Are Accel World and SAO connected? – Is there a watch order?

If we talk about the Isekai genre of anime, Sword Art Online, Goblin Slayer, and Accel World are bound to pop up.

Anime like Accel World and SAO are where gamers and anime fanatics join hands as it’s the perfect blend of both worlds, the best escape from reality.

Since both of them involve exploring virtual reality and its consequences fans tend to get confused between the two.

Especially because Accel World shares some similar concepts with SAO like Fluctlight Technology, Main Visualizer, etc. 

Accel World and SAO are not connected in terms of their storylines, they’re standalone so there isn’t a watch order. They have been created by Reki Kawahara and belong to the same universe, which overlaps some concepts that confound fans.

Accel World was set in the year 2025, which was later changed to the year 2065 in the anime. Whereas SAO was set in 2022 within the same universe.

This gap in timelines makes it evident that their storylines don’t collide. It’s also seen in the reference to the “Nerve Gear”, which was in SAO.

It was referenced in episode 22 of Accel World, where Haruyuki came across an older version of the Neuro Linker which was the Nerve Gear from SAO.

It’s like the Nerve Gear was developed further and came to be known as the Neruo linker in the future in Accel World.

In addition, the Accelerated world is based on the concept of Fluctlight, an integral part of the Soul Translator Technology, which was lost in the 2020s, right around the corner where SAO was set.

Also, the Fluctlight Theory had been introduced in SAO, in the Alicization Arc way before the events of Accel World.

These sorts of information overlaps confuse fans, however, these two anime are not connected by their plots, SAO took place way before Accel World within the same universe.

About Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by Abec.

The series occurs in the near future and focuses on the protagonist “Kirito” Kirigaya Kazuto and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds.

At the launch of the game, 10,000 people had connected themselves to the virtual reality of Sword Art Online. The plot takes a twist when people realize that they can’t quit the game.

Protagonist Kirito, a pro gamer and was present for the beta launch of SAO, starts planning to clear levels as soon as possible. Throughout his quest to finish the game, he meets many friends and also a love interest, Asuna.

The plot and the whole premise of the show are remarkably unique and quite believable in some futuristic sense.

About Accel World

Accel World (アクセル・ワールド, Akuseru Wārudo) is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara.

The series follows Haruyuki Arita, a socially marginalized high school student who discovers the virtual game “Brain Burst” through Kuroyukihime. In this neuro-link world, players engage in duels that impact their real lives. As Haruyuki navigates the game’s challenges, he uncovers a dark conspiracy and faces powerful adversaries.