Sword Art Online To Debut New Theme Park Attractions In Japan

Never underestimate the power of anime! In Japan, the medium stands as one of the most popular in the country, and fans get to experience their favorite shows in all sorts of ways. From special cafes to Gundam Suit museums, anime fans can see plenty of fun tourist spots all throughout Japan. And, in the near future, a slew of Sword Art Online theme park rides will be added to one of the country's premiere properties.

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Over in Tokyo, SEGA's Joypolis will be bringing characters like Kirito and Asuna to life. Visitors will be able to enter the world of Sword Art Online thanks to a variety of virtual reality rides. Several of the park's pre-existing rides will be retrofitted to assume the anime's aesthetic and tell fans an original story attached to the popular franchise.

Along with the park's new rides, several limited-edition merchandise pieces will be available for purchase as Joypolis. Of course, fans are more interested in keeping up with the new rides. The park's Tokyo Half-Pipe will be fitted with several songs from Sword Art Online. Another attraction known as the Fortune Forest will give out special anime-themed fortunes while brands like Dippin Dots debut their own Sword Art Online goodies ahead of the franchise's upcoming movie release.

If you are not familiar with Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale-or want to know a bit more, then you can check out its official synopsis below:

"In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba, called NerveGear. It was the first full-dive system, and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality (AR) to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is "Ordinal Scale" (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.

MORE: New Sword Art Online Movie U.S. Movie Tickets Are On Sale Now

Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They're about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn't all fun and games…"

Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale- will hit theaters abroad on Febuary 18 before it debuts in the U.S. come March.

[H/T] Crunchyroll