When anime fans think of Isekai, one of the biggest examples of the genre has long been Sword Art Online. First premiering as a novel series in 2002, the story of Kirito and the digital universe that he inhabits is one that has only continued to grow over time. As an example of this, the universe recently began the second season of one of its biggest spin-off series, Sword Art Online: Gun Gale Online. While this side story might not feature Kirito the Black Swordsman, it explores the virtual environment that has become a trademark of the anime world. With a new major anniversary to celebrate, the Isekai franchise has something for its fans.
Sword Art Online first begins with Kirito entering a digital world in which he is shocked to discover that if you lose this game, you lose your life. With one thousand participants unknowingly participating in this game of life or death, the Black Swordsman makes the decision to start small and work his way up. Realizing that he’ll need to build up his skills by focusing on defeating low-tier enemies, Kirito eventually becomes a force to be reckoned with as he fights against digital monsters and other players hoping to survive. During his years-long journey, he meets another player, Asuna, as the pair attempt to start a life with one another in the game itself. The duo would return for future adventures as the isekai anime continued past the initial premise.
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Sword Art Online: Game Defeated
On November 7th, Kirito was able to win the game, freeing both himself and those who were able to survive within the titular environment. While the Black Swordsman was able to defeat this original game, he would find himself in other digital worlds past Sword Art Online’s first season, helping to give the anime new life. While Gun Gale Online might not focus on Kirito, the adventures of the isekai hero that started it all won’t soon be forgotten.
Sword Art Online released not only a new poster of Kirito and Asuna side-by-side to celebrate the anniversary, but a new live-action video to highlight the isekai protagonists’ accomplishments. Kirito might not be confirmed for a new anime adventure as of yet, following his latest adventure in Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld, but we’d place a bet that the anime world hasn’t seen the last of the Black Swordsman.
The Isekai Game Is Growing
Sword Art Online is far from the only series that inhabits the Isekai genre. Series like Overlord, Re:Zero, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, The Rising of The Shield Hero, and Konosuba are just a handful of examples of successful isekai. If you’re unfamiliar with what makes an isekai an isekai, the genre will routinely follow a protagonist who finds themselves transported from a mundane world to one that is fit to bursting with supernatural and/or monstrous threats.
Series like Jobless Reincarnation and Konosuba focus on a protagonist that has died in their world, only to be reincarnated inside of a new one. In the case of Sword Art Online and Overlord, the protagonists are transported from their world to a digital one. While isekai franchises might differ on how their protagonists arrive inside a new world, the genre is only continuing to grow as the appeal of the stories is one that has only continued to grow.
Want to stay up to date on the future of Sword Art Online and the ever-expanding isekai genre? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest updates on Kirito and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
