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Sword Art Online seasons
The Sword Art Online TV anime is made by A-1 Pictures, directed by Tomohiko Ito with music by Yuki Kajiura, and adapts the light novels by Reki Kawahara with art by abec. It has three TV seasons. The first season aired 25 episodes in 2012, and Sword Art Online II added 24 episodes in 2014. The third season, Alicization, is the longest arc: 24 episodes from 2018 to 2019, then 23 more as War of Underworld, whose second half was pushed from April to July 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between seasons came the Extra Edition special in 2013 and the film Ordinal Scale. The Progressive films (2021 and 2022) retell the early days in Aincrad from Asuna's point of view, and the spin-off Gun Gale Online series by 3Hz started in April 2018.
| Season | Premiere | End | Episodes | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sword Art Online | July 8, 2012 | December 23, 2012 | 25 | A-1 Pictures |
| Sword Art Online II | July 5, 2014 | December 20, 2014 | 24 | A-1 Pictures |
| Sword Art Online: Alicization | October 7, 2018 | March 31, 2019 | 24 | A-1 Pictures |
| Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld | October 13, 2019 | September 20, 2020 | 23 | A-1 Pictures |
| Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night | October 30, 2021 | A-1 Pictures | ||
| Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night | October 22, 2022 | A-1 Pictures |
Sword Art Online
The first season ran 25 episodes from July 8 to December 23, 2012. It opens with the Aincrad arc, where ten thousand players are trapped in the death game and Kirito and Asuna fight their way up the floating castle. The second part, Fairy Dance, moves to the fairy world of ALfheim Online, where Kirito teams up with Leafa.
Sword Art Online II
Sword Art Online II aired 24 episodes from July 5 to December 20, 2014. Its first fourteen episodes form the Phantom Bullet arc in Gun Gale Online, where Kirito and Sinon look into a player said to kill people in real life. Three episodes follow a quest in ALO called Calibur, and the last seven tell the Mother's Rosario story of Asuna and Yuuki.
Sword Art Online: Alicization
Alicization aired 24 episodes from October 7, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Kirito wakes up with no memory of how he got there in Underworld, a very realistic virtual world. With his new friend Eugeo he leaves a quiet village, enrols in a sword academy and heads toward the capital, where the powerful Axiom Church rules over everything.
Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld
War of Underworld closes the Alicization story with 23 episodes: the first half from October 13 to December 29, 2019, and the second from July 12 to September 20, 2020, after a delay caused by the pandemic. Alice takes centre stage as the people of Underworld face an invasion, while Asuna and friends from the real world rush to help.
Next season Announced
No new TV season has been announced. The next anime entry is an original film, Sword Art Online: Integral Domain, announced in July 2026 for release in theaters in 2028. It is directed by Shingo Adachi and made by A-1 Pictures with Psyde Kick Studio, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Haruka Tomatsu return as Kirito and Asuna. The story takes place after the Alicization arc. The project was first teased in November 2022 and confirmed again in April 2026.
FAQ
How many seasons does Sword Art Online have?
The TV anime has three seasons: Sword Art Online (2012, 25 episodes), Sword Art Online II (2014, 24 episodes) and Alicization, which aired in two parts from 2018 to 2020 with 47 episodes in total, including War of Underworld.
Will there be a Sword Art Online season 4?
No new TV season has been announced as of October 2026. The next project is the original film Sword Art Online: Integral Domain, set after Alicization and planned for theaters in 2028, directed by Shingo Adachi.
Do I need to watch the Progressive films?
They are optional. Aria of a Starless Night (2021) and Scherzo of Deep Night (2022) retell Kirito and Asuna's first months in Aincrad from Asuna's point of view, with new scenes and a new character, Mito. They are a good extra for fans of the first arc.
In what order should I watch Sword Art Online?
Start with the first season, then Sword Art Online II, the Ordinal Scale film, Alicization and War of Underworld. The Extra Edition special recaps season one, and the Progressive films can be watched at any time after the first season.
Sources
- Sword Art Online (TV series) (Wikipedia)
- List of Sword Art Online episodes (Wikipedia)
- Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night (Wikipedia)
- ソードアート・オンライン (Japanese Wikipedia)
- 刀剑神域角色列表 (Chinese Wikipedia, zh-cn)
- Sword Art Online: Integral Domain anime movie announced (The Outerhaven, 2026-07-06)
- Sword Art Online new original movie gets 2028 release (Anime Corner, 2026-07-06)
- New Sword Art Online original movie in production (Operation Rainfall, 2026-04-29)