Sword Art Online

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... (Source: Crunchyroll)

In the Land of Leadale

After being put on life support after a tragic accident, Keina Kagami's only freedom comes from the VRMMO RPG Leadale. One day her life support system shuts off and Keina passes away. When she wakes up, she finds herself in Leadale two hundred years in the future. As the high elf Cayna, with lost skills but incredible stats, she must forge relationships with the residents of this new world... which, shockingly, include the ""children"" characters she designed herself! A leisurely adventure tale is about to begin, featuring a girl transported to a game world and the smiles and tears she shares with her quirky companions! (Source: Crunchyroll)

Overlord

The story takes place in the year 2138 when virtual reality gaming is booming. Yggdrasil, a popular online game is quietly shut down one day. However, the protagonist Momonga decides to not log out. Momonga is then transformed into the image of a skeleton as "the most powerful wizard." The world continues to change, with non-player characters (NPCs) beginning to feel emotion. Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary young man Momonga then strives to take over the new world the game has become. (Source: Anime News Network)

Shangri-La Frontier

"When was the last time I played a game that wasn't crap?" This is a world in the near future where games that use display screens are classified as retro. Anything that can't keep up with state-of-the-art VR technology is called a "crap game," and you see a large number of crap games coming out. Those who devote their lives to clearing these games are called "crap-game hunters," and Rakuro Hizutome is one of them. The game he's chosen to tackle next is Shangri-La Frontier, a "god-tier game" that has a total of thirty million players. Online friends... An expansive world... Encounters with rivals... These are changing Rakuro and all the other players' fates! The best game adventure tale by the strongest "crap game" player begins now! (Source: Crunchyroll)

A Playthrough of a Certain Dude's VRMMO Life

Tanaka Taichi is just an ordinary 38-year-old who enjoys video games. He starts a new virtual reality multiplayer game called One More Free Life Online, naming his character Earth. Unlike his fellow players, he decides to master the most menial of skills in the game. He cooks the finest meals, overbrews complicated potions, and hunts monsters with handmade weapons. His fantasy life begins! (Source: Crunchyroll) Note: The first 2 episodes were exclusively shown as a world premiere during the Anime Messe Babelsberg 2023 in July as a part of a special Anime Panel. </i>

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

The story of the light novel series and manga follows a 29-year-old programmer who is on a "death march," but one day he wakes up in another world after a nap. From a meteor shower he happens to gain vast riches, and he decides to go sightseeing. So begins his "heartwarming, occasionally serious, and harem" adventure in another world. (Source: Anime News Network)

Skeleton Knight in Another World

One day, a gamer played video games until he fell asleep…and when he woke up, he found himself in the game world–as a skeleton! Equipped with the powerful weapons and armor of his avatar but stuck with its frightening skeletal appearance, Arc has to find a place for himself in this new, fantastical land. All his hopes for a quiet life are dashed when he crosses paths with a beautiful elven warrior, setting him on a journey full of conflict and adventure. (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

Log Horizon

The online fantasy game Elder Tales is a worldwide phenomenon, immersing millions of players in its intricately conceived virtual world. However, the release of the game's twelfth expansion pack makes that immersion all too literal, as players from around the world are suddenly pulled into the game's no-longer-fictional universe! Now, eight-year ET veteran Shiroe, his friend Naotsugu, the beautiful assassin Akatsuki, and 30,000 other players are faced with the daunting task of learning how to deal with an entirely new reality, one where the Non-Player Characters are actually alive, and the tips and tricks learned while playing with a keyboard no longer apply. (Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld

Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice. Six months have passed since the two disciples and an Integrity Knight brought down the pontifex, Administrator. With the fighting over, Alice has been living in her hometown of Rulid Village. Beside her is Kirito, who has not only lost his arm and soul, but also his dear friend. As Alice devotes herself to looking after Kirito, she too has lost the will to fight she once had as a knight. Nevertheless, the time for the final stress test – one which will engulf the entire Underworld with tragedy – draws relentlessly closer. Meanwhile, in the deepest areas of the Dark Territory, the Dark God Vecta has resurrected, as if to have waited for this very moment. Leading an army of dark forces, they begin their invasion into the human empire in hopes of attaining the Priestess of Light. The human empire force led by the Integrity Knight Bercouli prepares for a war of an unimaginable scale against the army of the Dark Territory. Even then, Alice is nowhere to be seen, nor the two heroes that saved the realm... (Source: Official Website)

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Yuna's not your typical 15-year-old. First, she's crazy rich from playing the stock market. Second, she's a recluse obsessed with a VRMMO game, and she's really good at that too. Her life is pretty much perfect—until she wakes up one day inside the game she loves and back at level one. She has to start over, but this time, she has a powerful bear suit that's guaranteed to take her places! (Source: Funimation) Note: The first episode was streamed on Abema TV on September 19, 2020. The regular TV broadcast started on October 7, 2020.</i>

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale

In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba. Called NerveGear, it was the first full-dive system and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs. In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma. Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games… (Source: Official website)

Sword Art Online: Alicization

Kirito awakens in a vast, fantastical forest filled with towering trees. In his search for clues to the truth of his surroundings, he encounters a young boy who seems to know him. He ought to be a simple NPC, but the depth of his emotions seem no different than a human. As they search for the boy's parents, Kirito finds a peculiar memory returning to him. A memory from his own childhood, of this boy and a girl, too, with golden hair, and a name he should have never forgotten - Alice. (Source: Yen Press) Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.</i>

Seven Senses of the Re'Union

In the popular MMORPG world 'Union' there existed a legendary party. Its name was Subaru. This party, made up of a group of childhood friends and elementary schoolers, exceeded the limits of the game with their various senses. However, due to an incident which resulted in a death, 'Union' ended its service and the group of childhood friends went separate ways... 6 years later, high schooler Haruto logged into the new 'Reunion' and reunited with a single girl. Asahi—one of old 'Subaru' party members, and his childhood friend who should have died 6 years ago. Is she a digital ghost, or...? (Source: NU)

Demon Lord, Retry!

The story centers on Akira Ono, a regular guy who works at a company that manages an online game. He often plays the game as his character "Maou" (Dark Lord). But one day, when he logs on, he is whisked into the game's fantasy world as his character. There, he meets a one-legged girl, and begins his adventures alongside her. But as he is a powerful "Dark Lord," various nations and holy maidens journey to defeat him, and he stirs up trouble everywhere he goes. (Source: Anime News Network)

Sword Art Online II

One year after the SAO incident, Kirito is approached by Seijiro Kikuoka from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Department "VR Division" with a rather peculiar request. That was an investigation on the "Death Gun" incident that occurred in the gun and steel filled VRMMO called Gun Gale Online (GGO). "Players who are shot by a mysterious avatar with a jet black gun lose their lives even in the real world..." Failing to turn down Kikuoka's bizarre request, Kirito logs in to GGO even though he is not completely convinced that the virtual world could physically affect the real world. Kirito wanders in an unfamiliar world in order to gain any clues about the "Death Gun." Then, a female sniper named Sinon who owns a gigantic "Hecate II" rifle extends Kirito a helping hand. With Sinon's help, Kirito decides to enter the "Bullet of Bullets," a large tournament to choose the most powerful gunner within the realm of GGO, in hopes to become the target of the "Death Gun" and make direct contact with the mysterious avatar. (Source: Crunchyroll)

Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night

Theatrical follow-up to Sword Art Online: Progressive - Hoshinaki Yoru no Aria</i>. This may be a game, but it's not something you play. The world's first VRMMORPG (Sword Art Online) became a game of death. Over a month has passed since 10,000 users were trapped inside the game world. Asuna, who cleared the first floor of the floating iron castle of Aincrad, joined up with Kirito and continued her journey to reach the top floor. With the support of female Information Broker Argo, clearing the floors seemed to be progressing smoothly, but… Conflict erupts between two major guilds who should be working together – the top player groups ALS (the Aincrad Liberation Squad) and DKB (the Dragon Knights Brigade). And meanwhile, behind the scenes exists a mysterious figure pulling the strings…. In a dangerous battle of death, there is an assault that differs from the threat, and it will involve Asuna and Kirito…! (Source: Aniplex)

Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night

Return to the death game where it all began—Sword Art Online. In this new Aincrad Arc by original creator Reki Kawahara, the story is seen through Asuna’s eyes. What at first seems like a dream come true quickly becomes a nightmare when newbie gamer Asuna Yuuki learns the only way to escape the virtual world of Aincrad is to beat all 100 levels—but “Game Over” means you die in the real world. (Source: Crunchyroll)

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

The story follows Karen Kohiruimaki, a 183-centimeter-tall (6-foot-tall) college student who's insecure about her height, and is bad at dealing with people in the real world. She enters the world of Gun Gale Online with her avatar, Ren, who is less than 150 centimeters (5 feet) tall and wears all pink. She meets a beautiful, brown-skinned female player who goes by Pitohui. They hit it off, but one day Pitohui pressures her to participate in "Squad Jam," a team battle royale variation of the Bullet of Bullets tournament. (Source: Anime News Network)

Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld Part 2

The final load test... The war between the Human Empire and the Dark Territory has engulfed Underworld entirely. The battle has shifted course with the Dark Territory army led by Gabriel, who seeks to capture Alice, the Priestess of Light, against Asuna and the Human Empire forces fighting to save Underworld. As Kirito's consciousness remains buried in a deep sleep, Gabriel, standing in as the Dark God Vecta, has recruited thousands of American players to log in to Underworld to annihilate the Human Empire forces. Meanwhile, Asuna, Sinon, and Leafa have joined the battle utilizing three super-accounts of the deities of the Underworld. As the Goddess of Creation Stacia Asuna fights alongside the Human Empire forces to take on the American players in a vicious combat. Sinon, who has gained the super-account for the Sun Goddess Solus, is in pursuit of Gabriel, who has abducted Alice, while Leafa arrives to Underworld with the super-account Earth Goddess Terraria. But that is not all... The impassioned speech by Lisbeth has convinced many ALO players to join the fight with the Human Empire despite the risks. With this great war, not only Underworld's continued existence, but the bottom-up artificial intelligence, the ultimate AI, and even the future of mankind is at stake. Though he has yet to awaken, only one man holds the fate of this world: the Black Swordsman. (Source: Official Website)

Infinite Dendrogram

In the year 2043, Infinite Dendrogram, the world's first successful full-dive VRMMO was released. In addition to its ability to perfectly simulate the five senses, along with its many other amazing features, the game promised to offer players a world full of infinite possibilities. Nearly two years later, soon-to-be college freshman, Reiji Mukudori, is finally able to buy a copy of the game and start playing. With some help from his experienced older brother, Shuu, and his partner Embryo, Reiji embarks on an adventure into the world of Infinite Dendrogram. Just what will he discover and encounter in this game world known for its incredible realism and infinite possibilities? (Source: J-Novel Club)