On Tuesday, Kadokawa revealed that the Demons’ Crest novel series by Sword Art Online writer Reki Kawahara will receive a TV anime adaptation.
The series’ artist, Yukiko Horiguchi—renowned for her character work on Kyoto Animation titles such as K-ON!, Lucky Star, and Tamako Love Story—crafted the accompanying illustration to mark the news. Kadokawa shared no additional details regarding the anime production.
Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series penned by Reki Kawahara and brought to life with illustrations by abec. Set in the 2020s, it centers on main characters Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they navigate a series of virtual reality MMORPG environments, eventually getting drawn into the complexities of an artificial society. Kawahara first shared the story as a web novel on his personal site from 2002 to 2008.[3] The print light novels debuted under ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko label on April 10, 2009, followed by a spin-off series in October 2012. It has inspired twelve manga versions, released by ASCII Media Works and Kadokawa, with both the novels and manga secured for North American distribution by Yen Press.
The anime adaptation, simply called Sword Art Online and produced by A-1 Pictures, ran in Japan from July to December 2012. A special TV movie, Sword Art Online: Extra Edition, followed on December 31, 2013, and the second season, Sword Art Online II, broadcast from July to December 2014. An original-story animated feature, Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, written by Kawahara, hit theaters in Japan and Southeast Asia on February 18, 2017, and arrived in the U.S. on March 9, 2017. A side series, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, launched in April 2018, while the third season, Sword Art Online: Alicization, spanned October 2018 to September 2020. The first Sword Art Online: Progressive anime film, Aria of a Starless Night, opened on October 30, 2021, with the sequel, Scherzo of Deep Night, following on October 22, 2022. The franchise has also seen numerous video game titles developed for consoles, PCs, and mobile platforms.
Sword Art Online has enjoyed massive commercial triumph, boasting more than 30 million light novel copies sold globally. The anime has garnered generally favorable to mixed critical responses, earning acclaim for its stunning visuals, soundtrack, and deep dive into the mental impacts of virtual worlds, though it’s often faulted for uneven tempo and narrative choices.
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