Partner Unlocks — Asuna, Kirito & the SAO Cast
Every classic Sword Art Online character in Echoes of Aincrad is unlocked through a specific side-quest chain — and two of them are gated behind hidden dungeons that are easy to miss entirely. This guide lists the exact prerequisites, quest chains and Hidden Terminals for Asuna, Kirito, Agil, Klein, Lisbeth and Silica, plus fixes when a chain refuses to appear.
The SAO anime cast joins your roster through dedicated side-quest chains — most of them starting in Urbus.
How Partner Recruitment Works
Anime-cast partners unlock through Special Side Quests — three-part chains that appear in towns (mostly Urbus) once you clear the right main quest. Two chains have an extra hidden requirement: Agil needs the Soldier's Stronghold dungeon discovered, and Kirito needs the Ancient Ritual Hall. If a chain seems missing, the dungeon discovery is almost always the culprit.
All six characters are free story content — no DLC, edition tier or pre-order bonus is required. Once recruited, assign them from the Partner menu like any other partner and pair them with builds that match their weapon.
All SAO Partner Unlock Requirements
Asuna
RapierPrerequisite: Complete Main Quest: Black Swordsman I
The earliest anime partner you can recruit. Her rapier kit pairs naturally with speed and single-target builds.
Agil
Two-Handed AxePrerequisite: Complete Main Quest: Black Swordsman II
Hidden requirement: Requires the Soldier's Stronghold dungeon — discovered during Secret Medicine of the Forest via the Sorrowful Forest Road safe area (enter the fort, take the staircase down, activate the safe area inside).
If Years Together never appears, you have not discovered the Soldier's Stronghold. Replay Secret Medicine of the Forest from a town terminal.
Kirito
SwordPrerequisite: Complete Main Quest: Black Swordsman II
Hidden requirement: Requires the Ancient Ritual Hall dungeon — activate the Hidden Terminal northwest of the Rubus Highway safe area near the end of the Cliffside Marvel main quest.
The Black Swordsman himself. His quest chain will not surface until the Ancient Ritual Hall is on your map.
Klein
Curved SwordPrerequisite: Complete Black Swordsman II + the Field Trip quest
Hidden requirement: During Bride-to-Be, activate the Hidden Terminal near the Western Primordial Sands safe area (also needed for The Sealed Treasury side quest).
Klein's chain starts in Tolbana rather than Urbus — check the harbor-side NPCs after Field Trip.
Lisbeth
MacePrerequisite: Complete Main Quest: Seeking Hope
The blacksmith joins after a merchant-themed chain — a natural fit if you live in the Smithy fusing EX-Mods.
Silica
DaggerPrerequisite: Complete Main Quest: Violet Footsteps
Her chain begins in Horunka village and leans into the monster-taming side of her story.
Partner Quest Not Appearing? Fixes
✕ Agil's third quest (Years Together) never appears
Discover the Soldier's Stronghold dungeon. Replay Secret Medicine of the Forest, start from the Sorrowful Forest Road safe area, enter the nearby fort and head down the staircase, then activate the safe area inside the stronghold.
✕ Kirito's partner quest chain is missing
Discover the Ancient Ritual Hall. Replay Cliffside Marvel from the Rubus Highway safe area, follow the route to the marked location northwest of the safe area and activate the Hidden Terminal.
✕ Klein won't unlock after Bride-to-Be
Make sure you activated the Hidden Terminal near the Western Primordial Sands safe area during Bride-to-Be, then complete Suspicion and Truth in order.
✕ Black screen after a story quest while using an anime partner
Update to Ver. 1.0.4 or later — it fixed the Original Sin black screen with non-story partners. As a precaution, many players run Iori, Zash or Argo in main quests and use the SAO cast for side quests and farming.
Recruitment Tips
- ◆Activate every safe area and Hidden Terminal you pass — dungeon discoveries are permanent and gate later quest chains.
- ◆Main quests can be replayed from any town terminal, so a missed Hidden Terminal is never a lost save.
- ◆Check Urbus after each Black Swordsman main quest — most anime-cast chains surface there first.
- ◆Run original partners (Iori, Zash, Argo) in main story quests and use the SAO cast for side quests and farming to avoid legacy black-screen edge cases.
- ◆Each partner brings unique Combination and Support Skills — match their weapon to your build before a boss attempt.
Build Around Your Partner
Recruiting the cast is step one — pairing their Combination Skills with the right build is where the damage lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a specific edition to unlock the SAO cast?
No. All six anime partners — Asuna, Kirito, Agil, Klein, Lisbeth and Silica — unlock through free in-game quest chains on every edition, including Standard.
Which anime partner unlocks first?
Asuna — her chain opens after Black Swordsman I, one main quest earlier than Kirito, Agil and Klein, who all need Black Swordsman II.
Can I recruit every partner in one playthrough?
Yes. None of the recruitment chains are mutually exclusive or permanently missable — main quests can be replayed from town terminals to pick up missed Hidden Terminals and dungeon discoveries.
Where do most recruitment chains start?
Urbus is the recruitment hub — Asuna, Agil and Kirito all start there. Klein starts in Tolbana, Silica in Horunka, and Lisbeth's chain follows the Seeking Hope main quest.