Sword Art Online Releases All-New Holiday Artwork for Asuna

When looking back on the last decade of anime, you really can’t forget Sword Art Online. Regardless of your opinion on the series overall, it’s been monumental in what anime gets produced and released. Helping to reignite the fondness for isekai series, countless anime have now seen regular people getting trapped or transported to another world. Although the subgenre has been around for much longer than Sword Art Online, this franchise helped make it the popular thing again. Especially due to memorable characters such as Asuna Yuuki, who has built up her own fanbase outside of Kirito’s.

It’s no wonder then that the franchise often uses her as a pivotal part of much of their collectible and merchandise, and the latest is a special holiday banner featuring Asuna in an adorable Santa suit that’s releasing in Japan next Spring.

Dengeki G’s magazine — which often featuring many collectible spreads featuring the characters from its various franchises — will be taking pre-orders in Japan for the new post until the end of the month, and it’ll be released in full next Spring. Although it will miss the holiday window, at least it means some lucky fans will be able to have an adorable new Asuna on display.

Asuna Yuuki will most likely go down as one of the fan-favorites of the decade overall. Whether it is her strength or how her relationship with Kirito was portrayed through the first few episodes of the series, something about Asuna really struck a chord with fans. She even topped a notable poll last year in which fans in Japan voted that she would be the “ideal wife” beating out other fan-favorites such as Rem from Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-.

If you wanted to jump back into the series, Sword Art Online is currently in the second half of its massive and ambitious third season. Adapting the longest story in the light novels to date, Alicization has shown a whole new side of the franchise overall. Fans are currently waiting for Asuna to make her official debut in this new virtual world, and it could happen any episode now. You can currently find Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, HIDIVE, and Hulu.