‘Sword Art Online: Progressive’ Manga Coming To An End

It looks like things are wrapping up for a popular Sword Art Online adaptation. According to new reports, the manga remake of Reki Kawahara’s Progressive light novel is coming to a close.

The announcement came in the March issue of Dengeki G. Kadokawa confirmed Kiseki Himura’s manga adaptation of Sword Art Online: Progressive will end with its next issue (via ANN). The final installment will be published on February 28, and the magazine also told fans the series will reveal a special announcement in its April issue. As such, Sword Art Online will feature on the magazine’s next cover.

Many may know Sword Art Online just for its light novels, but several manga adaptations have been spun out of the franchise. The manga for Progressive started back in January 2013 and retells the events of the ‘Aria of the Starless Night’ story. It follows Kirito and Asuna’s journey through the Aincrad castle floor-by-floor. So, fans were able to learn much more about the original game Kirito got trapped in and see how his relationship with Asuna got started barring any time skips.

Yen Press has distribution rights for the manga adaptation in the U.S. The company will release the title’s sixth volume starting in February, and you can read its synopsis for Progressive‘s first volume below:

“Yuuki Asuna was a top student who spent her days at cram school and preparing for her high school entrance exams – but that was before she borrowed her brother’s virtual reality game system and wound up trapped in Sword Art Online with ten thousand other frightened players. As time passes, Asuna fears what will become of her life outside the fantasy realm – the failure she might seem in the eyes of her peers and parents.

Unwilling to wait on the sidelines for more experienced gamers to beat the game, Asuna employs her study habits to learn the mechanics of gaming – and swordplay. Her swiftness impresses Kirito, a pro gamer who invites Asuna to join the best players on the front lines. Is Asuna ready to swap class rankings for player rankings and join Kirito?”

For those unfamiliar with Sword Art Online, the series was originally created by Reki Kawahara with illustrations provided by abec. The series follows a boy named Kirito after he and thousands of gamers get trapped in a virtual reality video game known as Sword Art Online. The gamers must band together to defeat the game’s final level to escape, but Kirito and his guild learn there is more behind their prison than they were originally told.

Do you hope this Sword Art Online event heads to the U.S. one day? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!