Sword Art Online may not be among the longest-running anime out there, but it has been pumping out content for over a decade, which is impressive in and of itself. Of course, this speaks to the series’ massive popularity, but also to its quality.
Following Kirito, this story is a staple in the life of any isekai anime fan that wishes to dive into a new world. Beloved for its colorful visuals, exciting action scenes, and compelling story, Sword Art Online continues to pull in new viewers to this day. It’s only natural, considering anime’s increasing popularity in recent years. Still, this may be a daunting series for folks to dive into, as several seasons and movies have been released over the years, and more yet to come.
Granted, watching an anime is fairly simple, as you can simply go through each season in order, without much worry about timelines. When we add films to the mix, though, things can get confusing. Thus, if you want to know how how many movies are in the franchise, what they’re called, and how to watch them, you’ve come to the right place.
How to watch the Sword Art Online movies in order
There are currently four animated movies in the SAO franchise, and while you’re free to watch them all in order of release, that’s not the best way to enjoy them. Each of these films have a place in the story’s timeline, thus, most fans will recommend that you watch them chronologically. To aid you in that process, here are all the movies listed in order:
- Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night (2021)
- Note: This is a retelling of the anime’s first arc from Asuna’s perspective.
- Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night, aka Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of a Dark Dusk (2022)
- Sword Art Online: Extra Edition (2013)
- Note: This is a recap of season 1 with some extra content.
- Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017)
If you want to enjoy the entire series chronologically, with all the available anime seasons and films in the mix, you can also do so. In fact, some would argue that’s the very best way to go about it. Thus, make sure to watch everything in the following order:
- Sword Art Online episodes 1-2
- Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
- Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
- Sword Art Online episodes 3-25
- Sword Art Online: Extra Edition
- Sword Art Online II
- Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online season 1
- Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale
- Sword Art Online – Alicization
It’s worth mentioning that this list is in development, considering that SAO Alternative has a second season on the way, and there is a new movie project in the works. Hopefully it won’t take too long for them to be released, but until then, you can catch up on the franchise with Crunchyroll.