Sword Art Online Announces New Anime Series Sword Art Online: Progressive

John F. Trent |

Sep 24, 2020

Sword Art Online recently announced a brand new anime series with Sword Art Online: Progressive.

The series was announced following the conclusion of the final episode of Sword Art Online: Alicization.

It was subsequently shared to the official Sword Art Online anime Twitter account with a brief 15 second teaser saying the series will debut on November 6, 2022.

《アリシゼーション》編の最終話放送直後に公開となった「ソードアート・オンラインプログレッシブ」アニメプロジェクト告知映像はこちら！

YouTube：https://t.co/Ci62vkSWRE

公式サイト：https://t.co/rivYvY6aHD #sao_anime pic.twitter.com/kMT4SPxio1

— アニメソードアート・オンライン公式 (@sao_anime) September 19, 2020

Along with the 15-second teaser they also released a piece of key art.

Take a look.

Given the anime’s name, it’s highly likely the series will adapt the Sword Art Online Progressive light novel by Reki Kawahara.

The light novel tells the story of Sword Art Online from the beginning starting with Kirito and Asuna’s adventure on the deadly world of Aincrad.

However, it doesn’t just retread Kirito and Asuna’s story. Instead it provides significantly more details as Kirito and Asuna scale the first hundred floors of Aincrad.

The first light novel features stories of Kirito and Asuna’s adventures on the 1st and 2nd floor of Aincraid. It specifically details how those trapped within Aincrad decide to take on the boss of the first floor in Ilfang the Kobold Lord and his Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

Along with providing significant more details leading up the fight and the actual fight against Ilfang the Kobold Lord, it also provides more human characters moments between Kirito and Asuna as Kirito treats Asuna to dinner after failing to kill as many Windwasps as her.

The first light novel also delves into Kirito’s relationship with the informant Argo the Rat as well as Kirito and Asuna’s discovery of a blacksmithing scam by Nezha.

There are 6 volumes in the Sword Art Online Progressive series. The series is published by Yen Press in North America.

Here’s how they describe the series:

“There’s no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die…”

One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba’s deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead.

Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in so doing survive?

Sword Art Online: Progressive is a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that starts at the beginning of Kirito and Asuna’s epic adventure–on the very first level of the deadly world of Aincrad!”