The Best Episodes of Sword Art Online
Every episode of Sword Art Online ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of 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...
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Sword Art Online" is "The End of the World", rated 8.8/10 from 1171 user votes. It was directed by Tomohiko Ito and written by Yukito Kizawa. "The End of the World" aired on 10/7/2012 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Taboo Index".
8.8/10 1,171 votes#1 - The End of the World
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 10/7/2012
Game over.
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Yukito Kizawa
8.7/10 503 votes#2 - Taboo Index
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 12/9/2018
Ronie and Tiese are late getting to the dorm. Kirito rushes out in search of them, but no sooner has he gone than Frenica appears. She tells Eugeo about how she's suffered at Humbert's hands, and that Tiese and Ronie went to confront him about it.
Director: Shunsuke Nakashige
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.7/10 441 votes#3 - End to Eternity
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 7/19/2020
Despite its modest size, the Human Empire Army and Asuna valiantly battle the wave of American players surging towards them. But they’re hopelessly outnumbered, and the Human Empire soldiers start to fall one after another.
Director: Toru Hamasaki
Writer: Kohei Urushibara
8.6/10 390 votes#4 - Sword and Fist
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 12/8/2019
Upon seeing Alice, Gabriel orders his entire army to capture her. The pugilists guild races ahead of the main force. As Alice and Bercouli try to come up with a strategy to counter them, the silent Integrity Knight Sheyta Synthesis Twelve steps forward.
Director: Hiroshi Kimura
Writer: Kohei Urushibara
8.5/10 669 votes#5 - Mother's Rosario
Season 2 Episode 24 - Aired 12/20/2014
Getting to experience the outside world, Yuuki’s days are more satisfactory than ever before. In ALO, the players have a barbecue and end up on a quest. In the real world, Asuna and the girls take a trip to Kyoto. One day, Asuna receives an email…
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Tomohiko Ito
8.5/10 369 votes#6 - Memories
Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 8/16/2020
Sinon manages to severely damage Gabriel, but her strength has been sapped. Leafa collapses after wiping out the American players. And Asuna, her situation now hopeless, gazes at Kirito. But the Black Swordsman continues to wander through his dreams.
Director: Yuya Horiuchi
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.4/10 943 votes#7 - The Blue-Eyed Demon
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 9/2/2012
To save a group of players and Asuna from a Boss character, Kirito is forced to play his trump card.
Director: Koichi Kikuta
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto, Naoki Shouji
8.4/10 367 votes#8 - Battle of the Knights
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/17/2019
The Final Load Test has begun, and the Eastern Gate has collapsed. Incited by Gabriel, now Emperor Vecta, the massive army of the land of darkness pushes on towards the Human Empire.
Director: Takuma Suzuki
Writer: Yukito Kizawa
8.3/10 358 votes#9 - Ray of Light
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 12/29/2019
Due to Gabriel's scheme, U.S. players were given black knight accounts, and are now continuously logging in to the Underworld. They begin mercilessly slaughtering soldiers from both the Human Empire Army and the Dark Territory Army.
Director: Shunsuke Nakashige, Kenji Seto
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.3/10 335 votes#10 - The Night-Sky Blade
Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 8/30/2020
Alice and Asuna head to the World’s End Altar as Kirito confronts Gabriel. Unless he can defeat Gabriel and return to the real world before the maximum-acceleration phase begins, Kirito will have to spend the next 200 years in the Underworld.
Director: Masakazu Obara
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.2/10 893 votes#11 - Crimson Killing Intent
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 9/9/2012
Kirito has agreed to a duel with the head of the Blood Alliance Knights. If Kirito wins, Asuna is free to leave the Knights and if he loses…
Director: Hideya Takahashi
Writer: Yukito Kizawa
8.2/10 336 votes#12 - The Relentless Knight
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 1/20/2019
Kirito and Eugeo are on their way up the stairs of the Central Cathedral when they encounter two girls named Linel and Fizel. As they stand, wondering what two children are doing there, they let their guard down and...
Director: Daige Tokuda, Hirotaka Tokuda
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.2/10 317 votes#13 - Blood and Life
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 12/1/2019
The powerful formal art unleashed by the Integrity Knight Alice inflicts severe casualties on the forces of darkness. Alice encounters an enemy survivor and learns that Emperor Vecta's objective is to find the "Priestess of Light."
Director: Shunsuke Nakashige
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.2/10 328 votes#14 - Awakening
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 8/23/2020
Escaping his nightmares, Kirito regains consciousness at last. With the Night-Sky Blade in his right hand and the broken Blue Rose Sword in his left, he faces off against Vassago, armed with the Mate-Chopper, now enormous in size.
Director: N/A
Writer: Kohei Urushibara
8.1/10 1,209 votes#15 - The World of Swords
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 7/8/2012
It's launch day for one of the most highly-anticipated video games of all time. Join the character "Kirito" as he begins his journey in the virtual world of Sword Art Online.
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Yukie Sugawara, Yukito Kizawa
8.1/10 375 votes#16 - Departure
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/2018
Kirito and Eugeo realize Selka has taken off to the End Mountains alone, and decide to chase after her. As they enter the cave, they encounter goblins, presumably from the Dark Territory, and must engage in a battle.
Director: Michiru Itabisashi
Writer: Ko Nekota
8.1/10 330 votes#17 - The Osmanthus Knight
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 1/27/2019
Though riddled with wounds, Kirito manages to activate his Perfect Weapon Control art. Continuing on their way to the top floor of the Central Cathedral, Kirito and Eugeo find themselves standing before a strange-looking floating platform.
Director: N/A
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.1/10 329 votes#18 - The Legendary Hero
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 2/10/2019
Eugeo reaches the ninetieth floor of the Central Cathedral, which turns out to be a vast bathing area. The perplexed Eugeo encounters Bercouli Synthesis One soaking in the bath. Meanwhile, Kirito and Alice are still climbing the Central Cathedral wall.
Director: N/A
Writer: Yukito Kizawa
8.1/10 308 votes#19 - Stigma of the Disqualified
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 11/24/2019
Integrity Knight Renly Synthesis Twenty-Seven, in battle for the first time, flees his position, allowing goblins from the forces of darkness to infiltrate to the tent where Kirito is.
Director: Yuya Horiuchi
Writer: Kohei Urushibara
8.1/10 325 votes#20 - Heartless Choice
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 12/22/2019
Asuna has created a bottomless chasm. The dark knights and the pugilists attempt to cross over to the other side, where the Human Empire Army waits. Meanwhile, Critter releases an announcement about a limited-time beta test for a bizarre new VRMMO.
Director: N/A
Writer: Muneo Nakamoto
8.0/10 484 votes#21 - Death Gun
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 8/30/2014
The man in the cape shoots Pale Rider and he is eliminated despite the fact that he has HP remaining. The man says that he is Death Gun, and declares that he will bring true death. Asuna and her friends are watching a live stream of BoB and realize that Death Gun is one of the leaders of Laughing Coffin.
Director: Yoshihiko Iwata
Writer: Yukie Sugawara
8.0/10 329 votes#22 - Stacia, the Goddess of Creation
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 12/15/2019
Asuna has logged into the Underworld using the superuser account of Stacia, the Goddess of Creation. After she descends, she is reunited with Kirito, thanks to Ronie and Tiese. But soon Alice arrives, leading to a precarious situation!
Director: Takashi Sakuma
Writer: Kohei Urushibara
7.9/10 985 votes#23 - The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 7/22/2012
Kirito has finally joined a guild made up of close friends in reality. Everything is going well until a tragic accident changes Kirito completely.
Director: N/A
Writer: Yukie Sugawara
7.9/10 782 votes#24 - Edge of Hell's Abyss
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/30/2012
While enjoying a fishing tournment Kirito receieves an urgent e-mail from the leader of the guild requesting their return.
Director: N/A
Writer: Yoshikazu Mukai
7.9/10 551 votes#25 - Underworld
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 10/7/2018
Kirito, along with his childhood friend, Eugeo, has been tasked with cutting down a colossal tree called the Gigas Cedar. They’re swinging their ax when their friend Alice arrives with lunch. As they eat, the three friends decide to go to a fabled cave.
Director: Tsuyoshi Tobita, Manabu Ono
Writer: Yukito Kizawa