A friendly player that meets Kirito at the start of the game and quickly befriends and learns from him. He and Kirito later separate because he has friends who were also new to the game so he couldn't leave them. He survives for the past two years and managed to protect his friends the whole time, something Kirito regretted not doing. He is a katana user and the leader of the small guild Fuurinkazan who participates in the boss battles.  As one of the few people close to Kirito, he always keeps him in check and wants Kirito to survive the game.  He chose the Salamader race on ALO   

~! In the side story Caliber, he fell in love at first sight with the girl on the cage named Freyja and agreed that he will help her find her tribe's treasure which is a hammer, though the decision still remains to be a team's decision. The team said yes on Caliber and it turned out that the girl they saved was Thor. It was revealed that Thor disguised as a beautiful girl to get close to Giant King Þrym and retrieve his hammer. Thor defeated Giant King Þrym and that stopped the medallion from being corrupted and ending the quest. !~

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)

He is known for playing tough or grouchy men in dubbed anime and video games. His career includes Hotohori in Fushigi Yūgi and Jin in Samurai Champloo. He also played numerous cameos and minor characters in Rurouni Kenshin, in addition to the major character of Hajime Saito. He also does Don Patch in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo as well as Gabumon and other voices in Digimon.  According to Anime News Network, Thornton has the most credits of any male voice actor and he is second in total voice actor credits only next to Wendee Lee. He has been in nearly two hundred voice-over productions for Japanese animation.  Thornton is also well-known for having played many different minor voice roles throughout the Power Rangers franchise (and similar series such as VR Troopers and Masked Rider).  Thornton has also had experience with ADR direction. Currently, he is co-directing the ADR for the popular anime series Bleach alongside Wendee Lee.

Caio is a Brazilian actor and dubber. His [sister](https://anilist.co/staff/180908/Isabella-Guarnieri) and [father](https://anilist.co/staff/104613/Tat-Guarnieri) are also voice actors. 

[Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/caio.guarnieri) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCShH_aKhBSj4LiKsi_qoSBA)

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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "game over" means certain death - both virtual and real...
 
(Source: Yen Press)

Yui wants to see a whale with Kirito during an underwater quest in Alfeim Online. During the quest however, it is revealed Leafa cannot swim. Asuna and the other female characters decide to train Suguha in a real-world pool to help her in ALO. Meanwhile, Kirito meets a certain someone.

Yuuki Asuna was a top student who spent her days studying at cram school and preparing for her high school entrance exams--but that was before she borrowed her brother's virtual reality game system and wound up trapped in Sword Art Online with ten thousand other frightened players. As time passes, Asuna fears what will become of her life outside the fantasy realm--the failure she might be seen as in the eyes of her peers and parents. Unwilling to wait on the sidelines for more experienced gamers to beat the game, Asuna employs her study habits to learn the mechanics of the game--and swordplay. Her swiftness impresses Kirito, a professional gamer who invites Asuna to join the best players on the front line. Is Asuna ready to swap class rankings for player rankings and join Kirito? 
(Source: Yen Press) 
Note: Includes 4 extra chapters.

Extra episode of Sword Art Offline included in the Sword Art Online: Extra Edition Blu-ray and DVD.

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "Game Over" means certain death - both virtual and real...
 
(Source: Yen Press)
 
Notes: 
- Covers the Aincrad Arc from Volume 1 and some side stories in Volume 2 of the light novel series. 
- The American version of this manga published all 12 chapters in one volume.

Ryoutarou Tsuboi