Sword Art Online Hypes Its Top 20 Episodes in New Fan-Poll

By Evan Valentine

Of the countless Isekai that have emerged within the anime medium over the years, Sword Art Online has earned its place as a heavy hitter. With competition arriving in the form of The Rising of the Shield Hero, Overlord, Uncle From Another World, and many others vying for the top spot, Kirito and Asuna's story has continued via its anime for over ten years. Now, fans have voted on their favorite twenty episodes throughout Sword Art Online's history on the small screen.

Sword Art Online's anime premiered in 2012, with the series running for ten years and taking Kirito and Asuna through quite a few virtual worlds. When it comes to the twenty episodes that were chosen as the most popular, fans might be surprised that the installment that stood above the rest didn't come from season one, which is universally thought of as housing some of the best installments in the Isekai's history. 

The Official Sword Art Online Twitter Account shared the results of the popularity poll, giving fans of the Isekai an idea of which installments hit home the hardest amongst anime fans that have been following along with the story of Kirito, Asuna, and the other video game players of this wild anime:

The official description of Sword Art Online, which can currently be streamed on both Crunchyroll and Hulu, reads as such: 

"In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online – a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other – debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG – a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "game over" means certain death – both virtual and real."  

What is your favorite episode of Sword Art Online? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Isekai. 

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