Will Sword Art Online: Progressive Get an Anime Adaptation?

While it’s impossible to know for sure, the indications are strongly in favor of an anime adaptation of Sword Art Online: Progressive.

Context and Popularity

Calling Sword Art Online popular is an understatement. In an era where most series struggle to get more than one 12-episode season, Sword Art Online has received two 24-episode seasons, a 48-episode split season, a movie, and even a 12-episode spin-off anime. Outside of Shonen Jump titles, only a select few, like A Certain Magical Index or Pretty Cure, can match its immense popularity and longevity.

Even more significant is the fact that these series are typically part of shared universe stories, not nearly 100 episodes of a single continuous story. This underscores the demand for more content and the responsibility held by the studio to manage and capitalize on this immense fanbase and hype.

Justification for an Anime Adaptation

The final arc of Sword Art Online, titled Unitative Ring, is still in its early stages. This means that when the second half of Alicization concludes in a few months, a significant gap will exist before the adaptation of the next mainline content can occur. For the anime studio, this period cannot be left idle, as they aim to continue capitalizing on Sword Art Online and maintaining its relevance in people’s minds to ensure an audience when Unitative Ring is ready to be adapted.

Enter Progressive, which provides the perfect opportunity. The light novels already exist, and there's more content on the horizon that could extend a season, if needed. Critically acclaimed, even those who are not fans of the original series have praised Progressive for its quality and overall improvement over the main series.

In addition, Progressive introduces a fresh entry point for potential viewers who might be hesitant to jump into the original series due to its age and certain plot points. The visual elements of the first season of Sword Art Online are nearing a decade old, and the unique nature of the first arc being based on a single novel, along with several short stories, makes it a challenging story to adapt.

Given the high praise Progressive has received on its own, this alternative entry point provides a compelling reason for an adaptation. Moreover, the Moon Cradle arc, which is generally considered a side story, could also be adapted as a movie, possibly around the same timeframe, even though it's part of the main light novel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is highly likely that we will see Sword Art Online: Progressive adapted into an anime in the coming years, with a goal to conclude the adaptation just as the final novel is released. This timeline would not only satisfy the demand for more content but also serve as a strategic move to maintain the franchise's relevance and audience engagement.