Kirito & Asuna Return in New Sword Art Online Anime (First Look Revealed)

Sword Art Online is coming back with a brand new franchise entry, and with it Kirito and Asuna are returning to screens with a special new anime. Sword Art Online might have released a spinoff and other smaller projects in the last few years, but it’s been quite a while since its main stars Kirito and Asuna have been at the center of a new anime adventure. While fans are waiting on the next full length entry in the saga, thankfully there’s a new anime that’s bringing them back to screens in the meantime.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced a new role playing game in the works for the franchise, Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad. But the coolest part of this new release is that it will also include a special new anime featuring a new story overseen by series creator Reki Kawahara. Showcasing the Aincrad arc in a whole new kind of light, this new anime also brings in a whole new perspective on Kirito and Asuna’s actions during those early days. You can check out the first look at thew Sword Art Online anime special, “Unanswered//butterfly” below.

New Sword Art Online Anime Reveals First Look Trailer & Poster

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Sword Art Online‘s new anime special, “Unanswered//butterfly,” runs for 110 minutes in total, and unfortunately will only be available as a special bonus to those who purchase the Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad game when it releases in Japan. It will be screened as part of a special event in the region on May 9th, but that’s going to be even more limited for fans who are able to get the promotional tickets (and it won’t be the uncut version included with the game).

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As Sword Art Online continues to celebrate major milestones for the anime’s run through the decade thus far, we’re likely going to see many other projects like this in the works. As for the full anime’s future, even more projects have been revealed to be in various stages of development. It just might be a while before the TV series makes its actual comeback with a new arc of episodes. There’s just not enough material yet.

When Does Sword Art Online’s Anime Comeback?

Sword Art Online: Alicization was the biggest season of the TV series to date, but also adapted one of the biggest arcs of Reki Kawahara’s original manga series. This came to an end with the tease that everything would be getting bigger with the Unital Ring saga, but that’s still being developed in the latest light novel releases. We likely won’t get a full TV series return until this arc is complete, and there’s enough material to draw from for the adaptation.

Sword Art Online is one of the most notable Isekai anime franchises of the modern era, so it likely won’t be too long before we get a full anime release. There have unfortunately yet to be any international release plans revealed for this new special as of this time, but it will be directed by Tadahiro “Tady” Yoshihira (who also helps to write the script alongside Keisuke Makino) for Polygon Pictures.

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