Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン), often abbreviated as SAO, is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series follows protagonists Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they navigate various virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMORPG) worlds, and later become involved in the affairs of a simulated civilization. Kawahara originally wrote the series as a web novel from 2002 to 2008 before it was published as a light novel series by ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint beginning April 10, 2009. The series has spawned multiple manga adaptations, anime series including Sword Art Online, Sword Art Online II, and Sword Art Online: Alicization, as well as movies like Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale and the Sword Art Online Progressive series. Sword Art Online has received praise for its animation, music, and exploration of the psychological aspects of virtual reality, while also facing criticism for its pacing and writing. The series has achieved widespread commercial success, with over 30 million copies of the light novels sold worldwide.