Tokyo International News Agency

On April 29, 2026, the AR idol Yuna from the popular anime series "Sword Art Online" (SAO) held her "Yuna First Live," sparking a massive wave of emotion across social media. The event, held on the exact date specified in the franchise's fictional timeline, featured the singing voice of the late Sayaka Kanda, who passed away in 2021, leaving many fans in tears. In the film "Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale," it was established that Yuna would hold a concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on April 29, 2026. Because this pivotal "anniversary" from the story coincided with the real-world calendar, a special live project was realized. Sayaka Kanda, who provided both the speaking and singing voice for Yuna in the original film, had her original vocal recordings used for the musical performances. Meanwhile, Risa Matsuda provided the character's new dialogue for this commemorative event. Social media was flooded with posts from moved ...

The "First Live" concert by Yuna, the first AR (Augmented Reality) idol to appear in the popular anime series Sword Art Online (SAO) , has been announced to take place on April 29, 2026, at 5 PM JST. This exact date and time perfectly align with the in-story setting where Yuna held her live performance, sparking a massive reaction on social media with comments like, "Finally, reality has caught up to SAO." Yuna is a beloved songstress who debuted in Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale- , released in 2017. As this historic moment approaches, where the narrative's timeline converges with the real world, fans have expressed overwhelming anticipation, exclaiming, "This is too emotional!" and "That day's concert is becoming real!" However, a pervasive undercurrent of sadness remains, as fans continuously mourn the late actress Sayaka Kanda, who tragically passed away in 2021 and brought Yuna's voice to life. Social media posts are fi...