Haruyuki Arita is a middle schooler who enjoys playing online games as a way to cope with bullying. One day, he discovers that his high scores have been surpassed by Kuroyukihime, the vice president of the student council. She then invites him to try out "Brain Burst," an augmented reality fighting game that allows users to accelerate their brain waves and win duels against other players for more points. If a user loses all their points, they lose access to Brain Burst forever. Kuroyukihime explains that she needs Haruyuki's help in order to meet the creator of Brain Burst and uncover its purpose. To do this, she must defeat the "Six Kings of Pure Color," powerful leaders within the game, and reach level 10. After helping Haruyuki overcome his bullies, he agrees to assist her in achieving her goal. Thus begins their journey to become the top players in Brain Burst.
Accel World adapts the first 4 novels of Reki Kawaharas light novel series of the same title, as well as content from the 10th novel.