Sword Art Online (2012): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2012, Sword Art Online is an animation, sci-fi & fantasy and action & adventure series.

What it’s about. In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...

Who’s in it. Sword Art Online stars Haruka Tomatsu as Asuna (voice), Hiroki Yasumoto as Agil (voice), Isshin Chiba as Critter (voice and Kaori Maeda as Selka (voice), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.2/10, Sword Art Online sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel and YouTube TV and rent or buy it from Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Sword Art Online page.

If you liked it. Fans of Sword Art Online tend to enjoy Rick and Morty, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan and Attack on Titan: No Regrets.