Every Sword Art Online Season Ranked Worst To Best

If there's one thing you can give credit to Sword Art Online for, it's that the anime makes it clear from the offset whether it's for you or not.

The humble (town of) beginnings for this series introduces the world and characters wonderfully and gives you a clear taste of what to expect. It's awkward and a little rough around the edges, but the Aincrad arc showed why this anime became such a juggernaut.

SAO opens with the most simple narrative, as the online MMORPG releases and all the players who enter find that they cannot log out and are told they must clear the game to escape. To make matters even scarier, if they die in the game, it will result in their permanent death IRL.

The arc is full of quirky characters, epic fight sequences and some genuinely emotional moments, but it's the connection between Asuna and Kirito that it lives by. The dynamic between them and their budding romance is intense and quick, but you can invest in it quickly, thanks to how much the show commits to it.

Plus, seeing Kirito rise through the ranks, becoming more powerful in each episode keeps the arc moving forward, and it all concludes with an epic twist and an emotional climax.