Sword Art Online announces November 7 stream & countdown

Following the initial reveal that the Sword Art Onlinei production team was counting down towards November 7, 2024, the anime series's production team has explained the exact significance and plans for that date. The initial teaser can be viewed below:

As stated, the date of November 7, 2024 is the date that Sword Art Online's hero Kirito cleared the game in the anime's storyline. Using the tagline "The reality catches up with the story," the anime's production team has decided to commemorate the date with a special stream of the first 14 episodes of the Sword Art Online anime on November 7 on Youtube.

The stream will not go live until November 7, but you will be able to watch it here.

This special stream is commemorating not just the date Kirito cleared the Sword Art Online game in-story, but is marking the exact minute of Kirito's victory. The stream will be starting at 9:33 a.m. Japan Standard Time, meaning that the moment Kirito will clear the game in the stream will correspond exactly to the real world date and time of 2:55 p.m. International fans interested in watching the stream can check the corresponding time the stream goes live in their own timezone here.

The reveal of this special stream, and especially the fact it's counting down to a such a specific time has also let to speculation among the Sword Art Online fanbase that a major announcement on the franchise's future is coming to coincide with the end of stream. As of this writing, however, there is no official confirmation of any announcements and only speculation from fans. After November 7, the Anime Away team will be here to report on any announcements that do come from the Sword Art Online production team, so keep checking back with us.

Or catch up on Sword Art Online on your own time

Fans who are unable to watch the special Sword Art Online stream as it airs live on November 7 still have options to experience the series, whether it's for the first time or just the latest of multiple watches of the series. Currently, Sword Art Online is streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu, though availability may be affected by region. The spin-off series Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online and live cast recording Sword Art Online -FULLDIVE- are also available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Based on the novel series by author Reki Kawahara (available in English from Yen Press), the Sword Art Online anime series originally aired from 2012-2020 across several seasons and iterations. Set in what was, at the time of its original publication, the not-too-distant future of 2022, Sword Art Online follows a cast of characters who find themselves trapped in a virtual reality video game that's a bit like a fantasy-themed version of The Matrix, including the fact that anyone who dies in the game dies in real life.

Crunchyroll provides the following summary:

"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..."

- Crunchyroll

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