Sword Art Online Manga Review

Manga Cover

Sword Art Online the manga was quite short. It seems to only highlight what happens in the story and therefore at times can be confusing. I would really suggest reading the books or watching the anime first. This review only consists the Aincrad Saga.

Sword Art Online Plot

Manga Page

The of Sword Art Online is based in a video game. The year is 2022 and a man named Kayaba Akihiko has created a virtual reality game. The only catch is the people that originally logged in are stuck in the game. They must finish all one hundred floors to return to the real world. If you die in the game though you die in real life.

Kirito is the a boy that was lucky enough to be involved in the beta test. This gives him the advantage and he eventually is given the option to beat the game. The plot of the manga rarely strays to side stories. Two years pass in the game before they are allowed to return after beating the game. Many players lose their life though attempting to leave the game by killing themselves or by being killed in battles. There are those that kill others and become criminals.

Sword Art Online Characters

Manga Page

Kirito is the main character of Sword Art Online. He is a quiet fifteen year old at the beginning of the game, but eventually becomes the hero. He is very skilled and works on his own so he is not responsible for anyone else's life. Asuna is another main character of the game. She started as a weak character, but becomes strong and desires to return to the real world. Her and Kirito become fast friends and eventually lovers.

There are many other characters that appear in the manga, but only a few that play important roles. Klein and Agil are both friends of Kirito and appear randomly in situations. Klein is a rough looking guy that fights on the front lines. Agil is a merchant that will come to fight at times that it is needed. Yui appears only once in Sword Art Online (More so in Fairy Dance though). She is a program that sees Asuna and Kirito as her parents. She is only briefly in the manga though. Heathcliff is the head of the Knights of Blood. He is another very strong character with a few tricks up his sleeves.

Sword Art Online The Manga

Manga Page

Like I said, Sword Art Online the manga was a very short. It only hits the main plot of the story and rarely goes off track. The art is good though. The fighting scenes are laid out very well and at times very detailed. I would recommend reading the manga, but only after you have seen the anime or read the books. To be honest, I was not the impressed with Sword Art Online Manga.

Read Sword Art Online Here.

Support Sword Art Online Here.

Overall Grade 5/10