In a world where everyone connects to an online network, pudgy Haruyuki Arita can't seem to catch a break. Constantly bullied, afraid to face reality and paranoid his two childhood friends pity him, the teenager uses online games as a way to escape his problems. But things change one day when Haruyuki's beautiful upperclassman Kuroyukihime approaches him with a mysterious time-decelerating program known as Brain Burst - there‘s just one catch. To keep the ability, he must defeat other Brain Burst wielders in Accel World, an exclusive, virtual MMORPG, and the newbie player will need all the help he can get. Eager to prove he's not a pathetic weakling, Haruyuki joins forces with Kuroyukihime to challenge fierce competitors and discover just how incredible Accel World and he truly are.