- Kirito: I will survive.
Technology has advanced to the point where video games can now be full immersion experiences, where the player's mind feels as if they are actually inside the game. As our story begins, a new MMORPG, Sword Art Online, launches as the first MMO to use this Full Dive technology. Our hero Kirito, a beta tester, logs in on launch day along with 9,999 other lucky players. Soon after logging in, Kirito meets Klein, a newbie to SAO. Kirito decides to spend the day teaching Klein the basics. As the sun sets, Klein decides to log out in order to pick up a pizza and thanks Kirito for the pointers...
Only he can't find the logout button. And neither can Kirito.
Without the ability to log out, Klein and Kirito are stuck in the game. The NerveGear used to play the game intercepts muscle movements, so the only way to get out is for someone else to pull off the NerveGear. However, before Klein and Kirito have more time to think about the situation, they and the rest of the 10,000 players are transported to the town square, where they are greeted by Kayaba Akihiko, creator of the NerveGear and Sword Art Online.
As it turns out, the lack of a log out button is not a bug, it's a feature. The players are trapped within the game by Kayaba Akihiko. Any attempt to remove the NerveGear will result in the player's brain being fried by the helmet. Several people have apparently already died because of this. Furthermore, dying in the game would result in dying in real life. The only way for everyone to escape is for the players to clear all 100 floors of the dungeon and by beating the boss on each floor. Only then will they be allowed to log out. Also, since everyone is going to be stuck for awhile, Kayaba gives everyone a mirror item that changes their avatar to look like their real world selves (age, gender, and appearance based on how the NerveGears scan them.
Also, there's one last rule: if you die in the game, you die in real life.
Kayaba finishes his announcement and the entire square devolves into panic. Kirito grabs Klein and makes plans to hop to the next town to do some level grinding before everyone else starts grinding like crazy. However, Klein can't bear to abandon his friends and sends Kirito off on his own, reassuring him that he'll be okay and will start a guild with his friends. As they part, Kirito charges toward the next town, vowing to survive this world.
Weeks later, hundreds of players have already died, and the first floor's dungeon has not been cleared, but Kirito is still alive...for now.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Early-Bird Cameo: Asuna, Lizbeth, and Silica all make these for a split second or so.
- You can see Klein and his friends in the news report.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The people in the town square when they realize that if they die in the game, the NerveGear will kill them in the real world.
- The Most Dangerous Video Game: That game 10,000 people got to sign up for? They weren't so lucky after all. Kayaba overhauled SAO to take Permadeath to the extreme. If player dies at any point, the NerveGear they use will fry their brain by microwaves. The device will also trigger if anyone outside tries to remove it and it is reported that 213 players have perished already. What's more is that each NerveGear has a internal battery that can keep it running even when it is unplugged. Now they must Win to Exit.
- Permadeath: Anyone who dies in Sword Art Online will die in real life. Specifically, if the player character dies, their avatar is permanently deleted, and a dangerous microwave from the NerveGear will fry their brain. Worst of all, all known in-game revival methods are rendered useless from this point on.
- The Stinger: Reveals that 2,000 people have died within the first month, and no one has cleared the first floor yet.
