# Sword Art Online Watch Order For a first watch, follow release order: Sword Art Online, Sword Art Online II, the Ordinal Scale movie, and then the three parts of Alicization. This is the continuous timeline the story was made to follow. The franchise helped bring virtual-reality death games into the mainstream, beginning with Kirito and Asuna trapped in a game where they can die for real and following them into increasingly large digital worlds. Later entries carry forward characters and story threads from the ones before them, so their order matters. Ordinal Scale is especially important because it is a canon film that prepares the ground for Alicization, not a side story to leave until later. Watched this way, the series moves cleanly from the original death game to the war for the Underworld. The newer Progressive movies are the one alternative route. They revisit the beginning in greater detail, but they are optional and should not replace the original series as the starting point for this order. > The main series does not create a choice between release order and chronological order. Sword Art Online aired in the order that its continuing story should be watched. The disagreement concerns the Sword Art Online: Progressive movies, which retell the original Aincrad arc in much greater detail and work somewhat like a reboot. Some fans use Progressive as an alternate way into the franchise because it returns to the beginning. Others prefer the original Sword Art Online first because Progressive runs alongside that story instead of carrying it forward. This guide takes the second position: begin with the original series and stay with the continuous timeline through Alicization. Progressive is best saved as an optional, fuller return to the opening story for anyone who wants more of Aincrad, rather than used as the starting point here. ## The order 1. **[Sword Art Online](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online)** (TV · 2012 · 25 eps) Start with the 25-episode original series from 2012, the entry that launched the whole phenomenon. It introduces Kirito and Asuna along with the nightmare behind its virtual-reality MMO: anyone who dies in the game also dies for real. This first season includes the foundational Aincrad death-game arc and the Fairy Dance story that follows it. Both establish characters and events used by the later entries, which makes this the required first stop before watching anything else in the main timeline. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix 2. **[Sword Art Online II](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online-ii)** (TV · 2014 · 24 eps) Continue with this direct sequel, a 24-episode series from 2014. The Phantom Bullet arc sends Kirito into the gun-world of Gun Gale Online to investigate the Death Gun killings. The season also contains the quieter Mother's Rosario story, which became a fan favorite. Its events follow the first season directly and carry the same main timeline forward, so Sword Art Online II belongs in the second position before the story moves to Ordinal Scale. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix 3. **[Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online-ordinal-scale)** (Movie · 2017 · 1 eps) Watch this feature-length 2017 film immediately after Sword Art Online II and before starting Alicization. Ordinal Scale is canon, so saving it until the end would put an important piece of the story out of order. The film shifts the action away from full-dive VR and into an augmented-reality game. It also introduces threads that the Alicization arc later pays off, which gives it a firm place here rather than among the optional extras. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix 4. **[Sword Art Online: Alicization](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online-alicization)** (TV · 2018 · 24 eps) This 24-episode series from 2018 opens the long Alicization arc and strands Kirito in the strange virtual world known as the Underworld. Alicization is the franchise's longest and most ambitious story, and this opening chapter takes the time to establish its setting, characters, and central conflict. Watch it after Ordinal Scale because everything introduced here supplies the necessary setup for War of Underworld and the fighting that follows. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix 5. **[Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online-alicization-war-of-underworld)** (TV · 2019 · 12 eps) The Alicization story continues in these 12 episodes from 2019, with the conflict in the Underworld expanding into all-out war. This season resumes exactly where the previous part ended and treats the two entries as sections of one continuous narrative. Do not insert another title between them or treat this as a separate branch. Move straight from Alicization into War of Underworld, then continue to its second season for the conclusion. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix 6. **[Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld 2nd Season](https://hozuna.com/anime/sword-art-online-alicization-war-of-underworld-season-2)** (TV · 2020 · 11 eps) Finish with the second season of War of Underworld, the 11-episode concluding half released in 2020. These episodes bring the Alicization saga to its climax and also close out this entire recommended watch order. The conflicts and character threads developed throughout the Underworld arc reach their payoff here. Since this is the direct continuation of the 2019 season and its concluding chapter, it is the proper final entry rather than a separate follow-up to save for later. Streams on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix ## FAQ **Where should I start with Sword Art Online?** Begin with the original Sword Art Online series from 2012. It introduces Kirito and Asuna, explains the death-game premise, and starts the continuous timeline followed by Sword Art Online II, the Ordinal Scale movie, and the Alicization arc. The later main entries expect you to know what happens there, so the 2012 series belongs first. **Where do the Sword Art Online: Progressive movies fit in?** Progressive is a reboot-style retelling of the original Aincrad arc with much more detail. Its story runs parallel to the main series instead of occupying a later spot in this watch order. You can treat the movies as an alternate entry point, but this guide recommends watching the original series first so you can follow the complete continuous timeline. Return to Progressive afterward if you want a deeper look at the beginning. Nothing in the recommended order requires it. **Do I need to watch Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online?** No. Gun Gale Online Alternative is a spin-off separate from Kirito's main storyline, so it is optional and remains outside this watch order. If you enjoy the gun-world setting, watch it later as a bonus. Skipping it does not remove anything you need to understand the main saga. **Where can I watch the whole Sword Art Online series?** Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix each stream the complete watch order: the original series, Sword Art Online II, the Ordinal Scale movie, and all three parts of Alicization. Any one of those platforms covers the full run in this guide. Check the page for each entry if you need the latest title-specific streaming details. **Is the Ordinal Scale movie skippable?** No. Although Ordinal Scale is a film, it is canon and fits between Sword Art Online II and Alicization. The story moves into augmented reality and introduces ideas that Alicization later develops. Watch it in that position instead of treating it as an optional side story.