Anime films have been seeing incredible popularity in the West in recent years, with heavy hitters like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man seeing their movie counterparts pulling in major numbers at the box office. Recent rumors indicate that the majorly popular fantasy series Frieren: Beyond Journey's End will be getting its own film somewhere down the line, and yet another One Piece movie was confirmed to be in production as of late 2025, though original author Eiichiro Oda has given precious few details.
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However, none of these massive hits have managed to reach a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. That accolade belongs to something utterly unexpected by most in the anime community: the 2017 film Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale. Taking place between the second and third seasons of the Sword Art Online anime series, the theatrical release continues to be applauded for its original story, polished animation, action sequences, and its central theme, which highlights how humans have grown entirely reliant on technology.
Sword Art Online Remains Controversial Almost 15 Years After the Anime’s Release
Inspired by the 2009 light novel series of the same name by Reki Kawahara, Sword Art Online began its anime run in 2012, only wrapping up in 2020. Running for a whopping 96 episodes, its story follows Kirito Kirigaya, an avid high school gamer who finds himself trapped in the titular VR MMORPG with no way to get out. Each arc takes place in a different virtual reality world, but the goal is the same: escape at any cost, as dying in the game means dying in real life. Kirito makes plenty of friends and finds allies during his time in the mysterious game, along with his eventual love interest, Asuna Yuuki. The series can be partially credited for the modern isekai boom, with the genre still going strong over a decade after its initial release.
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Sword Art Online has earned plenty of praise during its run, with many fans applauding its approach to action and the ever-shifting stakes for Kirito and others trapped in the game world. As the focus changed with each season, the show had less chance to get stale, and even during less-popular arcs, the series' fight sequences were a major draw for audiences. The relatable and now-common isekai trope of 'shy introvert made hero in another world' also made Kirito instantly popular with many fans, and its many plot twists, believable villains, and psychological themes were a major draw at the start. The series still has plenty of fans, but online, it has long seemed to have far more detractors.
For every hundred fans of the series, Sword Art Online seems to have an equal number that dislike it, with most pointing to its often sloppy writing and frequent time skips. While many anime series jump over less important plot points, SAO does a particularly poor job making up for this lost time, failing to mention any of what transpired during skipped months, or even years. This means that certain characters have no time at all to develop, leaving them shallow and far less interesting than the series' main protagonists. Fortunately, this improved as the show progressed, but earlier seasons left many fans feeling less than thrilled.
Additionally, Sword Art Online has alienated many of its more sensitive viewers by including sexual assault as a main plot point. This happens to a female character in every season, and while its being repetitive is frustrating enough for some, others have dubbed it entirely exploitative, with certain scenes being particularly graphic in nature. Add to this a major shift in tone in the show's second half, and Sword Art Online's initial popularity began to fade away for some, as more and more began to voice their criticism. There's no denying that it has remained a juggernaut of the isekai genre, but often, bringing up SAO in conversation with those in the community will earn fans a few raised eyebrows.
Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale Boasts a Perfect Score on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite the anime series' ample criticisms, one of the three Sword Art Online theatrical films continues to see incredible praise from moviegoers and critics alike. While 2025's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle boasts a total score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc currently sits at 96%, 2017's Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scal e has a perfect score of 100%. The following two SAO movies didn't see the same success, with 2022's Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night only reaching 83% and its sequel film, Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night, currently sitting at a rather abysmal 42%.
Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
In particular, critics and audiences alike applauded Ordinal Scale's remarkably insightful social commentary. The current world has seen human beings become utterly reliant on technology, and the film highlights the many consequences of this, including negative emotional impacts and obsessive behaviors. Fans also enjoyed the concept of augmented reality battles in the real world, and the film's action sequences remain a highlight nearly a decade after its release. As longtime viewers would expect, protagonists Kirito and Asuna see plenty of development, not in fan service but in true emotional growth.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
While more recent films didn't live up to Ordinal Scale's incredible hype, there may be more for Sword Art Online fans to look forward to in the future. A new movie is currently in the works, which will follow the Progressive series and feature a brand-new, anime-original story. A release date has not been announced, but pre-production reportedly wrapped up in January 2024. Perhaps this fresh project will be able to reach the same incredible heights as the first theatrical release.
Sword Art Online
- Release Date
- 2012 - 2020-00-00
Cast
-
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka -
Haruka Tomatsu
WHERE TO WATCH
Sword Art Online is an anime series that follows protagonist Kirito as he and thousands of others become trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG where death in the game means death in real life. Kirito must navigate this perilous and immersive world to find a way to escape, facing numerous challenges and building alliances along the way. The series explores themes of survival, friendship, and the blurring line between reality and fantasy.
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Number of Episodes
- 96
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.21 (Season 1)
- Creator(s)
- Reki Kawahara
