physical body. But their peace is quickly broken when the three are suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar game, Unital Ring. This new world is a survival MMO that fuses together every VRMMO created with the Seed program. As soon as it starts, Kirito finds himself with nothing but his underwear. Now, he’s got to challenge a mysterious VRMMOSVG under desperate circumstances!

Sword Art Online 21: Unital Ring I

Sword Art Online 22: Kiss and Fly

READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON! Everyone knows that any good MMO has an abundance of side quests to supplement the main story line. With that in mind, join Kirito and friends for a peek behind the scenes across four never-before-seen side stories! The Day Before: Kirito proposes to Asuna in-game, and soon discovers that married life has its own set of challenges. The Day After: Ever since arriving in ALO with a new avatar, Asuna’s been suffering from a form of withdrawal…Rainbow Bridge: After conquering the undersea temple, a mysterious conversation between Kraken and Leviathan sparks yet another adventure for Kirito’s party. Sisters’ Prayer: A heartwarming tale of two siblings and their involvement with the VR realm.

Sword Art Online 22: Kiss and Fly

Sword Art Online 23: Unital Ring II

As Kirito, Asuna, and Alice brave the wilds of the mysterious VRMMO Unital Ring, Sinon’s introduction to the world is equally harrowing. After numerous setbacks, she finds herself without friends or equipment-and barely any thirst points left to her name. Backed against a wall, she’ll need to defeat a terrifying boss monster to survive. Meanwhile, Kirito’s group splits up in order to search for Sinon and defend their home, unaware that a mysterious assailant lies in wait...

Sword Art Online 23: Unital Ring II

Sword Art Online 24: Unital Ring III

In the world of Unital Ring, the foreboding presence that has been targeting the party finally makes itself known! Elsewhere, a reunion with Seijirou Kikuoka leads Kirito, Asuna, and Alice back to the Underworld, where two-hundred years have passed since the great war. There, they meet descendants of Ronie and Tiese, as well as the new leader of the Integrity Knights. But something about this man seems all too familiar...A certain glint in his eyes reminiscent of someone dearly departed...

Sword Art Online 24: Unital Ring III

Sword Art Online 25: Unital Ring IV

Kirito’s chance encounter with Eolyne, a man with the same eyes and voice as his deceased friend, shakes him to the core. But with the possibility of an interworld war breaking out in the Underworld growing higher by the day, Kirito has no time to be sentimental. Meanwhile, the decisive battle against Mutasina of the Virtual Research Society looms, and she’s used her powers to force a battalion of one hundred mages under her command. Can Kirito and company devise a strategy to defy their overwhelming disadvantage in time, or will it all be for naught?

Sword Art Online 25: Unital Ring IV

Sword Art Online 26: Unital Ring V

On the eightieth floor of the Central Cathedral, Kirito, Asuna, and Alice reunite with the petrified visage of Selka...and discover two more statuesque figures in need of assistance! Before Kirito can figure out a cure, though, he’s pulled away to Planet Admina to investigate an encroaching threat to the Underworld. Meanwhile, in Unital Ring, Sinon, Silica, and company are giving their all in the fight against the field bosses, but the conflict intensifies in a way almost no one could have predicted…

Sword Art Online 26: Unital Ring V

Sword Art Online 27: Unital Ring VI

After two hundred long years apart, Kirito has finally been reunited with Ronie and Tiese, as well as Alice’s younger sister, Selka! But Kirito’s face is not the one they’re most shocked to see... Commander Eolyne Herlentz of the Integrity Pilothood bears a striking resemblance to Eugeo, a likeness that deals a heavy blow to the hearts of the reawakened women. But before they can process their emotions, the call to arms sounds once more. Protectors new and old of the Underworld will have to fight side by side to repel this fresh threat! And not to be outdone, the party back in Unital Ring reaches the second tier and launches into their next major encounter!