SAO watch order

Sep 26, 12:14 PM

Offline

Oct 2021

87

Sword Art Online season 1, episodes 1 and 2

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless
Night (Movie)

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night (Movie)

Sword Art Online season 1, episodes 3 to 25

Sword Art Online Extra Edition OVA

Sword Art Online season 2

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale (Movie)

Sword Art Online: Alicization

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2

Sep 26, 12:17 PM

#3

Kaze1214

Offline

Nov 2022

197

Canonical Order:

1) Sword Art Online Season 1 (Ep 1)
2) Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
3) Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
4) Sword Art Online Season 1 (Ep 3 - 25)

*Note* The Progressive Movies take the place of Ep 2.

5) Sword Art Online Extra Edition (Side movie that is a recap of Season 1 and has a side story towards the end of the film, Skipable)

6) Sword Art Online Season 2
7) Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale
8) Sword Art Online Alicization
10) Sword Art Online Alicization: War of the Underworld

There is also GGO Alternative which is set in the same universe and happens either before or after Ordinal Scale. You can watch this at any point after SAO season 2 as it is not apart of the main story as of now.

Sep 26, 12:25 PM

#4

WestOnAndrewAve

Offline

Jul 2022

269

I would recommend the release order as the best order. Gun Gale Online can go before Ordinal scale though. I would also save the Progressive movies for the end since they aren't finished, there are slight changes to events/characters, and they have a different feel to them. So it'll seem less disjoined than if you watch it during season 1.

Sep 26, 12:31 PM

#5

IhnalakoKaina

Offline

Jul 2021

574

Don't watch progressive until the end. They're borderline spinoffs. The story is different and unfinished, it'll make no sense.

Just go with the release order and don't include the Gun Gale Online spin-off. It has no bearing in the main story, nothing to do with it actually apart from the fact that it borrows the setting of the SAO 2, none of the original characters appear in it, and it's getting its own season 2 this fall. So you should leave it for after the rest and you might even want to binge watch it when season 2 finishes airing.

IhnalakoKainaSep 26, 12:36 PM

Sep 26, 12:33 PM

#6

LXSITY

Offline

Nov 2023

5

Reply to Yeetyus

Sword Art Online season 1, episodes 1 and 2

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless
Night (Movie)

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night (Movie)

Sword Art Online season 1, episodes 3 to 25

Sword Art Online Extra Edition OVA

Sword Art Online season 2

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale (Movie)

Sword Art Online: Alicization

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Part 2

@Yeetyus thnak you

Sep 26, 12:33 PM

#7

LXSITY

Offline

Nov 2023

5

Reply to Kaze1214

Canonical Order:

1) Sword Art Online Season 1 (Ep 1)
2) Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
3) Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
4) Sword Art Online Season 1 (Ep 3 - 25)

*Note* The Progressive Movies take the place of Ep 2.

5) Sword Art Online Extra Edition (Side movie that is a recap of Season 1 and has a side story towards the end of the film, Skipable)

6) Sword Art Online Season 2
7) Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale
8) Sword Art Online Alicization
10) Sword Art Online Alicization: War of the Underworld

There is also GGO Alternative which is set in the same universe and happens either before or after Ordinal Scale. You can watch this at any point after SAO season 2 as it is not apart of the main story as of now.

@Kaze1214 thanks

Sep 26, 12:34 PM

#8

LXSITY

Offline

Nov 2023

5

Reply to WestOnAndrewAve

I would recommend the release order as the best order. Gun Gale Online can go before Ordinal scale though. I would also save the Progressive movies for the end since they aren't finished, there are slight changes to events/characters, and they have a different feel to them. So it'll seem less disjoined than if you watch it during season 1.

@WestOnAndrewAve i already started the progressive movies thanks tho

Sep 26, 12:39 PM

#9

Biisoo

Online

Apr 2015

2418

Go with release order.

Sep 26, 1:10 PM

#10

DragyG

Offline

Dec 2018

1205

Release order. (You can watch GGO whenever you want but preferably after phantom bullet)

Anyone telling you to watch progressive midway is having a hard time to understand what coherence is.

Progressive is an alternative story in which the author included characters who appear in the games and short stories he published in magazines and online. Characters like Argo are nowhere to be seen in the LN.

(My best recommendation would be to read the novels or Re:Aincrad since the first seasons really feel old when watching now. But if you are anime only go for the anime)

Sep 26, 2:21 PM

#11

Flying_Hawlucha

Offline

Jan 2022

22

people will sh.t on season 2 but too me it's the best season🤌🏻

Sep 26, 3:19 PM

#12

Linx_0

Offline

Jul 2020

151

18s said:
can someone give me a SAO watch order please

Watch in the order mal tells you to watch ignore all the people telling you to watch the progressive movies they wont make sense/arent relevant to main story

Sep 26, 7:48 PM

#13

akatsukinoluna

Offline

Sep 2020

58

Progressive is an alternative story in which the author included characters who appear in the games and short stories he published in magazines and online. Characters like Argo are nowhere to be seen in the LN.

Argo is already in the main novels - Kirito specifically mentions paying her for some intel (vol 2 Red Nosed Reindeer). In the related anime episode, you see their exchange, tho it's fairly brief.

More importantly, Progressive is a related light novel series that retells Aincrad floor by floor, so Reki could go into various things (like mechanics, world building, the broader player base, etc) he never got a chance to, in the original series. The characters in there (like Kizmel or Argo) made it into the games from Progressive, not vice versa. Can't really think of anyone from there who showed up elsewhere first.

The Progressive movies did introduce Mito, who is partially based off/inspired by an earlier character [Ashley](https://swordartonline.fandom.com/wiki/Ashley) (mentioned in vol 8), who crafted Kirito's Blackwyrm Coat

Sep 27, 12:37 AM

#14

DragyG

Offline

Dec 2018

1205

akatsukinoluna said:

Progressive is an alternative story in which the author included characters who appear in the games and short stories he published in magazines and online. Characters like Argo are nowhere to be seen in the LN.

Argo is already in the main novels - Kirito specifically mentions paying her for some intel (vol 2 Red Nosed Reindeer). In the related anime episode, you see their exchange, tho it's fairly brief.

More importantly, Progressive is a related light novel series that retells Aincrad floor by floor, so Reki could go into various things (like mechanics, world building, the broader player base, etc) he never got a chance to, in the original series. The characters in there (like Kizmel or Argo) made it into the games from Progressive, not vice versa. Can't really think of anyone from there who showed up elsewhere first.

The Progressive movies did introduce Mito, who is partially based off/inspired by an earlier character [Ashley](https://swordartonline.fandom.com/wiki/Ashley) (mentioned in vol 8), who crafted Kirito's Blackwyrm Coat

When I say Argo is nowhere to be seen I mean she doesn't do anything.

In the novels we only know there are players of the beta who sells intell including Argo. She is definitely not having long talks with Asuna and Kirito like she does in the second progressive movie.

Kawahara also did add a lot of characters in progressive which are supposed to fight by Kirito and Asuna side like Kizmel but who don't exist in the main series. (You can play them in the games that's it)

So imagine the guy watching progressive seeing Kizmel joining Kirito and Asuna then go back to the main serie and don't hear about Kizmel ever again. Wouldn't it be completely incoherent ?

Sep 27, 5:21 AM

#15

akatsukinoluna

Offline

Sep 2020

58

DragyG said:

akatsukinoluna said:

Argo is already in the main novels - Kirito specifically mentions paying her for some intel (vol 2 Red Nosed Reindeer). In the related anime episode, you see their exchange, tho it's fairly brief.

More importantly, Progressive is a related light novel series that retells Aincrad floor by floor, so Reki could go into various things (like mechanics, world building, the broader player base, etc) he never got a chance to, in the original series. The characters in there (like Kizmel or Argo) made it into the games from Progressive, not vice versa. Can't really think of anyone from there who showed up elsewhere first.

The Progressive movies did introduce Mito, who is partially based off/inspired by an earlier character [Ashley](https://swordartonline.fandom.com/wiki/Ashley) (mentioned in vol 8), who crafted Kirito's Blackwyrm Coat

When I say Argo is nowhere to be seen I mean she doesn't do anything.

In the novels we only know there are players of the beta who sells intell including Argo. She is definitely not having long talks with Asuna and Kirito like she does in the second progressive movie.

Kawahara also did add a lot of characters in progressive which are supposed to fight by Kirito and Asuna side like Kizmel but who don't exist in the main series. (You can play them in the games that's it)

So imagine the guy watching progressive seeing Kizmel joining Kirito and Asuna then go back to the main serie and don't hear about Kizmel ever again. Wouldn't it be completely incoherent ?

Argo does all that in the Progressive novels, where the other characters you saw in the movies (besides Mito) also appear. Those predate the games, so idg why you're ignoring them

Anyway I totally agree with you about only watching Progressive movies afterwards (tho they barely mention or show Kizmel. Mito would be the main source of confusion there)

Sep 27, 5:29 AM

#16

DragyG

Offline

Dec 2018

1205

akatsukinoluna said:

DragyG said:

When I say Argo is nowhere to be seen I mean she doesn't do anything.

In the novels we only know there are players of the beta who sells intell including Argo. She is definitely not having long talks with Asuna and Kirito like she does in the second progressive movie.

Kawahara also did add a lot of characters in progressive which are supposed to fight by Kirito and Asuna side like Kizmel but who don't exist in the main series. (You can play them in the games that's it)

So imagine the guy watching progressive seeing Kizmel joining Kirito and Asuna then go back to the main serie and don't hear about Kizmel ever again. Wouldn't it be completely incoherent ?

Argo does all that in the Progressive novels, where the other characters you saw in the movies (besides Mito) also appear. Those predate the games, so idg why you're ignoring them

Anyway I totally agree with you about only watching Progressive movies afterwards (tho they barely mention or show Kizmel. Mito would be the main source of confusion there)

I'm not saying the characters weren't in the novels of progressive but that they weren't in the original series with Aincrad being only one volume long (2 if you consider the short stories)

Sep 27, 8:43 PM

#17

Justforseven1

Offline

Oct 2022

14

If you truly want to enjoy it. Watch only the first 12 episodes, after that it’s trash. Maybe watch the ordinal scale movie if u want some more closure. But really really really tanks after that. The progressive movies perhaps are fine.

To explain it, they fuck up the story so bad so it’s best if u just never even see the bad story parts.

Sep 28, 11:22 AM

#18

Kreshre

Offline

Mar 2019

283

release order and watch gun gale online it may be a spin off but it's really good and worth the watch

KreshreSep 28, 7:45 PM

Poll: » What is your favorite op? infinite_Shadows - Oct 6	25	by alban123 »» Oct 17, 9:21 AM
Poll: » is it just me, or do you guys also like asuna a lot? ( 1 2 ) removed-user - Sep 25	77	by naceale2019 »» Oct 16, 4:53 PM
Poll: » Sword Art Online Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) bippo - Dec 22, 2012	1447	by thugnation1337 »» Oct 6, 6:26 AM
» Happy birthday Asuna! TASM18 - Sep 30	34	by hazecloud »» Oct 4, 6:44 AM
Poll: » Sword Art Online Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 8, 2012	1271	by Boopry »» Oct 2, 1:47 PM

SAO watch order

More topics from this board

Poll: » What is your favorite op?

Poll: » is it just me, or do you guys also like asuna a lot? ( 1 2 )

Poll: » Sword Art Online Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )

» Happy birthday Asuna!

Poll: » Sword Art Online Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )

Preview MangaManga Store

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters