Where the anime ends, and where the books carry onAnime, manga, light novels and web novels, lined up by story arc

Arc Almanac

3 Oct 2026Draft. Not yet checked against the books.

All series / Sword Art Online / Arc 3

Arc 3 of 7 in Sword Art Online

Arc 3: Phantom Bullet

I’ve watched through

Season 1 stops before this arc.

Seen by the end of Sword Art Online II.

Seen by the end of Ordinal Scale.

Seen by the end of Alicization.

Seen by the end of War of Underworld.

What happens

An investigation takes Kirito into a gun-based virtual world and a tournament with consequences beyond the game.

Where it sits

Phantom Bullet in Sword Art Online
FormatVolumesUnitsLanguage
Light novelVol 5, 6Volume 5 – volume 6, chapter 16Japanese
Light novelVol 5, 6Volume 5 – volume 6, chapter 16English
AnimeSword Art Online IISeason 2, episodes 1–14—

Draft. Not yet checked against the books. Report a wrong mapping.