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Sword Art Online’s author Kawahara Reki maintains an incredible speed in writing and publishing light novels, churning out around four novels a year while also supervising scripts for video-game tie-ins and spin-offs. That means plenty of content for readers, but it can make the series daunting to approach!
So where is Sword Art Online currently? As of 2022, there are two main series of light novels and one spin-off series available in English. Those are:
- Sword Art Online (currently in the Unital Ring arc)
- Sword Art Online: Progressive
- Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online
The Unital Ring arc of the main storyline sees multiple different MMOs merge together into a huge survival MMORPG, where your character only has a single life – and logging out leaves your avatar vulnerable and exposed!
The Progressive series of light novels follows the adventures of main characters Asuna and Kirito throughout the original ‘Aincrad’ arc, and intends to have one light novel per ‘floor’ of the original game. Considering the Aincrad arc ends on Floor 75, that’s a huge undertaking!
The Alternative Gun Gale Online spin-off is finished in Japanese at twelve novels, with ten volumes available in English. The first few volumes were adapted into an anime, and the series follows new characters in the Gun Gale Online MMO, which formed the setting for the Phantom Bullet arc of the main series.
If you’re wondering where to start with the franchise, we recommend reading the original light novels (or their manga adaptations) first, as you’ll need some context for the different characters and MMOs before picking up additional series.
There is also the Japanese-only spin-off series, Clover’s Regret, which we hope will get an English translation soon!
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