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One of the biggest criticisms I've heard of _Sword Art Online_ is that it's
derivative; the "trapped in a video game" plot has been done before, and
presumably better, by other anime. But nobody bothers to mention _which_ anime
has done it before. Doing my own research I came across _Log Horizon_ ,
although it would seem to me that if it were the only one it would get
mentioned by name.

So which shows predate _Sword Art Online_ that have the same basic plot? Has
Reki Kawahara ever said that he drew inspiration from a particular show?


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2019-02-06T20:23:49.873
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2019-02-07T01:14:50.803
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question
anime-history sword-art-online
What shows inspired Sword Art Online?


**Which shows predate Sword Art Online that have the same basic plot?** The
most similar anime show I could ever find (protagonist trapped in MMORPG
world) is [.hack//Sign](https://myanimelist.net/anime/48/hack__Sign)
Protagonist wakes up with slight amnesia in MMORPG world and tries to find
answers as to what happened to him and why he can't log out of the game. It
was released on April 4 2002 ([an early version of the first volume of SAO was
supposedly made around
2001](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_Art_Online#Development),
[.hack//Sign started development in as early as
2000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.hack//Sign#Concept_and_design)).

There are plenty of other isekai manga, anime and light novel earlier than SAO
but I can't seem to find another one that is as close other than .hack//Sign
as of now.

**Has Reki Kawahara ever said that he drew inspiration from a particular
show?** It was not directly stated by him but according from a
[biography](https://www.t-ono.net/biographies/reki-
kawahara-%E5%B7%9D%E5%8E%9F-%E7%A4%AB-brief-biography.html) of him that I
found, it was mentioned that Kawahara liked playing games.

> Kawahara would often head to the arcade with his fellow members to play
> fighting games. He also started playing online games in 1998, starting with
> **Ultima Online**. Kawahara also played **Ragnarok Online** , his most
> played game (although he stated **World of Warcraft** during Sakura-Con
> 2013), and **Phantasy Star Online**.

From this, we can say that his time playing these games could possibly have an
influence to SAO, which is in a similar setting. It was not mentioned that he
was influenced by anime shows when he wrote SAO. It was, however, mentioned,
on the same biography, that he was inspired by some works when he wrote Accel
World.

> In 2008, Kawahara decided to write again for the Dengeki Light Novel Award
> with Kyouzetsu Kasoku Burst Linker. He reapplied because he was inspired by
> all the works he read from Media Works Inc., such as **Tokyo Shadow** and
> **Those who Hunt Elves**.


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