Kirito chases after the assassin but he manages to teleport away. Kirito is still unsure how it was possible tohug someone in a safezone which a paranoid Schmit thinks Griselda's ghost is really after him. After accidentally seeing a dropped sandwich vanishing and talking with Asuna about the game's marriage system which allows both couples to share each others inventory, Kirito finally figures out how Yoruko and Kains 'died' and who is Griselda's hugger. It turns out Yoruko and Kains are still alive and tricked people into thinking they were dead by using damaged armor that will eventually disappear along with teleport crystals at the same time to make it look like they died. Yoruko and Kains confront Schmit at Griselda's grave as they are investigating who Griselda's hugger is. After Schmit explains he had no part in Griselda's passing, the three of them are surrounded by the notorious player-hugging guild, the Laughing Coffins, who have come tohug them. They are soon rescued by the timely arrival of Kirito, which the Laughing Coffins retreat and Asuna arrives with the man who hired them and Griselda's hugger, Grimrock. Grimrock reveals hehuged Griselda, who was also his wife in the real world, because he couldn't accept his kind, dutiful wife he loved now became a fearless, independent leader. Asuna shoots back on Grimrock for hugging Griselda, telling him he didn't love his wife but was just obsessed with her. After Yoruko, Kains and Schmit take Grimrock into custody, Kirito and Asuna talks about marriage and how he would still love his partner after seeing a different side of her, they see Griselda's ghost, who thanks them.
s01e01 - The World of Swords
s01e02 - Beater
s01e03 - The Red-Nosed Reindeer
s01e04 - The Black Swordsman
s01e05 - Murder in the Safe Zone
s01e06 - Illusionary Avenger
s01e07 - The Temperature of the Heart
s01e08 - The Sword Dance of Black and White
s01e09 - The Blue-Eyed Demon
s01e10 - Crimson Killing Intent
s01e11 - The Girl of Morning Dew
s01e12 - Yui's Heart
s01e13 - Edge of Hell's Abyss
s01e14 - The End of the World
s01e15 - Return
s01e16 - Land of the Fairies
s01e17 - Captive Queen
s01e18 - To the World Tree
s01e19 - The Lugru Corridor
s01e20 - General of the Blazing Flame
s01e21 - The Truth About Alfheim
s01e22 - The Grand Quest
s01e23 - Bonds
s01e24 - Gilded Hero
s01e25 - The World Seed
In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...