Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Part magic word, part boarding call, it marks the moment a gamer crosses into a virtual world. After the death game begins it reads as dark irony for anyone who said it that afternoon. Fans shout it as a cheerful starter's pistol for anything from logging into a game to beginning a task, and it remains the series' signature catchphrase.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Sword Art OnlineShow the scene
Link Start is the command that boots up the NerveGear, the headset that lets players dive into Sword Art Online. In the first episode, "The World of Swords" (7 July 2012), a fourteen-year-old player uses the NerveGear the moment the game launches, at 13:00 on Sunday 6 November 2022, and enters the virtual town of Aincrad as his beta avatar Kirito. The scene opens the Aincrad Arc, before the game turns into a trap that kills players for real. Later SAO games reuse the phrase.
Sources (2)
- Sword Art Online Wiki: NerveGearUsage sectionReference checked
- Sword Art Online Wiki: The World of SwordsPlot section and Quotes sectionReference checked
Context reviewed