is a Japanese light novel

Light novel

A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...

 series by Reki Kawahara, with illustrations by Abec. It will be adapted into an anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 and a video game.

Plot

Kirito, a solo player who had the luck-of-the-draw to play the beta version, and the many other players of Sword Art Online (SAO) are trapped inside of a game, unable to logout; the only way to live is to win. Death in game means death in the real world, tampering or prolonged power outage with the Nerve Gear, the gear that simulates in-game character control by redirecting brain signals, also means death. To win means to defeat the final boss on the top floor, out of the original 10,000 players at the start, two years later 6,000 remain and 26 floors left to clear.

Main characters

Kirito is the main protagonist of the series. He is the protagonist and is a "solo" player, a player who hasn't joined a guild and usually works alone. When it is announced that the players of Sword Art Online can no longer logout, he is surprised like everyone else, but unlike everyone else he quickly gets over it and accepts it, to an extent. He mainly uses a one-handed sword and usually wears all black in game, as it adds to stealth. He can also use two blades at once, a unique skill to him and he only uses it in emergencies to avoid attention for being one out of the two people to have unique skills. His game alias is Kirito, which is created by taking the syllables of the first and last Kanji of his real last and first names respectively: (Kirigaya Kazuto). In the real world, he lives with his mother and younger sister in a family of 3.

Asuna is a friend of Kirito and is a sub-leader of the guild Knights of Blood (KoB), a medium-sized guild of about thirty player, also called the strongest guild in Aincrad. Being one of the few girls that play SAO, and even more so that she's extremely pretty, she receives many invitations and proposals. She is a skilled player earning the Title "Flash" for her extraordinary sword skill. The KoB has assigned her two bodyguards, one of whom despises Kirito. Her game alias is the same as her Real World name. She later on falls in love with Kirito, eventually leading to them being married.

Aincrad

A friendly player that meets Kirito at the start of the game and quickly befriends and learns from him. He and Kirito later separate because he has friends who were also new to the game, and since he was taught by Kirito who was an experienced player, he couldn't leave them. He uses a katana to fight and leads a party. Cline has reunited with Kirito after two years when they run from a monster and start having lunch.

Real world

Kirito's younger sister in the real world. She's a diligent worker and has been practicing Kendo for 8 years. Kirito calls her "Sugu".

Kirito and Suguha's mother in the real world.

Akihiko Kayaba is the Director and Creator of the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online. He traps all the players within Sword Art Online by using the Nerve Gear to cease sending signals to the users' body. Any attempt at removal, loss of power for a certain period, or if the user dies in the game will also kill the user. His motivation is to observe what happens after he traps them. Later, it is discovered that he had been masquerading as Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of Blood. Although he can give his character immortality, he can easily defeat other players without it because he already knows how to counter the skills that he designed.

Asuna's father and CEO of a major electronics manufacturing company.

Terminology

Solo

A type of player who fights on their own in order to increase level output and/or to decrease reliance on team members for whatever reasons. There is a risk vs. reward system with solo players, since they are in greater danger due to being on their own, but experience points and items are more plentiful. Although looked down upon by a large number of players for being selfish and refusing to team with other players, a large majority of them are all much higher levels than most of the game population. The main protagonist, Kirito, is a solo player.

Clearer

Elite players within the game who are higher level than all other players who focus on experience and skill development in order to clear levels to complete the game. They are looked upon with high regard due to their ability to fight on the frontlines, which is the most dangerous parts of the game.

Beater

A cross between a beta tester (a player who was given early access to the Sword Art Online game before release) and a cheater. It is used as a derogative word meant for people who use unfair means to play the game, such as prior knowledge of game mechanics, or even higher levels than normal for their playing area.

Light novels