Sword Art Online: Alicization had its EARLY season premiere on Saturday Sept. 15th 2018 at Hollywood’s The Montalbán theatre!

The Montalbán theatre

The Montalbán theatre

The Montalbán theatre

Set to be released on October 6 2018, Fans got the opportunity to watch the first, one-hour season premiere of SAO’s newest season, Sword Art Online Alicization. Along this one-day primere, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Russia and South Korea also had their own special screening.

Fans waiting to enter the Montalbán theater…

Some were in cosplay.

SAO standee that stood outside the theatre

Aniplex had exclusive SAO items for those attending this special screening and set up shop, selling SAO exclusives and Alicization merchandise.

SAO: Alicization poster that was given out to attendees [this particular poster is signed by some of the English cast of SAO]

Exclusive Shishiki of Manabu Ono’s Kirito sketch [This was signed by Kirito’s English voice actor, Bryce Papenbrook]

SAO merchandise that was available for purchase during the event, including some exclusive SAO: Alicization merchandise.

An acrylic ‘Alice’ standee, one of few SAO: Alicization merchandise that was available for purchase

Although we will not spoil the episode for you guys, the episode continues from where it left off in Ordinal Scale; This new season shines light on old characters from season one & two as well as, a new series director, Manabu Ono known for Hellsing, Saki, The Asterisk War & Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere.

Manabu Ono during Japan Expo 2017. Photo Credit: Coyote Mag via Twitter

For those who do not know, Alicization takes place during volumes 9 (Alicization Beginning) through volume 18 (Alicization Lasting) of Reki Kawahara’s Sword Art Online Alicization arc.

Sword Art Online Vol. 9 – Alicization Beginning

Sword Art Online Vol. 18 – Alicization Lasting

After the screening, we meet up with some special surprise guests, Bryce PapenBrook (Kirito) and Michelle Ruff (Sinon)

Bryce Papenbrook and I (Krystal)

Michelle Ruff and I (FUN FACT: Me and Michelle go WAY to 2016, She was the very first voice actor we interviewed for The Kitsune Network).

Check out our photoset for this event:

SAO setup inside theatre

Fans filling The Montalbán

Eugeo and Kirito cosplayers

Fans waiting for the episode to begin

Fans waiting for the episode to begin

Title card

An exclusive acrylic ‘Alice’ standee

Alice, Kirito and myself

SAO: Alicization poster that was given out to attendees [this particular poster is signed by some of the English cast of SAO]

Exclusive Shishiki of Manabu Ono’s Kirito sketch [This was signed by Kirito’s English voice actor, Bryce Papenbrook]

Aside from newest SAO season, there are loads in store for Kawahara’s series, beginning with its new video game app,

Sword Art Online Integral Factor

Integral Factor is the newest addition to SAO’s video game apps, taking place during the Aincrad arc. The player takes control of ‘a former beta tester’ who becomes trapped inside Aincrad.

Protagonist

Koharu

During the game, you meet a young inexperienced female player named, Koharu and much like Kirito and Asuna, they both take on the dangerous world of Aincrad, ‘this is a story that might of happened in Aincrad’ 

The game is now available for download on Google Play and the Apple Store, make sure to read the official prologue manga, illustrated by Yu Uonuma, here! Learn more about the game on its official website, SAO: Internal Factor.

Click here to read the prologue

Since its initial release, Sword Art Online has been Kawahara’s most popular series with Accel World as a runner up and much like many popular mainstream anime series, they get a live action adaptation;

Sword Art Online: The Television Series.

Back in 2016, Television production company SkyDance Media, announced that they’ve acquired the rights to Sword Art Online and are currently working with producer & writer, Patrick Massett, John Zinman (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; The Blacklist; Friday Night Lights) & Laeta Kalogridis (Alita: Battle Angel; Terminator Genisys) whom are currently writing the pilot episode. Since the announcement, not much as been released regarding the progress of the series, however SkyDance Media release a small summary via the series’s official IMDB page stating:

“The series will follow a brilliant young beta tester Kirito and his group of friends when they are trapped – alongside 10,000 other people – in a next-generation virtual reality online role-playing game. The game is a world unto itself: filled with sword fighting, monsters and mystery, where the stakes are life and death. Kirito and an ensemble of diverse characters must fight their way through this hostile environment while making lives for themselves in the fantastical world that is known as Sword Art Online.”

The cast is yet to be revealed.

Sinon Cosplayer, SketchBook; Kirito Cosplayer, Mystic Taku

Who do you think will prefect for Kirito and Asuna? Comment below, we’d love to hear your opinions!