J-pop vocalist Eir Aoi will deliver another exciting song in the Sword Art Online franchise.

Revealed yesterday, the artist will provide the opening theme for the forthcoming film Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of a Dark Dusk, which will be released in Japan on October 22. A teaser trailer featuring the song titled "Shinzo (Guts)” can be seen below.

For a decade, Eir Aoi has contributed several songs to the Sword Art Online franchise. Their single "Innocence" was used as a theme song for Sword Art Online’s first season. In 2014, Aoi’s single "Niji no Oto" was picked as the theme song for the special Sword Art Online: Extra Edition, and their song "Ignite" was used as an opening theme for Sword Art Online’s second season. In 2015, their single "Cynthia no Hikari" was the opening theme for the Sword Art Online: Lost Song video game.

In 2018, the artist’s single "Ryūsei" was an opening theme for Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, and their single "Iris" was an ending theme for Sword Art Online: Alicization. In 2020, their single "I will..." was an ending theme to Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld: Part 2.

This summer, Aoi announced their collaboration with FictionJunction, ASCA and ReoNa titled “Sokyu no Fanfare,” which is the theme song for the forthcoming Sword Art Online: Full Dive event. The celebration will take place at the Tokyo Garden Theatre in Tokyo on November 6. More information about the event can be found here.

Eir Aoi was recently announced as a performer at the Aniplex Online Fest 2022, which will be streamed for free on YouTube on September 23.