Sword Art Online met with fans for the first time in 2002, and now, the series is about to reach one of its biggest milestones. With a new movie in theaters, Asuna and Kirito remain some of the biggest names in the isekai genre. Now, Sword Art Online is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and the celebrations will culminate with the in-series release of… Sword Art Online.
Yes, you read that right. If you will remember, Kirito was able to access Sword Art Online in full on November 6, 2022. That date is now less than a week away, and as you can imagine, fans are geeking out over the milestone.
Videos by ComicBook.com
What’s So Special About November 2022
For some more context, Sword Art Online went online just after lunch on November 6, 2022 in the light novels. By now, gamers like Kirito were already able to order the game online ahead of its release. Stores began selling the game in person by November 5th, and only 10,000 copies were put on the market to start.
READ MORE: Sword Art Online’s New Movie Takes Over the Box Office | Sword Art Online Trailer Celebrates New Live-Action Play
Of course, Sword Art Online had already been played at this point in the story’s timeline. The game held a closed beta between August 2022 and September 2022 which Kirito took part in. However, things took a turn for the worst when Sword Art Online went live. As gamers entered Aincrad for the first time, all 10,000 players were trapped in the digital world out of nowhere. They were held in the game for two years, and any who died in Sword Art Online did so in real life. But thanks to Kirito and Asuna, the pair was able to free players after taking on Aincrad’s infamously dangerous dungeon.
Now, Sword Art Online is nearing its actual release date, and fans are taking to social media to geek out. It is hard to believe the series is old enough now that we’ve run into its game’s actual debut IRL. But time never stops and maybe we’re just lucky a game like Sword Art Online hasn’t kidnapped thousands of players in the real world.
