The isekai genre has become a force to be reckoned with in the anime industry, and there is one franchise that has been creating new stories since it first landed in 2002. Initially releasing stories as a novel series, the isekai in question would branch out into light novels, video games, and of course, anime adaptations. Even with isekai creating more anime series than we can count in the present, the story of Kirito and Asuna only continues to expand. During a recent concert to celebrate the isekai franchise, the digital tale has confirmed that a new film is in the works that will expand on Sword Art Online.
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During the recent “Yuna First Live” concert, an event promoting the soundtrack of the isekai anime, the performance ended by confirming that there is a new Sword Art Online movie in the works. While details regarding the future project remain a mystery across the board, a tidbit for the upcoming isekai project was confirmed. This upcoming film will be a “brand-new original film,” hinting at the idea that this will be a tale that hasn’t taken place in the light novel series. The latest movie in the isekai franchise, Sword Art Online: Progressive – Scherzo of Deep Night, was based on a storyline that was a part of the source material, so this upcoming film will take a departure from its predecessor.
Sword Art Online’s Isekai Legacy
For those who might not be familiar with Sword Art Online, and why it has become a juggernaut in the anime industry, Kirito’s story helped forge a path for the isekai genre as we know it. The first season of the anime adaptation introduced the Black Swordsman, aka Kirito, to a digital world wherein losing your life in the game meant losing your life in the real world. Rather than simply briefly spending time in this digital landscape, Kirito spends years attempting to build up his strength and even finds a family. The first season of the isekai anime was a complete story in its own right, though future seasons, films, and spin-offs expanded on the world and would routinely bring back Kirito and Asuna.
The last time we saw Sword Art Online on the small screen was with Sword Art Online: Alicization, the nearly fifty-episode-long anime adaptation that came to an end in 2020 and made big changes to Kirito’s life. While a new television series has yet to be confirmed for the isekai, it might only be a matter of time before we see Kirito’s universe return. As we’ve seen over the history of the franchise, the world has expanded via new protagonists and new landscapes that have pushed the isekai forward. With there now being plenty of isekai competition out there, Sword Art Online doesn’t appear to be bringing an end to its franchise any time soon.
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