Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online (SAO) is a Japanese light novel and anime series which follows the main protagonist, Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya as he fights to beat various Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (VRMMORPGs). The first series takes place in the year 2022 and follows his journey through the game entitled Sword Art Online, where the initial players were locked into the game through the VR technology and threatened with death should they be unplugged or die in the game.

Plot Summary

In an alternate universe in the year 2022, a VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online is released. On the initial launch day, 10,000 players log on, including one under the username Kirito. Kirito encounters another player, Kline, and teaches him the basics of the system which Kirito has learned by participating in the beta test of the game. After Kline attempts to log out but fails because the button is missing, the game master and creator, Akihiko Kayaba, transports all players into the town square. Here he announces that all players are stuck in the game and can only escape by beating the game; if players are forcibly removed from the system or die in the game, they will be killed in real life by the equipment, called nerve gear, they are using to play the game. Kayaba then uses data collected through the nerve gear to create accurate avatars for the users. With this last act, the users are released from the square and Kirito plays solo, using his knowledge from beta testing and past experience with VRMMORPGs, and moves on to the next town to find less scarce resources.

As the game progresses, players form guilds and teams. In order to defeat the first boss, Kirito joins a party with another character, Asuna Yūki, known in the game as Asuna. The group they are a part of uses information distributed by other beta testers, who are stigmatized as 'beaters', a combination of beta and cheater, and find the boss. Together, they defeat the boss, with the final strike from Kirito which earns him special gear to use in the game.

As the players progress, Kirito continues to play solo, working on the 'front lines' with powerful guilds and assault teams, encountering Asuna later on when she is the second in command of a powerful guild, Knights of the Red Oath. They fight over the use of Non-Player Characters (npc) as decoys for monsters and later reconcile over Kirito's protection of Asuna when she falls asleep under a tree. Players start challenging others to duels while they are asleep, murdering them in the process, so it was possible for Asuna to be attacked unawares.

Their friendship is tested by those prejudiced against beaters. A member of the Knights of the Blood Oath tasked with protecting Asuna attacks Kirito after finding out that they joined a party again and intend to battle together on the front lines, outside of the guild.

Characters

• Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya -
• Asuna Yūki -
• Akihiko Kayaba -
• Kline -
• Agil -
• Yui -
• Suguha "Leafa" Kirigaya -