Anime fans take many shows to choose from almost characters stuck in MMORPGs, and ane of the most popular is Sword Art Online. Based on the novel serial by Reki Kawahara, the series follows characters who all of a sudden observe themselves trapped in a new virtual reality MMO chosen Sword Fine art Online, where if they dice in the game, they die in existent life.

But is SAO the best one? A solid contender to that throne is Log Horizon, which is based on Mamare Touno and has a similar premise. Players of the popular MMO Elder Tales finish upwardly trapped within the game world with the release of a new expansion pack. Both Sword Art Online and Log Horizon have similar premises, but the questions still remainsーwhich one is the better RPG based anime?

10 Sword Art Online: It Takes Place Over Several RPGs

Kirito vs death gun

Sword Art Online starts in the titular video game, simply the characters eventually manage to escape it successfully. However, to go on the series, the characters participate in other virtual reality expiry games, such as ALfheim Online and Gun Gale Online. Since each of the games has unlike loftier concepts, this allows the viewers to run into the characters in new and different situations. This is a corking way to proceed the series fresh over a long period of time.

9 Log Horizon: The Game Mechanics Are Stricter

log horizon

Sword Fine art Online sometimes ignores the game'southward established mechanics to farther the plot; Log Horizon sticks pretty closely to the laid-out rules for how the game is played. This keeps the series very focused on the gameplay itself and made sure the characters take to exist inside of specific rules for how things work. Information technology's an interesting have on the death game isekai concept since it takes the story's RPG aspect much more seriously.

8 Sword Art Online: It'due south A Love Story Too

Sword Art Online Asuna and Kirito Boss Fight

While there's enough of action and adventure in Sword Fine art Online, its emotional core is that of a dearest story. Kirito definitely has his fair share of girls in love with him over the course of the series, simply Asuna is the person he loves the well-nigh.

Their relationship is established very early on in the series. Simply about everything they do together throughout the series is to protect each other and go out alive to exist together.

7 Log Horizon: It's Has More Politics Within It

Anime Log Horizon 2 Peaceful Civilians

Log Horizon is actually the complete reverse of a love story. If Sword Art Online is more of a romance wrapped up in a genre story, Log Horizon is closer to the concepts toyed withinGame of Thrones. The series features characters in a brand new situation with no power dynamics in play. This ways there are many opportunities for people to betray each other, form alliances, and by and large play politics in a actually fascinating way.

6 Sword Art Online: The Action Is Exciting

Elucidator sword art online

Sword Art Online is definitely one of those series where the actual activity moments and fight sequences are intentionally designed to be really fun to watch. Many function-playing games are designed this way, too, with the big moves of the characters getting more drama and animation than some of the smaller moves. From this perspective, SAO has many more exciting scenes that continue viewers' attention, highlighting the unlike combat skills the characters have and the danger they're in in the game.

5 Log Horizon: The Fighting Is Strategy-Based

Log Horizon's head assassin

In many ways, the differences between Sword Art Online and Log Horizon come down to the dissimilar kinds of games they're seen to be playing. Where SAO might exist seen more as an RPG focused on big, flashy moves and fun animation, Log Horizon might be improve suited to someone who likes to play something like Last Fantasy Tactics, where the gameplay is focused on how to strategize in a detail boxing and how each of the characters tin contribute to it.

iv Sword Art Online: The Characters Are Trying To Win

Night Sky Sword

For the most part, in a death game isekai, the characters take to endeavour to win the game to escape successfully. That means working their way through various levels and boss battles and trying to stay ahead of whatever new obstacle the game will throw at them. Equally a viewer, seeing an endpoint insight makes the serial that much more fun to watch since they're working toward a particular goal.

3 Log Horizon: The Focus Is On Living Within The Game

Log Horizon

On the other paw, Log Horizon takes a flake of a different approach to the concept of beingness trapped inside of an RPG. Where SAO characters are doing their all-time to endeavour to exit and back to the real earth, Log Horizon characters endeavor to figure out how to live in their new situation. That ways setting up a society that works for anybody, figuring out who to put in accuse of what, and adjusting to the way things are at present.

2 Sword Fine art Online: At that place's One Protagonist

kirito looking sad swort art online

While there are plenty of characters in Sword Art Online, all of whom have their own things going on and their own reasons for beingness there and reasons for trying to go out, ultimately Kirito is the protagonist, and he's the one that needs to fix everything by winning the game.

The narrower focus on him as the main character makes it easy to follow a sometimes slightly confusing or overly-complex serial past making information technology a story well-nigh i specific character.

one Log Horizon: In that location's An Interesting Cast

Akatsuki, Henrietta, and the Princess

On the other hand, it is ever fun to have many options for characters to follow. Shiroe is, of form, the chief character in Log Horizon, and he'south actually a lot like Kirito. Simply he'due south not the only character, and the series doesn't even really position him as the strongest fighter or about powerful person. In fact, information technology's usually when acting in tandem with his friends and party members that he's at his best every bit a player of the game or in combat.

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