Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 182,183 (click to see context) from:
* FunWithAcronyms: His username stands for "Prince of Hell".
* FreudianExcuse: He has nothing but hatred Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by his Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
* FreudianExcuse: He has nothing but hatred Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by his Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
to:
* FunWithAcronyms: His username stands for "Prince of Hell".
Hell". Also see MeaningfulName.
* FreudianExcuse: He has nothing but hatred for East Asians because his biological father, a Korean, had abandoned his mother after impregnating her. Furthermore, both him and his motherhad been sold to human traffickers were bought by his Korean father, the [=CEO=] of a Japanese trade company and were subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see East Asians kill each other.
* FreudianExcuse: He has nothing but hatred for East Asians because his biological father, a Korean, had abandoned his mother after impregnating her. Furthermore, both him and his mother
Added DiffLines:
* MeaningfulName: His given name (Vassago) is a reference to a certain [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassago Prince of Hell]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EvilIsHammy: Whenever he invokes his presence, he ensure his ham invoke fear to his opponents.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 137 (click to see context) from:
* MoodSwinger: At the start of the arc, Death Gun goes on a rant to the TV screen of [=XeXeed=] about high level players being cheaters but is more calm and sinister in the Bullet of Bullets tournament. [[Spoiler: Of course, it turns out to be foreshadowing to him being a CollectiveIdentity.]]
to:
* MoodSwinger: At the start of the arc, Death Gun goes on a rant to the TV screen of [=XeXeed=] about high level players being cheaters but is more calm and sinister in the Bullet of Bullets tournament. [[Spoiler: [[spoiler: Of course, it turns out to be foreshadowing to him being a CollectiveIdentity.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* MoodSwinger: At the start of the arc, Death Gun goes on a rant to the TV screen of [=XeXeed=] about high level players being cheaters but is more calm and sinister in the Bullet of Bullets tournament. [[Spoiler: Of course, it turns out to be foreshadowing to him being a CollectiveIdentity.]]
Changed line(s) 158 (click to see context) from:
* TheDreaded: Were this as a group, with multiple HeroKiller types like [=PoH=], Xa Xa, and Johnny Black among their ranks.
to:
* TheDreaded: Were this as a group, with multiple HeroKiller types like [=PoH=], Xa Xa, and Johnny Black among their ranks. It's bad enough that in the GGO arc when Death Gun utters [=PoH=]'s CatchPhrase, [[BoisterousBruiser Klein]] drops his alcohol and panics.
Added DiffLines:
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy / VillainHasAPoint: Unfortunately, he was correct the members of Laughing Coffin that survived SAO would get away with it because he knew Kiyaba would get the blame for their murders.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* AssholeVictim: Needless to say, no one shed a tear for him when Kirito wrested control of the game from him, turned off his pain inhibitor, and killed him in-game so viciously, his real-world player suffered permanent injuries.
Changed line(s) 99 (click to see context) from:
* LecherousLicking: When he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.
to:
* LecherousLicking: When he is sexually attacking assaulting Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 199 (click to see context) from:
* EvilCounterpart: For Yuuki Konno. Both are very ill in real life and wanted to prove their strength in the VR world, which gave them more opportunity than in real life. Unlike Yuuki, [=XaXa=] completely gave up on real world ethics and became a killing machine.
to:
* EvilCounterpart: For Yuuki Konno. Both are very ill in real life and wanted to prove their strength in the VR world, which gave them more opportunity than in the real life. world. Unlike Yuuki, [=XaXa=] completely gave up on real world ethics and became a killing machine.machine, equating strength with murder.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EvilCounterpart: For Yuuki Konno. Both are very ill in real life and wanted to prove their strength in the VR world, which gave them more opportunity than in real life. Unlike Yuuki, [=XaXa=] completely gave up on real world ethics and became a killing machine.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* IKnowYourTrueName: Is on both the giving end, and receiving end of this. He notices Kirito's name in the Qualifiers, and demands to know if he's the same one from SAO, or a fake using his name. Part of the plot during the actual tournament itself, is when Kirito realizes that Death Gun's character is not actually named Death Gun, forcing him to figure out what's his real character name. [[spoiler: Its also an important plot point, when Kirito figures out it's a member of Laughing Coffin, and tries to recall who he is, as so the criminal can then be arrested. He pieces together the clues via Death Gun's mask, melee weapon, and fighting style, identifying him as ''Red-Eye XaXa'' on International internet streams watching the events of the tournament, shocking XaXa and breaking his concentration.]]
Deleted line(s) 138 (click to see context) :
** IKnowYourTrueName: Is on both the giving end, and receiving end of this. He notices Kirito's name in the Qualifiers, and demands to know if he's the same one from SAO, or a fake using his name. Part of the plot during the actual tournament itself, is when Kirito realizes that Death Gun's character is not actually named Death Gun, forcing him to figure out what's his real character name. [[spoiler: Its also an important plot point, when Kirito figures out it's a member of Laughing Coffin, and tries to recall who he is, as so the criminal can then be arrested. He pieces together the clues via Death Gun's mask, melee weapon, and fighting style, identifying him as ''Red-Eye XaXa'' on International internet streams watching the events of the tournament, shocking XaXa and breaking his concentration.]]
Deleted line(s) 157 (click to see context) :
* {{Blood Knight}}s[=/=]ForTheEvulz: Their logic for killing is, "If it's a death game, killing people is a must".
* ForTheEvulz: Their logic for killing is, "If it's a death game, killing people is a must".
Changed line(s) 207 (click to see context) from:
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it.
to:
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it.it he kills others that match his profile.
Changed line(s) 223,224 (click to see context) from:
* HeroKiller: Has this reputation in ''SAO''.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one.
to:
* HeroKiller: Has this reputation in ''SAO''.
''SAO'' like many others in Laughing Coffin.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one. The survivor gets to live! Except they don't.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one. The survivor gets to live! Except they don't.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 183 (click to see context) from:
** [[spoiler:And after that event, while hiding from being captured by the front liners, he also was the one who, after witnessing Kirito's duel with Kuradeel, recruits Kuradeel into Laughing Coffin, and trains him in the use of poisons to attack Godfrey and Kirito]]
to:
** [[spoiler:And after that event, while hiding from being captured by the front liners, he also was the one who, after witnessing event and witnesses Kirito's duel with Kuradeel, he recruits Kuradeel into Laughing Coffin, Coffin and trains him in the use of poisons to attack Godfrey and Kirito]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** [[spoiler:And after that event, while hiding from being captured by the front liners, he also was the one who, after witnessing Kirito's duel with Kuradeel, recruits Kuradeel into Laughing Coffin, and trains him in the use of poisons to attack Godfrey and Kirito]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Screw it, I\'m unhiding these.
Changed line(s) 178,179 (click to see context) from:
%%* FunWithAcronyms: His username stands for "Prince of Hell".
%%* FreudianExcuse: He utterly hates Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by their Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
%%* FreudianExcuse: He utterly hates Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by their Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
to:
Added DiffLines:
* KarmaHoudini: At least until his aforementioned FateWorseThanDeath. [[spoiler: More specifically, how he was never caught during the [=SAO=] arc. He was the one who secretly provided the location of Laughing Coffin's main hideout, effectively betraying his own guild. He then warns his guild mere hours before the raid by the front-liners was to take place, allowing them to ambush the front-liners as they entered. He then simply disappeared without a trace.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RichKids: [[spoiler:Shouichi/[=XaXa=] paid a lot of money to kit out Sterben with the sniper rifle and optic camo cloak via the RealMoneyTrade system in GGO. The cloak alone has an estimated value of 300,000 Yen[[note]]$2504.07 U.S. Dollars as of May 2015[[/note]], and rare sniper rifles go for quite a lot. Shouichi is said to have a monthly allowance, of 500,000 yen, and the Shinkawa brothers parents are doctors]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** In the Japanese Dub, when Kirito engages him in a final duel, [[spoiler:his voice changes from the deep-sounding adult male voice, into one sounding late teen/young adult male voice, further revealing his true identity. Specifically, its Xaxa's voice, just being filtered due to the mask, and using a voice changing filter to disguise his identity before hand.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 124 (click to see context) from:
* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:Three people are playing the role.]]
to:
* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:Three people are playing the role.]] One plays, while the other two break into the homes of well known, or powerful players and administers the lethal injections]]
Changed line(s) 126,128 (click to see context) from:
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler:There were three perpetrators. Two were SiblingsInCrime while the other was added later for their plot during the third Battle of Bullets.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence: His Death Gun is [[spoiler: the same exact model of gun Sinon used to kill a bank robber years ago. She herself is stunned to see this.]] Subverted later; it's ''not'' a coincidence.
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red]].
* ContrivedCoincidence: His Death Gun is [[spoiler: the same exact model of gun Sinon used to kill a bank robber years ago. She herself is stunned to see this.]] Subverted later; it's ''not'' a coincidence.
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red]].
to:
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler:There were three perpetrators. Two were SiblingsInCrime while the other was added later for their plot during the third Battle of Bullets. Specifically, Kyouji Shinkawa/Spiegal created "Sterben", and bought the Optic Camo cloak from a Real Money Trade, and a replacement for his Spiegal avatar, as it was poorly optimized due to XeXeed's false information.. His older brother Shouichi/Red Eyed Xaxa, normally spied on players entering their real world info in game at the Governors Palace using the Optic Camo Cloak to stay hidden, and administered the poisons on the first two victims, while Kyouji performed the choreographed act of shooting the victims in game. Johnny Black joined in the crime to murder Garrett and Pale Rider, and Kyouji and XaXa switched roles for the Bullet of Bullets Tournoment.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence: HisDeath Gun "Death Gun" is [[spoiler: the same exact model of gun Sinon used to kill a bank robber years ago. She herself is stunned to see this.]] Subverted later; it's ''not'' a coincidence.
coincidence. [[spoiler: Death Gun's creator, Kyouji Shinkawa picked it specifically, as a "tribute" to Shino's "True Power". For Shino, it triggers her PTSD]]
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowingred]].red]], and vents out steam for extra creepy factor..
* ContrivedCoincidence: His
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing
Changed line(s) 132 (click to see context) from:
* {{Handguns}}: Uses a Type 54 [[note]]Chinese knock-off of the Soviet Tokarev TT-33[[/note]] in GGO.
to:
* {{Handguns}}: Uses a Type 54 "Black Star" [[note]]Chinese knock-off of the Soviet Tokarev TT-33[[/note]] TT-33. The Black Star refers to the stamping mark on the grip[[/note]] in GGO.
Added DiffLines:
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Death Gun" is the moniker he goes by and announces to the game. This is part of his cover, as player names are not displayed except as part of Satellite Scans, tournament standings, and when one has formed a Squad with others, as part of their HUD. [[spoiler: His character name is actually "Sterben"]]
** IKnowYourTrueName: Is on both the giving end, and receiving end of this. He notices Kirito's name in the Qualifiers, and demands to know if he's the same one from SAO, or a fake using his name. Part of the plot during the actual tournament itself, is when Kirito realizes that Death Gun's character is not actually named Death Gun, forcing him to figure out what's his real character name. [[spoiler: Its also an important plot point, when Kirito figures out it's a member of Laughing Coffin, and tries to recall who he is, as so the criminal can then be arrested. He pieces together the clues via Death Gun's mask, melee weapon, and fighting style, identifying him as ''Red-Eye XaXa'' on International internet streams watching the events of the tournament, shocking XaXa and breaking his concentration.]]
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Although he reveals himself as being a Laughing Coffin member, he starts throwing multiple false clues common of other LC members. One of which is saying [=PoH's=] trademark line of "It's show time."]]
** IKnowYourTrueName: Is on both the giving end, and receiving end of this. He notices Kirito's name in the Qualifiers, and demands to know if he's the same one from SAO, or a fake using his name. Part of the plot during the actual tournament itself, is when Kirito realizes that Death Gun's character is not actually named Death Gun, forcing him to figure out what's his real character name. [[spoiler: Its also an important plot point, when Kirito figures out it's a member of Laughing Coffin, and tries to recall who he is, as so the criminal can then be arrested. He pieces together the clues via Death Gun's mask, melee weapon, and fighting style, identifying him as ''Red-Eye XaXa'' on International internet streams watching the events of the tournament, shocking XaXa and breaking his concentration.]]
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Although he reveals himself as being a Laughing Coffin member, he starts throwing multiple false clues common of other LC members. One of which is saying [=PoH's=] trademark line of "It's show time."]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BadassBaritone: Spots a deep, sinister voice. Especially true with Creator/BenDiskin, where he's known to pull deep voices at times for some of his older characters.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 115,116 (click to see context) from:
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SoichiroHoshi
to:
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SoichiroHoshi
Creator/SoichiroHoshi (Japanese), Creator/BenDiskin (English)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 25 (click to see context) :
* BiggerBad: His actions would lead to the later Arc Villains Sugou and Death Gun in fulfilling their own evil plans.
Added DiffLines:
* GreaterScopeVillain: His actions would lead to the later Arc Villains Sugou and Death Gun in fulfilling their own evil plans.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
** The World Seed he created with data gathered from the Aincrad server is ultimately what allows VRMMOs to continue to exist after [[spoiler:SAO and the first ALO server are shut down.]]
to:
** The World Seed he created with data gathered from the Aincrad server is ultimately what allows VRMMOs [=VRMMOs=] to continue to exist after [[spoiler:SAO and the first ALO server are shut down.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* VillainousLegacy: A subversion, in that while Kayaba's influence does loom large over the series long after his role is ended, the impacts are largely beneficial to society:
** [[spoiler:A virtual remnant of himself is what allows Kirito to turn the tables on Oberon at the climax of ''Fairy Dance''.]]
** The World Seed he created with data gathered from the Aincrad server is ultimately what allows VRMMOs to continue to exist after [[spoiler:SAO and the first ALO server are shut down.]]
** At the end of ''Mother's Rosario'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that he was the original designer of the Medicuboid system that made it possible for Yuuki to have a high quality of life in VR while her health rapidly deteriorated due to AIDS.]]
** [[spoiler:A virtual remnant of himself is what allows Kirito to turn the tables on Oberon at the climax of ''Fairy Dance''.]]
** The World Seed he created with data gathered from the Aincrad server is ultimately what allows VRMMOs to continue to exist after [[spoiler:SAO and the first ALO server are shut down.]]
** At the end of ''Mother's Rosario'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that he was the original designer of the Medicuboid system that made it possible for Yuuki to have a high quality of life in VR while her health rapidly deteriorated due to AIDS.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 17 (click to see context) from:
The creator of SAO who trapped ten thousand players in his game of death.
to:
The creator of SAO who trapped ten thousand players in his game of death. The antagonist of volumes 1-2.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BiggerBad: His actions would lead to the later Arc Villains Sugou and Death Gun in fulfilling their own evil plans.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Oops, guess I can\'t put spoiler tags in folder titles.
Changed line(s) 4 (click to see context) from:
cassssal
to:
Changed line(s) 158,159 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:[[spoiler:Vassago Cassals[/spoiler] / [=PoH=]]]
to:
Added DiffLines:
%%* FunWithAcronyms: His username stands for "Prince of Hell".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Goddamnit, there\'s a reason why this guy\'s name is spoilered and why that trope is commented out. This stuff will be unspoilered/uncommented once the novels have progressed far enough.
Changed line(s) 4 (click to see context) from:
to:
cassssal
Changed line(s) 158,159 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Vassago Cassals / [=PoH=]]]
to:
Changed line(s) 167 (click to see context) from:
* FreudianExcuse: He utterly hates Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by their Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Natter and opiniated edits.
Changed line(s) 70,73 (click to see context) from:
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Likely no one shed a tear after Kirito turns the tables on him and kills his avatar brutally in the ALO game, considering he was torturing the former moments before, and threatened to rape Asuna both in-game and in the real world. This carries over to their IRL confrontation as well -- though there are complaints of all this not being done ''sooner'', considering what happened.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In front of Asuna's father.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: As Oberon.
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself, on top of [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl yelling his lungs out]], after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In front of Asuna's father.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: As Oberon.
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself, on top of [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl yelling his lungs out]], after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
to:
*
Changed line(s) 80,81 (click to see context) from:
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Suffered this by Kirito at the final part of his CurbStompBattle by letting his sword fall into him and because of the pain reception he brought up during that fight it transfers into the real world with painful irritation and bad vision from that right eye.]]
* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
to:
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Suffered Suffered this by Kirito at the final part of his CurbStompBattle by letting his sword fall into him and because of the pain reception he brought up during that fight it transfers into the real world with painful irritation and bad vision from that right eye.]]
*eye.
%%* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
*
%%* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
Changed line(s) 84,85 (click to see context) from:
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard: Uses an unreleased, overpowered spell on Kirito and Asuna. Changes the Pain Absorption to torture Kirito. [[spoiler:The latter eventually leads to HoistByHisOwnPetard with it being used against him.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Gets chopped in half by Kirito.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Gets chopped in half by Kirito.]]
to:
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard: Uses an unreleased, overpowered spell on Kirito and Asuna. Changes the Pain Absorption to torture Kirito. [[spoiler:The The latter eventually leads to HoistByHisOwnPetard with it being used against him.]]
him.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe:[[spoiler:Gets His avatar gets chopped in half by Kirito.]]Kirito during the climax of ''Fairy Dance'', before getting thrown in the air and impaled through the eye.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe:
Changed line(s) 87 (click to see context) from:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Pain Absorption that he used to torture Kirito is used against him when the latter obtains [[GameMaster Administration Powers]] from Kayaba.]]
to:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The The Pain Absorption that he used to torture Kirito is used against him when the latter obtains [[GameMaster Administration Powers]] from Kayaba.]]
Changed line(s) 89,90 (click to see context) from:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]], all this right in front of Kirito. Given the tropes above and below this one, needless to say, he ends up paying for it.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Kirito kills Sugou's Oberon avatar by tossing him up and letting him fall onto his sword [[EyeScream that landed on his right eye]].]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Kirito kills Sugou's Oberon avatar by tossing him up and letting him fall onto his sword [[EyeScream that landed on his right eye]].]]
to:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]], all this right in front of Kirito. Given the tropes above and below this one, needless to say, he ends up paying for it.
Kirito.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:[[spoiler: Kirito kills Sugou's Oberon avatar by tossing him up and letting him fall onto his sword [[EyeScream that landed on his right eye]].]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
Changed line(s) 92,96 (click to see context) from:
* KillerGameMaster: The overpowered spells, the Pain Reception controls, [[spoiler: and the fact that ALO is UnwinnableByDesign]] all point to a sadistic "Fairy King".
* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:He tried to kill Kazuto in the real world with a combat knife. Thankfully Kazuto handed him his ass and handed him to the police by his supposed-victim, thanks to the skills he learned in game.]]
* LastVillainStand: [[spoiler: By the time he decides to pull a knife on Kirito in the real world, Sugou has suffered a complete VillainousBreakdown and has lost everything, save one last, desperate chance to get back at our hero.]]
* LecherousLicking: When [[spoiler:he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.]]
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:He tried to kill Kazuto in the real world with a combat knife. Thankfully Kazuto handed him his ass and handed him to the police by his supposed-victim, thanks to the skills he learned in game.]]
* LastVillainStand: [[spoiler: By the time he decides to pull a knife on Kirito in the real world, Sugou has suffered a complete VillainousBreakdown and has lost everything, save one last, desperate chance to get back at our hero.]]
* LecherousLicking: When [[spoiler:he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.]]
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
to:
* KillerGameMaster: The overpowered spells, the Pain Reception controls, [[spoiler: and the fact that ALO is UnwinnableByDesign]] UnwinnableByDesign, all point to a sadistic "Fairy King".
* KnifeNut:[[spoiler:He He tried to kill Kazuto in the real world with a combat knife. Thankfully Kazuto handed him his ass and handed him to the police by his supposed-victim, thanks to the skills he learned in game.]]
game.
* LastVillainStand:[[spoiler: By the time he decides to pull a knife on Kirito in the real world, Sugou has suffered a complete VillainousBreakdown and has lost everything, save one last, desperate chance to get back at our hero.]]
hero.
* LecherousLicking: When[[spoiler:he he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.]]
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
* KnifeNut:
* LastVillainStand:
* LecherousLicking: When
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
Changed line(s) 98 (click to see context) from:
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: [[spoiler:He doesn't know how to keep his hands and tongue to himself.]]
to:
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: [[spoiler:He He doesn't know how to keep his hands and tongue to himself.]]
Changed line(s) 100 (click to see context) from:
* SmallNameBigEgo: He talks big, describing himself as an incredibly powerful man, to the point of [[AGodAmI claiming to be a god]] but is really the poor man's version of Akihiko Kayaba and after [[spoiler: the latter's BigDamnHeroes moment in Alfheim,]] he [[VillainousBreakdown shows that he knows it too.]]
to:
* SmallNameBigEgo: He talks big, describing himself as an incredibly powerful man, to the point of [[AGodAmI claiming to be a god]] but is really the poor man's version of Akihiko Kayaba and after [[spoiler: the latter's BigDamnHeroes moment in Alfheim,]] Alfheim, he [[VillainousBreakdown shows that he knows it too.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 89 (click to see context) from:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]], all this right in front of Kirito. Given the tropes above, needless to say, he ends up paying for it.
to:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]], all this right in front of Kirito. Given the tropes above, above and below this one, needless to say, he ends up paying for it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 70 (click to see context) from:
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Likely no one shed a tear after Kirito turns the tables on him and kills his avatar brutally in the ALO game, considering he was torturing the former moments before, and threatened to rape Asuna both in-game and in the real world.]]
to:
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Likely no one shed a tear after Kirito turns the tables on him and kills his avatar brutally in the ALO game, considering he was torturing the former moments before, and threatened to rape Asuna both in-game and in the real world. This carries over to their IRL confrontation as well -- though there are complaints of all this not being done ''sooner'', considering what happened.]]
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
to:
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself himself, on top of [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl yelling his lungs out]], after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
Changed line(s) 89 (click to see context) from:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]] all this right in front of Kirito.
to:
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]] her]], all this right in front of Kirito.Kirito. Given the tropes above, needless to say, he ends up paying for it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* LoopholeAbuse: Because the Laughing Coffin cannot be recognized as a guild by the system given their abnormally high count of [[PlayerKilling orange and red players]], their members are free to join and infiltrate other guilds. Kuradeel exploited this by posing as a frontline soldier in the Knights of the Blood Oath, unbeknownst to everyone until he reveals his tattoo to Kirito.
* MasterPoisoner: Most, if not all, members of this guild are skilled in potion mixing, usually to paralyse their victims before going for the kill.
* MasterPoisoner: Most, if not all, members of this guild are skilled in potion mixing, usually to paralyse their victims before going for the kill.
Changed line(s) 152,153 (click to see context) from:
* PlayerKilling: However due to the way the [[KilledOffForReal death system works in SAO]], [[MoralEventHorizon they're straight up murderers]].
* {{Tattooed Crook}}s: Members have their guild symbol tattooed on their avatar's bodies.
* {{Tattooed Crook}}s: Members have their guild symbol tattooed on their avatar's bodies.
to:
* PlayerKilling: However due to Some time after Laughing Coffin, a ragtag bunch of orange players, was founded, [=PoH=] spread the way belief that killing other players was alright, uncaring of the [[KilledOffForReal fact that SAO was a death system works in SAO]], [[MoralEventHorizon they're straight up murderers]].
game.
*{{Tattooed Crook}}s: TattooedCrook: Members have their guild symbol tattooed on their avatar's bodies.
*
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 154,155 (click to see context) from:
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A ''very'' extreme and nasty example.
to:
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A ''very'' extreme They know their game-world actions have lethal real world consequences and nasty example.
yet they kill anyway.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
This page details the antagonists of each story arc. Click [[Characters/SwordArtOnline here]] to return to the main index.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
%%
%%Before editing, please read Administrivia/HowToWriteAnExample in its entirety. We cannot stress enough how harsh the punishment for violating Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers, Administrivia/ConversationInTheMainPage and Administrivia/ZeroContextExample is, so do not ignore this comment.
%%
->Real world names are in western naming order. Followed by their online name and worlds they played in.[[note]]If only the online name is known, then display as normal.[[/note]]
'''Note: Unmarked spoilers ahead. If you're starting the anime, ''do not'' read this page!'''
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Akihiko Kayaba]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kayaba_3293.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KoichiYamadera (Japanese), Creator/MarcDiraison (English)
The creator of SAO who trapped ten thousand players in his game of death.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's very polite and professional. He's also threatening the lives of thousands of innocent people.
* ArcVillain: Aincrad arc.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He tells Kirito of his dream about creating a floating castle as the basis for creating Sword Art Online.
* {{Badass}}: He ''created'' every Sword Arts in Sword Art Online, including Kirito's Dual Blades techniques.
* BadassBookworm: He programmed all of SAO, and designed the hardware, by himself. [[spoiler:Even after his death he created a program that revived the VRMMORPG genre in the aftermath of the Fairy Dance arc.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: At the end of the Fairy Dance arc, his spirit seemingly ''comes back from the dead'' to give Kirito his Administrator privileges so he can defeat Sugou.]]
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: His extreme LackOfEmpathy creates this. He weighed 10,000 human lives versus him creating his ideal world and chose the latter, but feels neither any guilt nor joy at the deaths. He's actually ''happy'' that someone is coming to kill him as that is how Aincrad is supposed to work.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: To Kirito as virtual reality junkies.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: He may have caused the deaths of 4000+ players just to bring his imagination to life, but he keeps his own rules even if it meant losing everything. By these standards he holds Nobuyuki Sugou in contempt and helps out Kirito in taking him down.]]
* FairPlayVillain: [[spoiler:Zigzagged, he keeps his own rules, even when it costs him his world and his life.]] However, he did make himself an [[spoiler:Immortal object as Heathcliff]]
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: He was supposed to be this for SAO.]]
* GameMaster: He's the administrator of SAO.
* {{GMPC}}: [[spoiler:Considered to be the strongest player in SAO. The Leader of the most powerful guild. One of the only two known people with a Unique Skill. Have never been seen being brought down to below 50% HP. Respected by all. Granted he expected himself to be revealed at around the 95th floor and deliberately did this to bring forth the greatest despair to the players. On the other hand, he tends to not do much and fights passively, letting the rest of the players do their own thing and to figure out what to do on their own. It was the combination of all the above that led Kirito to suspect this trope and thus his true identity.]]
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard:
** [[spoiler:To protect his guise as Heathcliff in his duel with Kirito, he accelerated faster than the normal players in SAO to block damage. He also has the "Immortal Object" ability normally granted to environmental objects to protect his life if his HP goes below 50%.]]
** In the [[spoiler:second duel]] Kirito noted that Kayaba did not, in fact, need the additional assistance [[spoiler:to strike that fast.]]
* AGodAmI: While he never claims to be anything more than a programmer, Kirito notes that his behavior is godlike - looking upon the players not with empathy, but with mercy and pity. This is what allows Kirito to [[spoiler:identify him as Heathcliff.]]
* GracefulLoser: When defeated [[spoiler: three-quarters of the way through the planned SAO]], Kayaba congratulates [[spoiler: Kirito and Asuna, and lets them both live and return to the real world, even though they had both "died" in the virtual world]].
* KarmaHoudini: He [[spoiler:dies on his own terms. While Kirito isn't openly hostile or hateful, he doesn't think that he can ever forgive Kayaba for those deaths, particularly Sachi's.]]
* KillerGameMaster: He designed the Nerve Gear to kill players in real life if they died in his game. He also placed lots of traps in his world with the idea of making that happen.
* LackOfEmpathy: He cares nothing for the deaths of the players in SAO.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: In his final duel with Kirito, he lowers himself to the level of the players, forfeiting all of his GM advantages to face Kirito in a fair duel.
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:His Heathcliff Avatar has light based skills.]]
* MadArtist: He dreamed of a masterpiece of a world where players can surpass the limits of reality. He also dreamed of people fighting for their lives in said world, apparently.
* MeaningfulName: Kayaba [[spoiler:naming his character after the villain of Literature/WutheringHeights]] draws certain parallels -- [[spoiler:originally appearing heroic, he is revealed to have more evil and self-serving intents.]]
* NobleDemon: He's a murder and a kidnapper and has some weird ethics to be sure but he sticks to his rules and is a GracefulLoser.
* PsychopathicManChild: His ultimate goal is essentially to bring the world of his imagination to life and have it be as real as possible. He also posses a certain sense of fair play. This would make him a Type C with bits of B and E mixed in.
** This is [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the 4-koma, where the raid team accuses him of having [[MrImagination 8th grader syndrome]].
* TheSociopath: Just doesn't care either way about the people trapped in his death game. Sure, he does [[spoiler: help found and raise a very powerful guild and helps its members develop,]] but that was done solely to have strong players who would keep challenging the game.
* TheStoic: Even when [[spoiler: Kirito overcomes ''death'' to attack him one last time]], his expression barely changes.
* StrawNihilist: He doesn't even care about ''his own'' life.
* TheUnfettered: The game will continue for Kayaba's amusement. What the players think of him is irrelevant.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His ultimate goal it to reach or create "Aincrad", the world that surpasses the limits of reality that he saw in his dreams. The "Aincrad" from SAO is based on it.
* VisionaryVillain: His dream of "Aincrad" led him to villainy.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler:As Heathcliff.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nobuyuki Sugou / Oberon the Fairy King]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sugou_1599.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:His appearance IRL]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sugou_alo_avatar_3524.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:His Oberon avatar]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese), Creator/ToddHaberkorn (English)
The director of RECTO's research institute. He high-jacked the minds of 300 of the SAO victims (including his then-fiance Asuna) and traps them in his own game [=ALFheim=] Online to experiment on them. The antagonist of volumes 3-4.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: To Kayaba, which drives him nuts.
* ArcVillain: The primary antagonist of the Fairy Dance arc, being responsible for taking away 300 SAO survivors and locking them in ALO for his experiments. [[spoiler: ''Infinity Moment'' upgrades him to BigBad; he hijacked SAO so that he could use it for his experiments and used a super account to enter the game as Alberich.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: ''Was'' the fiance of Asuna chosen by her parents. In her parents' defense, he admits that if they knew how she felt about him, they would have called it off in a heartbeat.
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Likely no one shed a tear after Kirito turns the tables on him and kills his avatar brutally in the ALO game, considering he was torturing the former moments before, and threatened to rape Asuna both in-game and in the real world.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In front of Asuna's father.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: As Oberon.
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
* CardCarryingVillain: Unlike Akihiko, he is portrayed as straightly and unconditionally evil.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He is the director of RECTO's research institute and the one responsible for keeping 300 Nerve Gear victims, including Asuna, prisoner even after SAO had ended. He did this by transferring them all into ALO for experiments on human subjugation via fulldive technology. He also attempts to take over RCT Progress Inc. by marrying Asuna while she is unconscious.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** He mocks Asuna by telling her he met Kirito in the real world, and how weak he looked. He is completely unaware that letting her know her lover was alive was exactly what she needed to keep going.
** He was also convinced that Kirito would be too scared to even put on his Nerve Gear, let alone try to save Asuna, boy was he wrong.
* EvilLaugh: He lets out some AxCrazy cackles during his first confrontation with Kirito. [[http://i.imgur.com/fgXYZ.jpg His face]] certainly adds to his psychopathic demeanor.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Suffered this by Kirito at the final part of his CurbStompBattle by letting his sword fall into him and because of the pain reception he brought up during that fight it transfers into the real world with painful irritation and bad vision from that right eye.]]
* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
* GameMaster: He's the administrator of ALO during ''Fairy Dance''.
* AGodAmI: Saw himself as one in ALO and gave himself the identity of "Oberon, king of the fairies".
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard: Uses an unreleased, overpowered spell on Kirito and Asuna. Changes the Pain Absorption to torture Kirito. [[spoiler:The latter eventually leads to HoistByHisOwnPetard with it being used against him.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Gets chopped in half by Kirito.]]
* TheHedonist: His lust for power and treatment of Asuna gives him some exaggerated hedonistic qualities.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Pain Absorption that he used to torture Kirito is used against him when the latter obtains [[GameMaster Administration Powers]] from Kayaba.]]
* IfICantHaveYou: His threat of altering Asuna's memories.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]] all this right in front of Kirito.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Kirito kills Sugou's Oberon avatar by tossing him up and letting him fall onto his sword [[EyeScream that landed on his right eye]].]]
* {{Jerkass}}: He responds to Kirito's desperate attempts to save Asuna with sadistic mockery.
* KillerGameMaster: The overpowered spells, the Pain Reception controls, [[spoiler: and the fact that ALO is UnwinnableByDesign]] all point to a sadistic "Fairy King".
* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:He tried to kill Kazuto in the real world with a combat knife. Thankfully Kazuto handed him his ass and handed him to the police by his supposed-victim, thanks to the skills he learned in game.]]
* LastVillainStand: [[spoiler: By the time he decides to pull a knife on Kirito in the real world, Sugou has suffered a complete VillainousBreakdown and has lost everything, save one last, desperate chance to get back at our hero.]]
* LecherousLicking: When [[spoiler:he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.]]
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
* NoOntologicalInertia: His victims, bar Asuna, luckily had no recollection or post-effects of three months spent experimented upon. Neither madness nor suffering ensued once they were freed.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: [[spoiler:He doesn't know how to keep his hands and tongue to himself.]]
* NotSoStoic: Tries to act as if he's always in control, but his composure collapses when unexpected events happen.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He talks big, describing himself as an incredibly powerful man, to the point of [[AGodAmI claiming to be a god]] but is really the poor man's version of Akihiko Kayaba and after [[spoiler: the latter's BigDamnHeroes moment in Alfheim,]] he [[VillainousBreakdown shows that he knows it too.]]
* SmugSnake: He is extremely arrogant and tends to speak in a sarcastic tone.
* StalkerWithACrush: To Asuna. Among other disturbing things, he sniffs her hair while she is in a coma.
* TheSociopath: Selfish, cruel and power-hungry, Sugou is obviously not someone Kirito is meant to get along with.
* VillainousBreakdown: He's far from sane to begin with, but as noted above, when things aren't going his way he loses any semblance of stability.
* VillainousCrush: His attempts at "courting" Asuna amount to putting her in a cage and threatening her memories.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Death Gun"]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_gunner_5720.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SoichiroHoshi
A mysterious gunman rumoured to be able to kill someone in real life from the virtual world. The antagonist of volumes 5-6.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the ''GGO'' arc.
* AxCrazy: As expected for a person who came from the Laughing Coffin guild.
* BadassCape: Dons a tattered mantle that comes with a hood, which, in addition to the skull-like helmet, gives him a sinister vibe, akin to a GrimReaper.
* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:Three people are playing the role.]]
* ColdSniper: During the [=BoB=] tournament, he shoots his targets with stun bullets from his "Silent Assassin" (a very rare and high-level sniper rifle according to Sinon) before moving in for the kill with his handgun.
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler:There were three perpetrators. Two were SiblingsInCrime while the other was added later for their plot during the third Battle of Bullets.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence: His Death Gun is [[spoiler: the same exact model of gun Sinon used to kill a bank robber years ago. She herself is stunned to see this.]] Subverted later; it's ''not'' a coincidence.
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red]].
* DarthVaderClone: Clad in dark clothes, namely a BadassCape (complete with a [[InTheHood hood]]) and a CoolMask, "Death Gun" sports a VaderBreath as well as a CreepyMonotone voice, [[spoiler:and is related to Kirito by way of having faced him before in Aincrad as part of the Laughing Coffin guild]].
* ForTheEvulz: One of the reasons "Death Gun" kills. [[spoiler: Two of the conspirators were members of Laughing Coffin and wanted to ''continue'' the death game that was SAO.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler: Much like Oberon before him, Kirito slices Death Gun in half at the end of their duel.]]
* {{Handguns}}: Uses a Type 54 [[note]]Chinese knock-off of the Soviet Tokarev TT-33[[/note]] in GGO.
* InvisibilityCloak: He owns a mantle that has the "Metamaterial Optical Camouflage" ability. He can use it in the city AREA and hide from satellite scans during [=BoB=].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: As if his moniker as the "Death Gun" wasn't representative enough of the murders he started committing in GGO, [[spoiler:his [=BoB=] tournament entry name, "Sterben", is the German verb for "To die"]].
* OmnicidalManiac: His goal is to kill as many people as he can.
* {{Revenge}}: Another reason why "Death Gun" kills. [[spoiler:Two of the perpetrators are former Laughing Coffin members, and they are elated when they get the chance to torment Kirito in ''Gun Gale Online''. The third blamed the high level players for recommending a character build that eventually got nerfed, leaving him unable to compete in the [=BoB=] tournament for his subscription fee.]]
* SerialKiller: The ''Gun Gale Online'' arc has Kirito investigate on this enigmatic character who is rumoured to be able to kill players both in the game and in the real world. Two known victims were among GGO's top players.
* SiblingsInCrime: [[spoiler:The original two members of the team. The eldest was a former SAO player who was part of the red guild "Laughing Coffin"; he was the one who collected info on where their targets lived, was the one who injected [=XeXeeD=] and Usujio Tarako with Succinycholine in the real world, and is the one who shot the avatars of Pale Rider and Garret in GGO during [=BoB=]. The youngest was the one who shot the avatars of [=XeXeeD=] and Usujio Tarako in GGO, and during [=BoB=] he was meant to break into Shino's home and inject her with a dose of Succinylcholine with a needleless syringe. Both were children of a doctor and had access to the funds and equipment needed to pull it off.]]
* CoolGuns/SniperRifles: His rifle of choice is the [=L115A3=], the British Army designation for the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum sniper rifle. His particular rifle is unique in that it has a custom integrally suppressed barrel akin to the [=AWS=] variant. This is what gives it its unique "Silent Assassin" moniker in-game.
* TattooedCrook: Amidst the bandages on his right arm, a small tattoo can be made out. [[spoiler:It's the same mark as the members of Laughing Coffin, and Kirito subsequently has a HeroicBSOD when he sees it.]]
* VaderBreath: When talking, a distinctive wheeze can be sporadically heard around "Death Gun".
* WalkingSpoiler: The character known as "Death Gun" is actually [[spoiler:an entity created by three people, two of which are SAO survivors of the PlayerKilling variety, to carry out murders both in GGO and the real life near-simultaneously]], making its importance to the overall series' story that much more vital.
[[/folder]]
!!Laughing Coffin
[[folder:General]]
A guild in SAO who revelled in killing other players. Because of this, they became known as a "red guild" and were eventually wiped out by the frontliner guilds.
----
* {{Blood Knight}}s[=/=]ForTheEvulz: Their logic for killing is, "If it's a death game, killing people is a must".
* TheDreaded: Were this as a group, with multiple HeroKiller types like [=PoH=], Xa Xa, and Johnny Black among their ranks.
* KarmaHoudini: [[DeceasedFallGuyGambit Due to all blame being placed on Akihiko Kayaba,]] none of their crimes were revealed to the public and none of the surviving members were punished for their crimes. [[LaserGuidedKarma However]], after the guild's kill count climbed into the triple digits, the Knights Of Blood put the floor-clearing on hold and with a lot of other like-minded players, initiated a purge to track down all members of the guild and bring them to justice. Most of the psychos were killed when [[TooDumbToLive they tried to fight back]]. Some of them, including [=XaXa=] and Johnny Black, managed to escape, though, and remain at large. [[spoiler:At least, until the ''Death Gun'' incident.]]
* MurderInc: Sometimes, some players will hire their services to kill a target as a means to avoid having their KarmaMeter changed to orange or red.
* PlayerKilling: However due to the way the [[KilledOffForReal death system works in SAO]], [[MoralEventHorizon they're straight up murderers]].
* {{Tattooed Crook}}s: Members have their guild symbol tattooed on their avatar's bodies.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A ''very'' extreme and nasty example.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vassago Cassals / [=PoH=]]]
The (former) leader of the guild.
----
* BigBad: Given the damage he and his guild did, he rivals Kayaba for the biggest problem of the arc as well, necessitating most frontline players to put off the progression and actively hunt Laughing Coffin down.
%%* BlackCloak
* CatchPhrase: "It's Showtime." (said in English) [[spoiler:When the Death Gun utters this phrase in the [=BoB=] tournament, Kirito is quick to think that [=PoH=] might be the perpetrator. He's not: [=XaXa=] is the one operating the avatar.]]
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: Recruits people for his red guild by promising them that all the blame for any murderers they commit will be placed on Kayaba.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: Got turned into a tree by Kirito, left to rot in Underworld, and driven to insanity as a result.]]
* FreudianExcuse: He utterly hates Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by their Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
* HeroKiller: Had this reputation, with even Kirito respecting his abilities. Given that he had the highest bodycount of almost any player, this is understandable.
* InTheHood: His face is partially shadowed by the black hood he wears, concealing part of his identity.
* KnifeNut: Wields a cleaver-type knife called "[[NamedWeapons Mate Chopper]]".
* TheLeader: Of Laughing Coffin.
* OmniGlot: [[InformedAbility According to the novels]] he is apparently fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish. Kirito even wonders if he's of [[ButNotTooForeign mixed ethnicity]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shouichi Shinkawa / [=XaXa=]]]
One of the top members of the Laughing Coffin, who survived the assault on the guild.
----
%%* BigBadDuumvirate: Of ''GGO'', alongside Johnny Black, [[spoiler:and his brother Kyoji]].
* CallForward: In the light novel version of "A Murder Case in the Area" (Episodes 4 and 5 from season 1 for reference), he threatens to chase down Kirito on a horse after he rides in on one and intervenes on an assassination. [[spoiler: In GGO, he, as Death Gun, chases down Kirito and Sinon on a (mechanical) horse.]]
* CoDragons: To [=PoH=] alongside Johnny Black.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: His avatar in SAO has red hair and eyes.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: He knew if the Kirito in the BoB tournament was the Kirito from SAO (which is correct), then he'd go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge if he killed Sinon.]]
%%* EvilRedhead: His avatar in SAO.
* HeroKiller: Earns this reputation in SAO [[spoiler:and GGO]]. As one of the few players who can match Kirito is a sword fight, it is not unwarranted.
* IllBoy: His brother Kyoji describes him as being very sick.
%%* LackOfEmpathy
* MasterSwordsman: The best swordsman in the Guild, and a match for Kirito. [[spoiler:He gets to duel once more against the latter during the climax of GGO's [=BoB=] tournament, this time posing as the Death Gun and using a hidden estoc within his sniper rifle. He also goes into detail about how Kirito is rusty and uses technical jargon.]]
* PsychoForHire: To the point where he could not stop killing after being released into the real world.
* RedBaron: "Red-Eyed [=XaXa=]"
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His avatar in SAO has red eyes which helped [[EarnYourTitle earned his nickname]]. [[spoiler:His helmet as the Death Gun in GGO has red lenses that glow.]]
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it.
* SkullForAHead: Wears a skull helmet. [[spoiler:His preference carries over into GGO, where he poses as the Death Gun.]]
* WeaponOfChoice: Estoc-type weapons. [[spoiler:In GGO, he tried to recreate one with the metal found in ''space battleships'', but was only able to make a thin blade he can hide in his sniper rifle.]]
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: Averted. [[spoiler:After his capture and imprisonment in SAO, he did nothing but train with his rapier skills, to the point where like Kirito, he can replicate SAO moves via muscle memory and can actually beat Kirito in a sword fight (though it should be noted that Kirito couldn't fight all out as his lightsaber had no weight, and he's too used to heavy swords).]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Even more so than the rest of his Laughing Coffin comrades due to the fact that he [[spoiler:comes back in Gun Gale Online as the avatar known as Death Gun, and carries out public virtual executions while his accomplices inject their victims with succinylcholine in the real world]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Atsushi Kanamoto / Johnny Black]]
One of the top members of the Laughing Coffin, and a survivor of SAO.
----
* AxeCrazy: Johnny's dialogue does not hint at a sane mind.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Of ''GGO'', alongside [=XaXa=] [[spoiler:and his brother Kyoji]].
* BrownBagMask: Wears a brown sack over his head in ''SAO''.
* CoDragons: To [=PoH=] alongside [=XaXa=].
* HeroKiller: Has this reputation in ''SAO''.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one.
%%* LackOfEmpathy
* MasterPoisoner: Was infamous for using poisons, and equipping the rest of Laughing Coffin with them.
%%* PoisonedWeapons
* PsychoForHire: Loves to kill, in both the real world and the games.
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it, [[spoiler: culminating in an attack on Kirito and Asuna in the real world.]]
[[/folder]]
%%Before editing, please read Administrivia/HowToWriteAnExample in its entirety. We cannot stress enough how harsh the punishment for violating Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers, Administrivia/ConversationInTheMainPage and Administrivia/ZeroContextExample is, so do not ignore this comment.
%%
->Real world names are in western naming order. Followed by their online name and worlds they played in.[[note]]If only the online name is known, then display as normal.[[/note]]
'''Note: Unmarked spoilers ahead. If you're starting the anime, ''do not'' read this page!'''
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Akihiko Kayaba]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kayaba_3293.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KoichiYamadera (Japanese), Creator/MarcDiraison (English)
The creator of SAO who trapped ten thousand players in his game of death.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's very polite and professional. He's also threatening the lives of thousands of innocent people.
* ArcVillain: Aincrad arc.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He tells Kirito of his dream about creating a floating castle as the basis for creating Sword Art Online.
* {{Badass}}: He ''created'' every Sword Arts in Sword Art Online, including Kirito's Dual Blades techniques.
* BadassBookworm: He programmed all of SAO, and designed the hardware, by himself. [[spoiler:Even after his death he created a program that revived the VRMMORPG genre in the aftermath of the Fairy Dance arc.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: At the end of the Fairy Dance arc, his spirit seemingly ''comes back from the dead'' to give Kirito his Administrator privileges so he can defeat Sugou.]]
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: His extreme LackOfEmpathy creates this. He weighed 10,000 human lives versus him creating his ideal world and chose the latter, but feels neither any guilt nor joy at the deaths. He's actually ''happy'' that someone is coming to kill him as that is how Aincrad is supposed to work.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: To Kirito as virtual reality junkies.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: He may have caused the deaths of 4000+ players just to bring his imagination to life, but he keeps his own rules even if it meant losing everything. By these standards he holds Nobuyuki Sugou in contempt and helps out Kirito in taking him down.]]
* FairPlayVillain: [[spoiler:Zigzagged, he keeps his own rules, even when it costs him his world and his life.]] However, he did make himself an [[spoiler:Immortal object as Heathcliff]]
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: He was supposed to be this for SAO.]]
* GameMaster: He's the administrator of SAO.
* {{GMPC}}: [[spoiler:Considered to be the strongest player in SAO. The Leader of the most powerful guild. One of the only two known people with a Unique Skill. Have never been seen being brought down to below 50% HP. Respected by all. Granted he expected himself to be revealed at around the 95th floor and deliberately did this to bring forth the greatest despair to the players. On the other hand, he tends to not do much and fights passively, letting the rest of the players do their own thing and to figure out what to do on their own. It was the combination of all the above that led Kirito to suspect this trope and thus his true identity.]]
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard:
** [[spoiler:To protect his guise as Heathcliff in his duel with Kirito, he accelerated faster than the normal players in SAO to block damage. He also has the "Immortal Object" ability normally granted to environmental objects to protect his life if his HP goes below 50%.]]
** In the [[spoiler:second duel]] Kirito noted that Kayaba did not, in fact, need the additional assistance [[spoiler:to strike that fast.]]
* AGodAmI: While he never claims to be anything more than a programmer, Kirito notes that his behavior is godlike - looking upon the players not with empathy, but with mercy and pity. This is what allows Kirito to [[spoiler:identify him as Heathcliff.]]
* GracefulLoser: When defeated [[spoiler: three-quarters of the way through the planned SAO]], Kayaba congratulates [[spoiler: Kirito and Asuna, and lets them both live and return to the real world, even though they had both "died" in the virtual world]].
* KarmaHoudini: He [[spoiler:dies on his own terms. While Kirito isn't openly hostile or hateful, he doesn't think that he can ever forgive Kayaba for those deaths, particularly Sachi's.]]
* KillerGameMaster: He designed the Nerve Gear to kill players in real life if they died in his game. He also placed lots of traps in his world with the idea of making that happen.
* LackOfEmpathy: He cares nothing for the deaths of the players in SAO.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: In his final duel with Kirito, he lowers himself to the level of the players, forfeiting all of his GM advantages to face Kirito in a fair duel.
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:His Heathcliff Avatar has light based skills.]]
* MadArtist: He dreamed of a masterpiece of a world where players can surpass the limits of reality. He also dreamed of people fighting for their lives in said world, apparently.
* MeaningfulName: Kayaba [[spoiler:naming his character after the villain of Literature/WutheringHeights]] draws certain parallels -- [[spoiler:originally appearing heroic, he is revealed to have more evil and self-serving intents.]]
* NobleDemon: He's a murder and a kidnapper and has some weird ethics to be sure but he sticks to his rules and is a GracefulLoser.
* PsychopathicManChild: His ultimate goal is essentially to bring the world of his imagination to life and have it be as real as possible. He also posses a certain sense of fair play. This would make him a Type C with bits of B and E mixed in.
** This is [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the 4-koma, where the raid team accuses him of having [[MrImagination 8th grader syndrome]].
* TheSociopath: Just doesn't care either way about the people trapped in his death game. Sure, he does [[spoiler: help found and raise a very powerful guild and helps its members develop,]] but that was done solely to have strong players who would keep challenging the game.
* TheStoic: Even when [[spoiler: Kirito overcomes ''death'' to attack him one last time]], his expression barely changes.
* StrawNihilist: He doesn't even care about ''his own'' life.
* TheUnfettered: The game will continue for Kayaba's amusement. What the players think of him is irrelevant.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His ultimate goal it to reach or create "Aincrad", the world that surpasses the limits of reality that he saw in his dreams. The "Aincrad" from SAO is based on it.
* VisionaryVillain: His dream of "Aincrad" led him to villainy.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler:As Heathcliff.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Nobuyuki Sugou / Oberon the Fairy King]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sugou_1599.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:His appearance IRL]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sugou_alo_avatar_3524.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:His Oberon avatar]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese), Creator/ToddHaberkorn (English)
The director of RECTO's research institute. He high-jacked the minds of 300 of the SAO victims (including his then-fiance Asuna) and traps them in his own game [=ALFheim=] Online to experiment on them. The antagonist of volumes 3-4.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: To Kayaba, which drives him nuts.
* ArcVillain: The primary antagonist of the Fairy Dance arc, being responsible for taking away 300 SAO survivors and locking them in ALO for his experiments. [[spoiler: ''Infinity Moment'' upgrades him to BigBad; he hijacked SAO so that he could use it for his experiments and used a super account to enter the game as Alberich.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: ''Was'' the fiance of Asuna chosen by her parents. In her parents' defense, he admits that if they knew how she felt about him, they would have called it off in a heartbeat.
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Likely no one shed a tear after Kirito turns the tables on him and kills his avatar brutally in the ALO game, considering he was torturing the former moments before, and threatened to rape Asuna both in-game and in the real world.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In front of Asuna's father.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: As Oberon.
* BringMyBrownPants: He wets himself after [[spoiler:Kirito overpowers him in real life]].
* CardCarryingVillain: Unlike Akihiko, he is portrayed as straightly and unconditionally evil.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He is the director of RECTO's research institute and the one responsible for keeping 300 Nerve Gear victims, including Asuna, prisoner even after SAO had ended. He did this by transferring them all into ALO for experiments on human subjugation via fulldive technology. He also attempts to take over RCT Progress Inc. by marrying Asuna while she is unconscious.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** He mocks Asuna by telling her he met Kirito in the real world, and how weak he looked. He is completely unaware that letting her know her lover was alive was exactly what she needed to keep going.
** He was also convinced that Kirito would be too scared to even put on his Nerve Gear, let alone try to save Asuna, boy was he wrong.
* EvilLaugh: He lets out some AxCrazy cackles during his first confrontation with Kirito. [[http://i.imgur.com/fgXYZ.jpg His face]] certainly adds to his psychopathic demeanor.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Suffered this by Kirito at the final part of his CurbStompBattle by letting his sword fall into him and because of the pain reception he brought up during that fight it transfers into the real world with painful irritation and bad vision from that right eye.]]
* FourEyesZeroSoul: His real body wears glasses.
* GameMaster: He's the administrator of ALO during ''Fairy Dance''.
* AGodAmI: Saw himself as one in ALO and gave himself the identity of "Oberon, king of the fairies".
* TheGMIsACheatingBastard: Uses an unreleased, overpowered spell on Kirito and Asuna. Changes the Pain Absorption to torture Kirito. [[spoiler:The latter eventually leads to HoistByHisOwnPetard with it being used against him.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Gets chopped in half by Kirito.]]
* TheHedonist: His lust for power and treatment of Asuna gives him some exaggerated hedonistic qualities.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Pain Absorption that he used to torture Kirito is used against him when the latter obtains [[GameMaster Administration Powers]] from Kayaba.]]
* IfICantHaveYou: His threat of altering Asuna's memories.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Does to Asuna by chaining her, ripping her clothes off and [[LecherousLicking licking her]] all this right in front of Kirito.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Kirito kills Sugou's Oberon avatar by tossing him up and letting him fall onto his sword [[EyeScream that landed on his right eye]].]]
* {{Jerkass}}: He responds to Kirito's desperate attempts to save Asuna with sadistic mockery.
* KillerGameMaster: The overpowered spells, the Pain Reception controls, [[spoiler: and the fact that ALO is UnwinnableByDesign]] all point to a sadistic "Fairy King".
* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:He tried to kill Kazuto in the real world with a combat knife. Thankfully Kazuto handed him his ass and handed him to the police by his supposed-victim, thanks to the skills he learned in game.]]
* LastVillainStand: [[spoiler: By the time he decides to pull a knife on Kirito in the real world, Sugou has suffered a complete VillainousBreakdown and has lost everything, save one last, desperate chance to get back at our hero.]]
* LecherousLicking: When [[spoiler:he is sexually attacking Asuna in Alfheim Online, she starts to cry in humiliation and he ecstatically licks her tears.]]
* {{Megane}}: Of the FourEyesZeroSoul variety.
* NoOntologicalInertia: His victims, bar Asuna, luckily had no recollection or post-effects of three months spent experimented upon. Neither madness nor suffering ensued once they were freed.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: [[spoiler:He doesn't know how to keep his hands and tongue to himself.]]
* NotSoStoic: Tries to act as if he's always in control, but his composure collapses when unexpected events happen.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He talks big, describing himself as an incredibly powerful man, to the point of [[AGodAmI claiming to be a god]] but is really the poor man's version of Akihiko Kayaba and after [[spoiler: the latter's BigDamnHeroes moment in Alfheim,]] he [[VillainousBreakdown shows that he knows it too.]]
* SmugSnake: He is extremely arrogant and tends to speak in a sarcastic tone.
* StalkerWithACrush: To Asuna. Among other disturbing things, he sniffs her hair while she is in a coma.
* TheSociopath: Selfish, cruel and power-hungry, Sugou is obviously not someone Kirito is meant to get along with.
* VillainousBreakdown: He's far from sane to begin with, but as noted above, when things aren't going his way he loses any semblance of stability.
* VillainousCrush: His attempts at "courting" Asuna amount to putting her in a cage and threatening her memories.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Death Gun"]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_gunner_5720.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SoichiroHoshi
A mysterious gunman rumoured to be able to kill someone in real life from the virtual world. The antagonist of volumes 5-6.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the ''GGO'' arc.
* AxCrazy: As expected for a person who came from the Laughing Coffin guild.
* BadassCape: Dons a tattered mantle that comes with a hood, which, in addition to the skull-like helmet, gives him a sinister vibe, akin to a GrimReaper.
* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:Three people are playing the role.]]
* ColdSniper: During the [=BoB=] tournament, he shoots his targets with stun bullets from his "Silent Assassin" (a very rare and high-level sniper rifle according to Sinon) before moving in for the kill with his handgun.
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler:There were three perpetrators. Two were SiblingsInCrime while the other was added later for their plot during the third Battle of Bullets.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence: His Death Gun is [[spoiler: the same exact model of gun Sinon used to kill a bank robber years ago. She herself is stunned to see this.]] Subverted later; it's ''not'' a coincidence.
* CoolMask: Wears one that resembles a mechanical skull whose eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red]].
* DarthVaderClone: Clad in dark clothes, namely a BadassCape (complete with a [[InTheHood hood]]) and a CoolMask, "Death Gun" sports a VaderBreath as well as a CreepyMonotone voice, [[spoiler:and is related to Kirito by way of having faced him before in Aincrad as part of the Laughing Coffin guild]].
* ForTheEvulz: One of the reasons "Death Gun" kills. [[spoiler: Two of the conspirators were members of Laughing Coffin and wanted to ''continue'' the death game that was SAO.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler: Much like Oberon before him, Kirito slices Death Gun in half at the end of their duel.]]
* {{Handguns}}: Uses a Type 54 [[note]]Chinese knock-off of the Soviet Tokarev TT-33[[/note]] in GGO.
* InvisibilityCloak: He owns a mantle that has the "Metamaterial Optical Camouflage" ability. He can use it in the city AREA and hide from satellite scans during [=BoB=].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: As if his moniker as the "Death Gun" wasn't representative enough of the murders he started committing in GGO, [[spoiler:his [=BoB=] tournament entry name, "Sterben", is the German verb for "To die"]].
* OmnicidalManiac: His goal is to kill as many people as he can.
* {{Revenge}}: Another reason why "Death Gun" kills. [[spoiler:Two of the perpetrators are former Laughing Coffin members, and they are elated when they get the chance to torment Kirito in ''Gun Gale Online''. The third blamed the high level players for recommending a character build that eventually got nerfed, leaving him unable to compete in the [=BoB=] tournament for his subscription fee.]]
* SerialKiller: The ''Gun Gale Online'' arc has Kirito investigate on this enigmatic character who is rumoured to be able to kill players both in the game and in the real world. Two known victims were among GGO's top players.
* SiblingsInCrime: [[spoiler:The original two members of the team. The eldest was a former SAO player who was part of the red guild "Laughing Coffin"; he was the one who collected info on where their targets lived, was the one who injected [=XeXeeD=] and Usujio Tarako with Succinycholine in the real world, and is the one who shot the avatars of Pale Rider and Garret in GGO during [=BoB=]. The youngest was the one who shot the avatars of [=XeXeeD=] and Usujio Tarako in GGO, and during [=BoB=] he was meant to break into Shino's home and inject her with a dose of Succinylcholine with a needleless syringe. Both were children of a doctor and had access to the funds and equipment needed to pull it off.]]
* CoolGuns/SniperRifles: His rifle of choice is the [=L115A3=], the British Army designation for the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum sniper rifle. His particular rifle is unique in that it has a custom integrally suppressed barrel akin to the [=AWS=] variant. This is what gives it its unique "Silent Assassin" moniker in-game.
* TattooedCrook: Amidst the bandages on his right arm, a small tattoo can be made out. [[spoiler:It's the same mark as the members of Laughing Coffin, and Kirito subsequently has a HeroicBSOD when he sees it.]]
* VaderBreath: When talking, a distinctive wheeze can be sporadically heard around "Death Gun".
* WalkingSpoiler: The character known as "Death Gun" is actually [[spoiler:an entity created by three people, two of which are SAO survivors of the PlayerKilling variety, to carry out murders both in GGO and the real life near-simultaneously]], making its importance to the overall series' story that much more vital.
[[/folder]]
!!Laughing Coffin
[[folder:General]]
A guild in SAO who revelled in killing other players. Because of this, they became known as a "red guild" and were eventually wiped out by the frontliner guilds.
----
* {{Blood Knight}}s[=/=]ForTheEvulz: Their logic for killing is, "If it's a death game, killing people is a must".
* TheDreaded: Were this as a group, with multiple HeroKiller types like [=PoH=], Xa Xa, and Johnny Black among their ranks.
* KarmaHoudini: [[DeceasedFallGuyGambit Due to all blame being placed on Akihiko Kayaba,]] none of their crimes were revealed to the public and none of the surviving members were punished for their crimes. [[LaserGuidedKarma However]], after the guild's kill count climbed into the triple digits, the Knights Of Blood put the floor-clearing on hold and with a lot of other like-minded players, initiated a purge to track down all members of the guild and bring them to justice. Most of the psychos were killed when [[TooDumbToLive they tried to fight back]]. Some of them, including [=XaXa=] and Johnny Black, managed to escape, though, and remain at large. [[spoiler:At least, until the ''Death Gun'' incident.]]
* MurderInc: Sometimes, some players will hire their services to kill a target as a means to avoid having their KarmaMeter changed to orange or red.
* PlayerKilling: However due to the way the [[KilledOffForReal death system works in SAO]], [[MoralEventHorizon they're straight up murderers]].
* {{Tattooed Crook}}s: Members have their guild symbol tattooed on their avatar's bodies.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A ''very'' extreme and nasty example.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vassago Cassals / [=PoH=]]]
The (former) leader of the guild.
----
* BigBad: Given the damage he and his guild did, he rivals Kayaba for the biggest problem of the arc as well, necessitating most frontline players to put off the progression and actively hunt Laughing Coffin down.
%%* BlackCloak
* CatchPhrase: "It's Showtime." (said in English) [[spoiler:When the Death Gun utters this phrase in the [=BoB=] tournament, Kirito is quick to think that [=PoH=] might be the perpetrator. He's not: [=XaXa=] is the one operating the avatar.]]
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: Recruits people for his red guild by promising them that all the blame for any murderers they commit will be placed on Kayaba.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: Got turned into a tree by Kirito, left to rot in Underworld, and driven to insanity as a result.]]
* FreudianExcuse: He utterly hates Asians because both him and his mother had been sold to human traffickers by their Korean father, and subsequently shipped to Japan. He starts the Laughing Coffin guild just so he could see Asians kill each other.
* HeroKiller: Had this reputation, with even Kirito respecting his abilities. Given that he had the highest bodycount of almost any player, this is understandable.
* InTheHood: His face is partially shadowed by the black hood he wears, concealing part of his identity.
* KnifeNut: Wields a cleaver-type knife called "[[NamedWeapons Mate Chopper]]".
* TheLeader: Of Laughing Coffin.
* OmniGlot: [[InformedAbility According to the novels]] he is apparently fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish. Kirito even wonders if he's of [[ButNotTooForeign mixed ethnicity]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shouichi Shinkawa / [=XaXa=]]]
One of the top members of the Laughing Coffin, who survived the assault on the guild.
----
%%* BigBadDuumvirate: Of ''GGO'', alongside Johnny Black, [[spoiler:and his brother Kyoji]].
* CallForward: In the light novel version of "A Murder Case in the Area" (Episodes 4 and 5 from season 1 for reference), he threatens to chase down Kirito on a horse after he rides in on one and intervenes on an assassination. [[spoiler: In GGO, he, as Death Gun, chases down Kirito and Sinon on a (mechanical) horse.]]
* CoDragons: To [=PoH=] alongside Johnny Black.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: His avatar in SAO has red hair and eyes.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: He knew if the Kirito in the BoB tournament was the Kirito from SAO (which is correct), then he'd go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge if he killed Sinon.]]
%%* EvilRedhead: His avatar in SAO.
* HeroKiller: Earns this reputation in SAO [[spoiler:and GGO]]. As one of the few players who can match Kirito is a sword fight, it is not unwarranted.
* IllBoy: His brother Kyoji describes him as being very sick.
%%* LackOfEmpathy
* MasterSwordsman: The best swordsman in the Guild, and a match for Kirito. [[spoiler:He gets to duel once more against the latter during the climax of GGO's [=BoB=] tournament, this time posing as the Death Gun and using a hidden estoc within his sniper rifle. He also goes into detail about how Kirito is rusty and uses technical jargon.]]
* PsychoForHire: To the point where he could not stop killing after being released into the real world.
* RedBaron: "Red-Eyed [=XaXa=]"
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His avatar in SAO has red eyes which helped [[EarnYourTitle earned his nickname]]. [[spoiler:His helmet as the Death Gun in GGO has red lenses that glow.]]
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it.
* SkullForAHead: Wears a skull helmet. [[spoiler:His preference carries over into GGO, where he poses as the Death Gun.]]
* WeaponOfChoice: Estoc-type weapons. [[spoiler:In GGO, he tried to recreate one with the metal found in ''space battleships'', but was only able to make a thin blade he can hide in his sniper rifle.]]
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: Averted. [[spoiler:After his capture and imprisonment in SAO, he did nothing but train with his rapier skills, to the point where like Kirito, he can replicate SAO moves via muscle memory and can actually beat Kirito in a sword fight (though it should be noted that Kirito couldn't fight all out as his lightsaber had no weight, and he's too used to heavy swords).]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Even more so than the rest of his Laughing Coffin comrades due to the fact that he [[spoiler:comes back in Gun Gale Online as the avatar known as Death Gun, and carries out public virtual executions while his accomplices inject their victims with succinylcholine in the real world]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Atsushi Kanamoto / Johnny Black]]
One of the top members of the Laughing Coffin, and a survivor of SAO.
----
* AxeCrazy: Johnny's dialogue does not hint at a sane mind.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Of ''GGO'', alongside [=XaXa=] [[spoiler:and his brother Kyoji]].
* BrownBagMask: Wears a brown sack over his head in ''SAO''.
* CoDragons: To [=PoH=] alongside [=XaXa=].
* HeroKiller: Has this reputation in ''SAO''.
* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Plans to force the members of the Golden Apple Guild into one.
%%* LackOfEmpathy
* MasterPoisoner: Was infamous for using poisons, and equipping the rest of Laughing Coffin with them.
%%* PoisonedWeapons
* PsychoForHire: Loves to kill, in both the real world and the games.
* SerialKiller: In ''SAO'' and out of it, [[spoiler: culminating in an attack on Kirito and Asuna in the real world.]]
[[/folder]]
