Sword Art Online

Imagine that gaming had advanced to the point where you no longer watched from the other side of a television screen, but you were right there in the world. Now imagine that someone had the brilliant idea to create an MMO when the console making this possible had a dry spell for truly innovative games. And you were invited to beta test it all, and it went smoothly. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it?

But then something is amiss, and you cannot log out.

It turns out, the game's creator has issued an ultimatum: Reach the top of a certain castle, and you will be able to log out. However, if you die in game, your body in reality also loses it's ability to function, as it will die as well. You also cannot force the system to shut off... as the same process will occur either way, and you will die.

Kirito has fallen into this situation. Now, he and every other player out there must do their best to survive this ordeal.

And even after he makes it out alive, he ends up having to dive right into another mess...

Two months after the SAO incident, for some odd reason, Asuna and a handful of players still haven't woken up. And after rehabilitation, Kazuto's back with his family. But he is still worried about Asuna, and wonders why she still has not yet woken up until he gets a lead from his friend in SAO, Egil, who mailed him a screenshot that looks like a blurred silhouette of Asuna. He also gets a lead of a new VMMORPG game called ALFheim online where the screenshot came from. And so his new journey starts in order to confirm what that screenshot is about.

The legendary novel made an appearance with browsing numbers exceeding 6.5 million page views recorded at the personal website. Find an ongoing translation project here.

Spawned a web Voice drama found here and a manga series here

For a similar premise, see also .hack. Also see Accel World, penned by the same author.

Tropes in "Sword Art Online" include

 * The Ace: Ignoring his moments of angst Kirito is usually this trope which is rare for a Light Novel protagonist.
 * Action Girl: Asuna. Not only was she an idol in SAO she also happens to be the strongest female character in the game, and perhaps other girls that Kirito meets along his way, Shinon in volume 6 to compare
 * Always Someone Better: Invoked by Zekken who even beat Kiritoin single-wielding Mode/Justified because
 * Black Swords Are Better: One of Kirito's swords, Elucidator, is pitch black.
 * Always Bring a Sword to a Gunfight: Due to some incident with Kazuto's character creation he winds up being the only character to wield a sword in a game full of gun fights.
 * Anti Hero: Kirito starts off as this, choosing to protect only himself, while attempting to complete the game. He changes later.
 * Art Shift: The Light Novels have a more subtle art style compared to the manga which is Darker and Edgier.
 * Badass: Kirito and how!
 * Badass Adorable: Asuna and Shinon both have their moments
 * Badass Longcoat: Kirito again.
 * One Man Army: see Curb Stomp Battle.
 * Big Damn Heroes: So in the last part of volume 4 Kirito faces Oberon and get thoroughly beaten. Then Kayaba went inside ALO and gives Kirito GM POWERS, which he used to beat Oberon with.
 * And on any occasion Kirito and Co. pulls this off by himself or with his buddies.
 * Bishounen: Kirito provides an example much more so in volume 6 where his character kinda looks like Yuri from Tales of Vesperia.
 * Bloodless Carnage: It's a game, of course it is bloodless. Averted when it comes to real world fights
 * Breakable Weapons: Explained in Volume 2. When Kirito found a blacksmith girl named Lizbeth and he needed a new sword to practice on, he was given one. But when he tested it out it broke easily, so they go on a quest to slay a snow dragon to get the mineral needed to forge a new weapon.
 * Brother Sister Incest:
 * Cannot Spit It Out:
 * Character Level: It IS supposed to be an MMORPG...
 * Chick Magnet: Kirito. However he is usually better then most harem protagonists in the sense that girls will usually fall for him after a decent amount of interaction happens. Also unlike other harem protagonists Kirito is usually seen as The Ace rather then a Ordinary High School Student or worse a loser.
 * Crash Into Hello: How Kirito meets his "harem"
 * Code Name: Almost everyone uses one, which protects their real life identity. Averted by Asuna
 * Cold Sniper:
 * Continuity Nod: Lizbeth, Yui and Scilica who all appear in Volume 2 during the 2 year span of the SAO incident makes their come back in Volume 3 and Volume 4, still retaining their jobs, Silika a beast tamer Lizbeth still a blacksmith and Yui still an AI, As Volume 2 are side stories of Asuna and Kirito's lives in SAO during that 2 year span prior to meeting each other. And note that their names never appeared in Volume 1 of the light novels.
 * Contrived Coincidence: Out of all the countless people he could have met, Kirito just happens to Crash Into Hello his sister the very first time he logs into the MMORPG Alfheim. Not that either of them know it at the time...
 * Critical Existence Failure: Happens when a character dies in any of the games
 * Curb Stomp Battle:.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Another reason why Kirito avoids guilds and playing with other people was a result of blaming himself for the death of his past guild.
 * Death Is Cheap: Subverted. Death in game is death in real life in SAO. Played straight in the others.
 * Deep Immersion Gaming: The devices used allow this. Unfortunately the immersion is too deep in SAO: You die in real life once your avatar dies.
 * Dual Wielding: Only Kirito gets this skill.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady:
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Fan Service: We get to see every major female character in their undergarments one way or the other.
 * Five Man Band: Later on, in a quest, we get
 * The Hero:
 * The Lancer:
 * The Big Guy:
 * The Smart Guy:
 * The Chick:
 * Team Pet:
 * They usually get two other people to fill in the remaining spots in the party.
 * Flight: A main feature in ALO
 * For the Evulz: Kayaba entraped the people playing SAO until they can finish the game by defeating the ultimate boss, but in truth he wants to see a society in a different light and he's the ultimate boss.
 * Four Is Death: After a familiar dies, there is a chance it will leave behind an item that will allow the player to resurrect it. However, if the player cannot meet the requirements within four days, the item will change and the pet will be dead for good.
 * Expy: Yui is an expy of .hack's AURA only that her creation was not intentional as she was only composed of data that somehow became sentient. In SAO she has the powers of an Admin.
 * The Gadfly: Kirito sometimes when he's in the mood to tease someone.
 * Harem: for some odd reason the number of female casts that get closer to Kirito keeps on rising volume after volume.
 * Harem Hero: Kirito is a very strong type B.
 * Hot Dad: See Hot Mom.
 * Hot Mom: Well if you think about Yui's relationship with Asuna and Kirito, it's like that... Asuna happens to be Yui's "mom" and Kirito the "dad"
 * Implausible Fencing Powers: The entire skill system in SAO is based on swordsmanship. Not a single spell to be found. Handwaved as an attempt to raise immersion.
 * Kirito could cut bullets in midair easily.
 * Improbable Weapon User: Not an issue early on where swords are commonplace, but come Volume 5 of the light novel Kirito becomes the only character to wield a sword in a gun fight in a game that's all about shooting.
 * The Informant:
 * Jerkass: At least one in every volume.
 * Jerkass Facade: Kirito at the start doesn't interact with other players due to past trauma.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Kirito is this no matter what game he is in due to having Super Reflexes.
 * Loners Are Freaks: Kirito and the few other solo players are seen as unusual for not joining guilds and going out to battle alone, something that is likely to get them killed. On the other hand, it's the reason Kirito is so skilled, and presumably the other solo players as well.
 * Love Makes You Crazy / Love Makes You Evil: . So very, very much.
 * Mythology Gag: In one of the side stories, Kirito is called to test a new 4th Generation Full Dive Unit, and finds himself stuck in another virtual world battling Silver Crow.
 * Nerves of Steel: Kirito has his moments of angst but usually when shit happens he's the one least visiably freaked out.
 * Recycled in Space: It's like .hack in its initial premise.
 * Oblivious to Love: Sorta Justified for Kirito since he's already has a girlfriend so he doesn't really pay attention to other girls.
 * Official Couple: Yuuki Asuna and Kirigaya Kazuto
 * Ojou: Asuna happens to be the daughter of the CEO of RECTO which later on becomes the only producer of the improved version of Nerve gear called Amusphere.
 * Older Than They Look: perhaps not the case for Kirito as he was a beta player for SAO, however Asuna initially assumed this was the case due to Kirito's experience in the game only to be shocked that she is actually 1 year his senior.
 * Plucky Girl: Scilica
 * Rain of Arrows: Sinon in ALO
 * Red Baron: Kirito gets "The Black Swordsman", and is pretty well known.
 * Saintly Church: Which takes care of the younger players in SAO
 * Shout Out: Kikuoka apparently watched an anime where everyone in real life suffered epilepsy around the country. This is of course, referring to the now-banned Porygon episode.
 * While going through a tunnel under a mountain, Kirito mentioned to Lyfa a book that he had read in which the party also went under a mountain, only to be ambushed by Orcs and then met an ancient demon. Moments later,.
 * Small Girl Big Gun: Shinon is described as having a doll-like avatar. She wields a Hecate II.
 * Solid Gold Poop: A particular in-game dragon shits rare ores used to make very good weapons.
 * Super Reflexes: Kirito in the various games he plays through have been shown to have the ability to dodge bullets effortlessly.
 * Supreme Chef: Asuna in SAO, she tries to replicate real world tastes in game, since the in game food is mostly horrible.
 * Survivor Guilt:
 * Teleporters and Transporters: Crystals in SAO.
 * Tenchi Solution:
 * Thanatos Gambit: Kayaba expected everything in the game and also the skill Dual Blades that was bestowed on Kirito, that he would be defeated by a Dual Sword Skill user, but never imagined that Kirito would catch up to his Heathcliff disguise quite early on.
 * There Are No Therapists:
 * There Is Only One Bed:
 * Time Skip: Between different arcs.
 * Truce Zone: You can’t hurt anyone in towns in SAO
 * World Tree: The setting of Volume 3 has one, that is the goal of the game, and it’s called Yggdrasil. Unsuprising, since its setting heavily relies on Nordic terminology.
 * You Fail Physics Forever: Dying in the game kills you in real life because the Nerve gear releases a deadly electromagnetic pulse that fries your brain. Attempting to dismantle the Nerve gear or remove the chin strap activates this pulse. In real life, this could be circumvented by wrapping the body in a Faraday Cage. Just slide a sheet of metal between the Nerve gear and the person's head, then attach it to a wire mesh wrapped around the rest of the person's body. All the electricity will go through the outside edge of the metal, leaving the person inside completely unharmed. This effect is the reason it's safe to stay in a car during an electrical storm, is used by electrical technicians working on high-voltage power lines, and is the reason you can look through the window on a microwave oven without getting your face melted.
 * Of course, how you would even be able to get the sheet through the Nerve gear is something entirely different. If, for example, you knew of the circumstances somehow beforehand, then you would just put the sheet on and play like normal, for a degree of normal. Otherwise, this is practically Executive Meddling.
 * World Tree: The setting of Volume 3 has one, that is the goal of the game, and it’s called Yggdrasil. Unsuprising, since its setting heavily relies on Nordic terminology.
 * You Fail Physics Forever: Dying in the game kills you in real life because the Nerve gear releases a deadly electromagnetic pulse that fries your brain. Attempting to dismantle the Nerve gear or remove the chin strap activates this pulse. In real life, this could be circumvented by wrapping the body in a Faraday Cage. Just slide a sheet of metal between the Nerve gear and the person's head, then attach it to a wire mesh wrapped around the rest of the person's body. All the electricity will go through the outside edge of the metal, leaving the person inside completely unharmed. This effect is the reason it's safe to stay in a car during an electrical storm, is used by electrical technicians working on high-voltage power lines, and is the reason you can look through the window on a microwave oven without getting your face melted.
 * Of course, how you would even be able to get the sheet through the Nerve gear is something entirely different. If, for example, you knew of the circumstances somehow beforehand, then you would just put the sheet on and play like normal, for a degree of normal. Otherwise, this is practically Executive Meddling.