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Sword Art Online poster

Sword Art Online (2012)

Action · Adventure · Animation

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...

IMDb rating
7.5 (65,177 votes)
Episode average
7.7 ↑ +0.2 vs IMDb
Seasons
4
Streaming (US)
Hulu · Crunchyroll
Language
JA
Type
TV series

Big finale trajectory: the final season is the peak. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Big finale show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2012)

7.56 avg 25 episodes 8.1 → 7.6 23 min avg

Ep 1: 8.1 · 1,788 votesEp 2: 7.7 · 1,514 votesEp 3: 7.9 · 1,533 votesEp 4: 7.7 · 1,381 votesEp 5: 7.3 · 1,329 votesEp 6: 7.4 · 1,295 votesEp 7: 7.6 · 1,297 votesEp 8: 7.6 · 1,265 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 1,491 votesEp 10: 8.2 · 1,388 votesEp 11: 7.2 · 1,263 votesEp 12: 7.7 · 1,266 votesEp 13: 7.9 · 1,214 votesEp 14: 8.9 · 1,890 votesEp 15: 7.2 · 1,150 votesEp 16: 7.1 · 1,088 votesEp 17: 7.0 · 1,053 votesEp 18: 6.7 · 1,056 votesEp 19: 7.0 · 1,032 votesEp 20: 7.4 · 1,047 votesEp 21: 6.7 · 1,046 votesEp 22: 7.5 · 1,047 votesEp 23: 7.6 · 1,040 votesEp 24: 7.6 · 1,105 votesEp 25: 7.6 · 1,136 votes
Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The World of Swords8.11,788
2Beater7.71,514
3The Red-Nosed Reindeer7.91,533
4The Black Swordsman7.71,381
5A Crime Within the Walls7.31,329
6Illusionary Avenger7.41,295
7The Warmth of the Heart7.61,297
8Black and White Sword Dance7.61,265
9The Blue-Eyed Demon8.51,491
10Crimson Killing Intent8.21,388
11The Morning Dew Girl7.21,263
12Yui's Heart7.71,266
13The Depths of Hell7.91,214
14The End of the World8.91,890
15Return7.21,150
16The Land of Fairies7.11,088
17The Captive Queen7.01,053
18To the World Tree6.71,056
19The Lugru Corridor7.01,032
20General of the Blazing Flames7.41,047
21The Truth About ALfheim6.71,046
22Grand Quest7.51,047
23Bonds7.61,040
24Gilded Hero7.61,105
25The World Seed7.61,136

Season 2 (2014)

7.37 avg 25 episodes 7.2 → 8.5 23 min avg

Ep 0: 7.2 · 306 votesEp 1: 7.1 · 913 votesEp 2: 7.5 · 825 votesEp 3: 7.2 · 800 votesEp 4: 7.6 · 831 votesEp 5: 7.8 · 794 votesEp 6: 7.8 · 782 votesEp 7: 6.9 · 772 votesEp 8: 7.7 · 769 votesEp 9: 8.0 · 795 votesEp 10: 7.6 · 779 votesEp 11: 7.2 · 752 votesEp 12: 7.6 · 757 votesEp 13: 7.9 · 823 votesEp 14: 7.3 · 763 votesEp 15: 6.2 · 751 votesEp 16: 6.5 · 733 votesEp 17: 6.7 · 724 votesEp 18: 6.8 · 716 votesEp 19: 7.2 · 718 votesEp 20: 7.2 · 712 votesEp 21: 7.5 · 718 votesEp 22: 7.7 · 754 votesEp 23: 7.5 · 735 votesEp 24: 8.5 · 1,040 votes
Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
0Debriefing7.2306
1Gun World7.1913
2Ice Sniper7.5825
3Memories of Blood7.2800
4GGO7.6831
5Gun and Sword7.8794
6Showdown in the Wilderness7.8782
7Crimson Memories6.9772
8Bullet of Bullets7.7769
9Death Gun8.0795
10Pursuer of Death7.6779
11The Meaning of Strength7.2752
12Bullet of a Phantom7.6757
13Phantom Bullet7.9823
14A Small Step7.3763
15The Queen of the Lake6.2751
16King of the Giants6.5733
17Excalibur6.7724
18The Forest House6.8716
19Absolute Sword7.2718
20Sleeping Knights7.2712
21Swordsman's Memorial7.5718
22Journey's End7.7754
23Beginning of a Dream7.5735
24Mother's Rosario8.51,040

Season 3 (2018)

7.80 avg 25 episodes 7.9 → 8.6 24 min avg

Ep 1: 7.9 · 849 votesEp 2: 7.7 · 660 votesEp 3: 7.7 · 642 votesEp 4: 8.2 · 663 votesEp 5: 7.4 · 620 votesEp 6: 7.4 · 667 votesEp 7: 7.7 · 601 votesEp 8: 7.8 · 609 votesEp 9: 7.5 · 595 votesEp 10: 8.8 · 904 votesEp 11: 7.5 · 591 votesEp 12: 7.9 · 598 votesEp 13: 7.4 · 590 votesEp 14: 7.8 · 597 votesEp 15: 8.2 · 611 votesEp 16: 8.1 · 608 votesEp 17: 7.9 · 591 votesEp 18: 8.2 · 615 votesEp 19: 6.2 · 474 votesEp 20: 8.0 · 602 votesEp 21: 7.5 · 576 votesEp 22: 8.0 · 597 votesEp 23: 7.8 · 597 votesEp 24: 7.8 · 610 votesEp 25: 8.6 · 837 votes
Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Underworld7.9849
2The Demon Tree7.7660
3The End Mountains7.7642
4Departure8.2663
5Ocean Turtle7.4620
6Project Alicization7.4667
7Swordcraft Academy7.7601
8Swordsman's Pride7.8609
9Nobleman's Responsibilities7.5595
10Taboo Index8.8904
11Central Cathedral7.5591
12The Sage of the Library7.9598
13Ruler and Mediator7.4590
14The Crimson Knight7.8597
15The Relentless Knight8.2611
16The Osmanthus Knight8.1608
17Truce7.9591
18The Legendary Hero8.2615
19Alicization 18.5: Recollection6.2474
20The Seal of the Right Eye8.0602
21Synthesis7.5576
22The 32nd Knight8.0597
23Titan of the Sword7.8597
24Administrator7.8610
25My Hero8.6837

Season 4 (2019)

8.01 avg 25 episodes 7.4 → 8.2 23 min avg

Ep 0: 7.4 · 222 votesEp 1: 8.0 · 672 votesEp 2: 7.8 · 599 votesEp 3: 7.6 · 578 votesEp 4: 7.8 · 588 votesEp 5: 7.8 · 578 votesEp 6: 8.5 · 663 votesEp 7: 8.1 · 572 votesEp 8: 8.2 · 579 votesEp 9: 8.7 · 692 votesEp 10: 8.0 · 598 votesEp 11: 8.1 · 588 votesEp 12: 8.4 · 641 votesEp 13: 7.8 · 582 votesEp 14: 8.8 · 780 votesEp 15: 7.7 · 532 votesEp 16: 7.5 · 527 votesEp 17: 7.9 · 552 votesEp 18: 8.6 · 682 votesEp 19: 8.3 · 607 votesEp 20: 8.4 · 632 votesEp 21: 7.4 · 516 votesEp 22: 7.6 · 516 votesEp 23: 7.7 · 553 votesEp 24: 8.2 · 375 votes
Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
0Reflection7.4222
1In the Far North8.0672
2Raids7.8599
3The Final Load Test7.6578
4Dark Territory7.8588
5The Night Before Battle7.8578
6Battle of the Knights8.5663
7Stigma of the Disqualified8.1572
8Blood & Life8.2579
9Sword and Fist8.7692
10Stacia, Goddess of Creation8.0598
11Heartless Choice8.1588
12Ray of Light8.4641
13The Great War of the Underworld7.8582
14End to Eternity8.8780
15Instigation7.7532
16Code 8717.5527
17Prince of Hell7.9552
18Memories8.6682
19Awakening8.3607
20The Night-Sky Blade8.4632
21Beyond Time7.4516
22Alice7.6516
23New World7.7553
24Reminiscence8.2375
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Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-10-03.

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