History ShoutOut / SwordArtOnline

*** Of course, this is one ShoutOut [[FandomRivalry that got a little too heated in some circles,]] with the tribal WithUsOrAgainstUs mentality of hardcore fandom causing particularly mean-spirited portions of the ''Berserk'' fandom to slander ''Sword Art Online'' enthusiasts as [[TrueArtIsAngsty childish casuals who can't stand dark, cynical and therefore "mature" art.]] Objectively however, both are ''equally'' valid stories about perserverence, hope and courageously fighting for a better tomorrow, and it's ''perfectly'' valid to be able to enjoy ''both'' stories without having to hate either.

** Kirito's massice Zweihandler that he primarily wielded in the ''Fairy Dance'' Arc bears more than a passing resmeblence to Guts' iconic Dragon-Slayer, and both can swing their respective BFS ''single handedly with one hand.''
** Both are christened War Heroes for deeds that inspired hope in the DarkestHour of their respective Worlds (Guts as "The Cleaver of A Hundred" that eventually led to the end of the Hundred Year War, Kirito as "The Black Swordsman" who slew Gleaming Eyes and Kayaba Akihiko soon thereafter and freeing the surviving 6000 trapped in ''Sword Art Online'')
** Kirito, like Guts, both had to endure the spectacle of the OneTrueLove of their lives (Asuna and Casca) being sexually-assaulted by a sociopath of godlike power (Sugou and Griffiths); though thankfully in Kirito's sake he was able to turn Sugou into confetti before he could get past LecherousLicking.
*** The similarities to Berserk could be more than coincidental, as the original ''Sword Art Online'' web-novels were written in the early 2000's, not long after the conclusion of the aforementioned events in the ''Golden Age'' Arc of "Berserk", which ran from 1992 to 1997 during Kawahara Reki's highschool days.

** In ''Hollow Realization'', there's another player running around by the name of Genesis who also goes by the moniker of "The Black Swordsman", and perhaps not coincidentally he uses a {{BFS}}, is a loner, can be quite the jerk, [[spoiler:and uses a dangerous power-up in order to win his biggest fights]]. Ironically, ''he's'' seen as a "pretender" in-universe in much the same way that Kirito was seen as such by out-of-universe fans.

* Kirito is referred to as the "[[Manga/{{Berserk}} The Black Swordsman]]" due to having black hair, wearing black and his main weapon being a black sword. Of course, this is one ShoutOut [[FandomRivalry that got a little too heated in some circles...]]

* The boxes for NERV Gear games like SAO look like the ones for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

** Asuna: a redhead [[SignatureStyle who wears her hair in the most peculiar way of the female cast]] and who also [[HeroesWantRedheads becomes the protagonist's primary love interest]]; finally, she's revealed to be in a coma in the second half of the first series. Compare her with Asuka -- Asuka Langley Soryu.

''Sword Art Online'' frequently makes reference to many other media. You will need to keep an eye out for them whether you're reading the novels or watching the anime:

* The movie ''Aria of a Starless Night'' features ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' as a fighting game that Misumi Tozawa plays.

** There's also the fact that the ArcVillain, Death Gun, is a DarthVaderClone, making the Star Wars analogy even more fitting.

* One scene in ''Ordinal Scale'' takes place in a [[{{Manga/Working}} Wagnaria]] restaurant.