History Characters / SwordArtOnlineAbridgedMajorCharacters

[[center: [- [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridged Main Page]] | '''Major Characters''' ([[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedKirito Kazuto Kirigaya]], [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedAsuna Asuna Yuuki]], [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedLeafa Suguha Kirigaya]]) | [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedSeasonOneCharacters Introduced in Season 1]] ([[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedKayaba Kayaba Akihiko]]) | [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedSeasonTwoCharacters Introduced in Season 2]] ([[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedOberon Nobuyuki Sugou]]) -] ]]

[[index]]
* [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedKirito Kazuto Kirigaya / Kirito / xVx_K1r1t0_xVx_KillMe]]
[[/index]]

[[index]]
* [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedAsuna Asuna Yuuki / Asuna / Titania]]
[[/index]]

[[folder:Klein / [=BallsDeep69=]]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ballsdeep69.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My name is Klein!"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' [=Jragoswinn=] (Episode 1-3), Anthony "[=Dizzasta=]" [=DiMascio=] (Episode 5-11)\\\

A player who has the unfortunate screen name of [[EmbarrassingNickname "BallsDeep69"]] and the even more unfortunate role of being [[JerkAss Kirito's]] "friend." He tries to help Kirito open up to others and become a better person but usually fails.

* AdaptationalComicRelief: Inverted. Klein is one of the few characters played ''more'' seriously than he is in canon, aside from the [[EmbarrassingNickname joke about his name]].
* AdaptationNameChange: In the original, he was named Tsuboi Ryoutarou and his screen name was Klein. Here, Klein appears to be his real name, while his screen name is [[BallsGag [=Ballsdeep69=]]].
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Klein's ChivalrousPervert side is mostly dropped in favor of being an OnlySaneMan and MoralityPet to Kirito.
* AdaptationalWimp: In this version, he doesn't get to defeat the boar in the beginning, since Kirito wasn't actually interested in teaching him. Most of his achievements in the original anime are also AdaptedOut. [[DownplayedTrope That being said]], he and his friends are able to fend off a horde of mobsters and survive, and he himself is recognized by them as the "Legendary [=BallsDeep69=]".
* BallsGag: His ''entire existence'' becomes this after being trapped in SAO, due to his EmbarrassingNickname. Luckily, [[RunningGagged it dies down]] in Episode 8.
* BrutalHonesty: Both in Episode 1.
** After being trapped in the game, he makes it clear that he thinks Kirito is "the most unbearable asshole [he]'s ever met". This affects the latter more than he would've ever imagined.
** Before that, he snappily remarks that Kirito likely gets bullied IRL after the latter is done making fun of him.
* ButtMonkey: He's introduced getting kicked in the groin by a pig, and it all gets worse from there. Most of his screentime involves Kirito taunting him.
* TheCameo: Shows up at the end of the "Kirito is Always Right Foundation promotional video, as the implied cameraman, worried when Asuna knocks Kirito out for skipping a raid.
* CatchPhrase: ''"My name is Klein!"'' He says it so often his guild thinks it's how he greets people.
* TheConscience: Acts as this to Kirito, to an extent. He wasn't as efficient as [[TheLostLenore Sachi]], though.
* DudeNotFunny: He's angry when Kirito makes a forced pun about the death of Corvatz.
* DumbIsGood: He's not exactly ''dumb'' (especially when compared when the other players), but he's clueless enough to believe you can remove your [=NerveGear=] headset while in-game, but he's also one of the kindest people in the series.
* EmbarrassingNickname: In his defense, he claims that this was supposed to be a test character that he was just fooling around with before he would create his main.
* EnemyMine: {{Downplayed}} as they weren't exactly enemies then, but after being trapped in SAO, Klein offers [[NominalHero Kirito]] a place in his guild despite the latter having spent most of the day making fun of him, knowing they're stronger together. Kirito refuses.
* FireForgedFriends:
** Kirito is introduced taunting him for not being able to kill a pig with a rock. However, their adventures while being trapped in SAO eventually lead them to form a close bond.
** With Tiffany as well, though we only see its aftermath in Episode 11, much to Kirito's confusion.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Kirito in many ways, as shown during their first scene:
** Kirito is a ridiculously skilled player who looks down on those who are weaker than him, on top of being MisanthropeSupreme and TheGadfly; while Klein is a noob who, nevertheless, [[TheIdealist never loses hope on humanity]], no matter how mean or stupid the player base is, on top of being the StraightMan to his antics.
** Kirito hates showing his vulnerable side and often copes with his insecurities while mocking those of his peers. Klein, however, is unashamed about being ProneToTears and doesn't seem to care much about his image.
** Klein's tongue is almost as sharp as Kirito's, but unlike the latter (who openly mocks others for fun without any prompting or regard for their feelings), Klein only uses his witty streak to respond to insults, and even apologized once when one of his comments came off as too insensitive.
* GoodSamaritan: In Episode 7, while Kirito distracts ''The Gleam Eyes'', Klein and his guild rescue Corvatz's men from the dungeon they're trapped in.
* TheHeart: Tends to be this when he shows up.
* HeroicBSOD: Has one in Episode 3 after Kirito crosses the DespairEventHorizon and has all his CharacterDevelopment stripped away.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Don Fluffles's men refer to him as "the legendary warrior, [=BallsDeep69=]," while he and Tiffany evidently had quite an adventure fighting chimeras to get a new weapon. [[DiscussedTrope Kirito has trouble believing that they have a life outside of their interactions with him.]]
* TheIdealist: Unlike Kirito and Tiffany, he never gave up hope on the SAO player base, and fought to the nail to set himself and everyone free.
* InelegantBlubbering: Is reduced to this before Kirito's final duel with Heathcliff, when Kirito tells him he's always regretted not joining his guild and that it would have been fun.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: In episode 8, he cracks a joke about [[DudeNotFunny Kirito's friends dying again]]. He immediately retracts and apologizes when he realizes how dark it was.
* LOL69: Part of the reason for his screen name. He probably doesn't find it as funny anymore, though.
* MoralityChain: You wouldn't believe it at first, but in Episode 11, Kirito admits it was Klein's influence that triggered his JerkassRealization.
* NiceGuy: Have to give the guy credit, he actually tries to be a supporting friend for Kirito. It's a lot harder than it sounds.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In Episode 3, Klein and his guild manage to fend off a huge force of mobsters, but we only see them resting in the aftermath.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Klein. Justified because his character's name is rather embarrassing. Ironically, he becomes "Only Known by Their [[EmbarrassingNickname Embarrassing Nametag]]" InUniverse, as even ''his own guild'' know him only as [=BallsDeep69=] or simply "Balls". [[ThrowTheDogABone Luckily, Kirito ends this trend in Episode 8]].
* OnlySaneMan: Among Kirito and Asuna, he's the one who tries to see reasoning the most and tries to be a bit of a MoralityChain for the former.
* PositiveFriendInfluence: While it took him a while, he managed to successfully inspire Kirito to listen to his [[ChronicHeroSyndrome hidden desire to help others]] and to quit being such an asshole.
* ProneToTears: Unlike Kirito, he has no problem crying in public, and this trait of his becomes so prevalent that Kirito's final goodbye to him in Episode 11 after [[InelegantBlubbering his final tantrum]] is ""Bleh plah bleh" indeed, buddy. "Bleh plah bleh" indeed".
* RunningGagged: After Kirito ''finally'' calls him "Klein" again, the BallsGag disappears entirely, much to Klein's relief.
* SatelliteCharacter: While he ''does'' have a life outside of Kirito, the same can't be said for his screentime.
* StraightMan: Other than his nickname, he's the serious foil for Kirito's antics.
* SwappedRoles: He and Kirito have swapped places compared to their canon counterparts. Now Kirito is the comic relief, while Klein is the mature StraightMan.
* TearsOfJoy: He breaks down then he realizes his words to Kirito about the value of having friends actually had an impact. He becomes outright [[InelegantBlubbering incoherent]] when Kirito expresses regret over not joining his guild.
* ThrowTheDogABone:
** It takes two years, but Kirito finally calls him "Klein" again in Episode 8. This time, it sticks.
** In episode 11, Kirito calls him "a good friend" and thanks him for being TheConscience to him, on top of apologizing for not staying with him on day 1. This causes Klein to cry TearsOfJoy.
* TookALevelInBadass: He goes from [[AdaptationalWimp not even finishing off the boar in the beginning]] to defeating a group of mafia players with his own guild.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Nice as he may be to Kirito, he is completely aware of how much an asshole Kirito is from the moment they meet, and won't hesitate to point that out.
* WorthyOpponent: In the third episode, Don Fluffles's mafia considers him one for keeping them from killing Kirito.
* YankTheDogsChain: In Episode 3, Kirito finally calls him by his given name instead of his EmbarrassingNickname after Klein offers to HoldTheLine while Kirito goes to revive his guild. When the mission ends up being a ShaggyDogStory, Kirito crosses the DespairEventHorizon and, after vowing to NeverBeHurtAgain by erasing all his attachments, calls Klein "Balls" again, reducing the latter to tears.
* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: In moments of emotional significance for Kirito, he calls Klein by his canon name rather than "Balls". The most notable example is during Kirito's heroic speech to Heathcliff before their FinalBattle, where he shows [[CharacterDevelopment just how far he's come as a character and a person]].

[[folder:Tiffany]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tiffany_6.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Handin' the black man a murder weapon, a tale as old as time."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jragoswinn (Episode 2), Alexander "Creator/{{Octopimp}}" Gross (Episode 5+)

->'''Kibaou:''' I don't know how to talk to you...\\
'''Tiffany:''' Good, then maybe you'll shut up and listen.\\\

A black player who operates under a girl's name for reasons unknown. He initially wanted to help his fellow players get out of the game, but upon [[SurroundedByIdiots realizing just how stupid they are]], he became a vendor selling overpriced and faulty weapons to the idiots. He has an uneasy relationship with Asuna due to her unintentional racism in her attempts to get along with him.

* AccidentalHero: One of the people he scammed was Johnny Black, a vindictive member of the [[PlayerKilling laughing coffin]] guild who kills other players for fun and profit. While it's not clear whether Tiffany knew of Johnny's actions, he more than likely saved someone's life by selling him a crappy dagger that broke almost instantly.
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the original, he was an UnclePennybags who used the profits from his store to help lower-level players. In this, he's a ConMan who takes advantage of the idiotic player base. He did start off trying to help people, but realized most of the people there were TooDumbToLive.
* AdaptationNameChange: His canon gamer name was Agil, which he never gets referred to as in this series.
* AntiHero: Starts off as a regular hero, with traces of TheLeader, but gradually becomes a PragmaticHero after losing hope in the SAO players, becoming a ConMan with no patience for stupidity who only helps out his closest friends.
* ArchEnemy: To Laughing Coffin, whom he scammed at least once before Episode 9, earning him a special spot in their list of nuisances (complete with FlippingTheBird).
* TheBartender: He is one IRL, although his bar could use a visit from the health department.
* TheBigGuy: The rare times he's in combat. He's intimidating enough to make Kibaou back down.
* ConMan: Intentionally sells broken or otherwise useless equipment to other players in the game, something Laughing Coffin's ads {{lampshade|Hanging}}.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Laments this after seeing the Skull Reaper kill two players in one hit.
-->'''Tiffany:''' WHY DID I PUT ALL MY POINTS INTO BARTERING?
* CynicismCatalyst: It doesn't drive him to suicide like Diabel, but he loses all faith in the SAO player base in Episode 2 after it becomes clear that they're not taking the game seriously. The next time we see him, he's making a living out of scamming them.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Defied in that he doesn't seem the least bit embarrassed about going by "Tiffany", which he himself says is a girl's name when Kibaou tries to cover for him. No specific reason has been given, so it's not known if it was because his original character model was playing up the {{GIRL}} trope, he logged into his wife's account, or if he just chose it because [[ItAmusedMe it amused him]]. He doesn't mind but does like using it to confuse the hell out of others so that he can gain the floor to talk. In Episode 13, he's still referred to as "Tiff" by Kirito in real life and doesn't seem bothered by it. Since he isn't seen interacting with anyone else IRL, it's not made clear if he's going by it now or if the nickname is only reserved to [[TheGadfly Kirito]].
* EnragedByIdiocy: Because of this trope, he's quick to give up on the player base after 30 seconds of dealing with them. He also grows a fast disliking of [[InnocentBigot Asuna]] after [[JiveTurkey her disastrous attempt to communicate with him]]. To be fair, he ''does'' try to give the latter the benefit of the doubt at first, only for her to repeatedly double down, prompting him to give up.
* ExtremeDoormat: Subverted, as seen in EnragedByIdiocy, but he ''does'' have more patience than the average guy, and you can't say he doesn't give second chances. Kirito even notes in Episode 13 that he's the only person who can take his tantrum in stride. Being a bar owner IRL, this makes sense, as he's probably used to [[DrowningMySorrows these types of visits.]]
* FireForgedFriends: With both Kirito and Klein, although we only see the climax of the latter, much to Kirito's confusion.
* {{Foil}}: To Klein, another [[VitriolicBestBuds Vitrolic Best Bud]] of Kirito.
** They're both mid-tier SAO players who chose some rather odd screen names and were forced to live with them while being trapped in the game, but even after the stakes get raised, Tiffany encouraged other people to use his, despite going by many other (much more badass) names. Klein, on the other hand, chose [[BallsGag [=Ballsdeep69=]]] as a joke name to fool around while he got the hang of the game, [[EmbarrassingNickname and hated being stuck with it]].
** Klein was TheIdealist who always held hope in Kirito and the SAO players, [[PositiveFriendInfluence and even spread said hope to his friends]]; while Tiffany lost hope in most of his peers after one day of dealing with [[TooDumbToLive their antics]], and eventually resorted to scamming them out of their items due to pure spite. Furthermore, Tiffany was quick to develop a barely concealed disdain for Asuna after one too many unintentionally racist remarks, while Klein continued to be friends with Kirito despite months of being the butt of many of his jokes.
* HonestJohnsDealership: His main income comes from tricking other players into buying shoddy equipment at outrageously inflated prices.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: He had an off-screen adventure with Klein where they fought chimeras and acquired a rare item. Kirito expresses disbelief at this, prompting them to scold him for not knowing they had lives outside of him.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He lambastes everyone for not reading the manual, but if ''he'' had read it, he'd have probably realized it's [[WhoWritesThisCrap full of bad advice]].
* IHaveManyNames: "Mountain Slayer." "Thunder Lion." "The Chocolate Axe." But you? You may call him... Tiffany.
-->'''Diabel:''' So, as Mr. Thunderchocolate was saying...
* KickTheDog: Despite him encouraging Kirito to rescue [[NobleBigot Asuna]] from [=ALfheim=], he doesn't even try to hide how little he cares about her safety, telling Kirito to only save her "if there's time".
* NiceGuy: Cons excluded, (and really, it's the [[TooDumbToLive player's own fault for falling for it at this point]]) he's a decent guy. Kirito even notes that the only reason he goes off on him is because Tiffany is nice enough to bear it.
* NoEscapeButDown: His "shortcut" to escape Asuna involves throwing himself (and Lizbeth) out of the window of his own bar.
* NoSympathy: Though he still encoutages Kirito to save [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero Asuna]], he's not subtle about [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing his feelings on the matter]].
* OnlySaneMan: Well, aside from being named Tiffany, he's one of the few that tries to maintain some semblance of order amongst the many noobs in the game.
* PetTheDog: On occasion.
** He may be a con artist, but he had the decency to help Lizbeth escape from his shop when Asuna showed up. That and he's terrified of Asuna's wrath too.
** In Episode 13, he encourages Kirito to save Asuna even though he hates her.
* ScaryBlackMan: Asuna's view of him, and the reason why she's so awkward around him. He's ''not'' happy about it.
* SelfAppliedNickname: Unlike Klein, he encourages people to call him by his screen name "Tiffany", to the point where Kirito still calls him this IRL.
* SkewedPriorities: When Kirito vomits out his 9-Up in Episode 13, Tiff is just mad that he puked on his jukebox.
* RealMenWearPink: He is not at all embarrassed to be known as "Tiffany." He even says that it is a girl's name up front when others try to cover for him.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: He's mostly a NiceGuy to his friends, but is a lot more vindictive towards people he doesn't like, like idiots or racists.
* SurroundedByIdiots: In his first appearance, he's actually trying to help his fellow players, like his Canon counterpart. But he quickly becomes so fed up with their TooDumbToLive attitudes that he starts scamming them instead.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Despite being companions during several raids, he hates Asuna for her blatant (if unintentional) racism, and it's implied he banned her from his shop in Episode 8.
* TookALevelInJerkass: The first time we see him, he's actively trying to encourage the other players to fight for everyone's freedom. After seeing Kirito and Asuna [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] the floor boss while the other players fool around, he gives up on them and resigns himself to scamming the dumber players out of their col to make a living in SAO while Kirito and the others beat the game themselves. He does go back to fighting in the front lines sometime before Episode 11, though.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Is one of the ''only'' people that actually show anything resembling a proper friendship with Kirito, jokingly calling him his "least favorite customer" since according to Kirito, he isn't "dumb enough to buy [Tiffany's] crap". Helps that Tiff agrees with Kirito that a lot of the other players are indeed idiots, and neither of them makes any real attempt to pretend otherwise. Kirito even stops by his bar in early Season 2 and in the middle of a rant about his day, he angrily exclaims "I TREASURE OUR FRIENDSHIP!" with total sincerity.

[[folder:Silica]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silica.png]][[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't take this the wrong way Mr. Kirito, I'm grateful for your help, but you're like the worst person I've ever met."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Rachel Michelle\\\

A young newbie who develops a crush on Kirito after he saves her life. Once she [[DeadpanSnarker gets]] [[{{Jerkass}} to]] [[HeroicComedicSociopath really know]] [[AGodAmI him]], however, she just can't wait to be rid of him. She goes on a journey with Kirito to revive her pet dragon, Pina.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Unlike in canon, she and Kirito aren't in time to save Pina. Her canon self also lacked this version's HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood.
* AdaptationalBadass: Though not as visible at first sight, she somehow manages to claw at Kirito's face enough to leave lasting marks during her rampage at the end of Episode 4. By comparison, the men of ''Titan's hand'' could not leave a scratch on him while repeatedly hitting him with ''swords''.
* AudienceSurrogate: Acts as one, regarding how [=MMOs=] and [=RPGs=] handle quests. As well as dealing with asshole party members.
* AlcoholicParent: Her mom was implied to have been drunk out of her mind while she was pregnant with her.
* BadLiar: When probed, she frantically denies having overheard Kirito calling out Sachi's name in tears as he slept, only to ask him [[AskAStupidQuestion "Who's Sachi?"]] two seconds later.
* BadassAdorable: You wouldn't think so at first, but Pina calls her ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim "Dovahkiin"]]'' near the beginning of the episode, and if TheStinger at the end is any indication, she certainly lives up to the title when [[UnstoppableRage she snaps]].
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She's usually a very sweet and positive young girl, but she has her limits: When it's revealed Pina had "expired" and was no longer revivable, she snaps and goes on a brutal rampage, with Kirito apparently being the main target of her rage. It gets worse when you remember Rosalia's minions had failed to deal any damage to Kirito with their swords, while Silica apparently managed to scar him by ''clawing him''.
* BreakTheCutie: Episode 4 was ''not'' kind to her.
* BrutalHonesty: Eventually admits to Kirito that he's "the worst person [she's] ever met."
* CuteButCacophonic: She gives off an adorable but ear-piercing scream as she stabs the plant monster that was trying to eat her. Kirito is not impressed, especially after having dealt with her MotorMouth for 7 hours after meeting her.
* CheerfulChild: Despite the circumstances that surround her, she maintains this demeanor. Even after her tantrum in Episode 4, a FreezeFrameBonus in Episode 12 shows her as this again.
* ChildrenAreInnocent:
** When Pina gets her back bashed and her health depletes to zero, Silica's first assumption is that [[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Pina was going to evolve into a beautiful dragon]]. She gets a cruel dose of reality shortly afterwards in the form of Pina's body ''shattering'' in front of her.
** In Episode 12, A FreezeFrameBonus shows her on Twitter responding to an accusation of plagiarism regarding her IndieGame by saying:
---> stolen idea? from where? who did i steal it from? plz tell me.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Her general demeanor is that of an oblivious CuteClumsyGirl, then she snaps.
* TheCutie: A naive, optimistic NiceGirl with a cutesy voice who's a FriendToAllLivingThings.
* DamselInDistress: After foolishly wandering off on her own, she encounters a pack of killer gorillas and has to get saved by both Pina and Kirito. It's also implied she endangered herself on multiple occasions during her adventure with the latter, forcing him to act like her guardian.
-->'''Kirito:''' Yeah, maybe you should stick behind me. You're so low-level, you're aggroing everything in this place.\\
'''Silica:''' Oh, don't worry about me, Kirito. [[TemptingFate I can take care of myself...]] ''[Walks three steps and is attacked again]'' AAAAAAAAAAAAH! KIRITO!\\
'''Kirito:''' *sighs* This is gonna be my whole day, isn't it?
* DamselOutOfDistress: Gotta give the kid credit, she ''does'' defeat the plant creature that lifts her into the air by herself, although she has to be reminded that [[FailedASpotCheck she has a knife]] before she acts.
* DeathByAdaptation: Not ''her'', but her pet Pina. Unlike the canon series, she and Kirito fail to revive Pina in time.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Unlike in canon, Silica is not happy with being used by Kirito as bait to draw Rosalia out. It probably doesn't help that this Kirito is a much bigger ass about it, feeling no shame at all and even proudly admitting it.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Pina goes out being held by an oblivious Silica.
* FatalFlaw: Her MotorMouth: She spends a solid third of the time she had to save Pina recounting her entire life story to Kirito, which ultimately comes back to bite her when Pina's item expires literal seconds before being revived.
* FeatheredDragons: Pina is a blue ShoulderSizedDragon who drops a blue feather after she dies.
* {{Foil}}:
** For most of Episode 4, she's this to Kirito, who is a jaded and misanthropic {{Jerkass}} who often works alone, while Silica is an optimistic and idealistic NiceGirl who begs him for help.
** She's talkative and cheerful, contrasting Kirito's previous companion Sachi, who was [[TheQuietOne generally quiet]] and had a much more glum attitude. Furthermore, their respective AI companions are also polar opposites; Pina [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices herself]] for her owner, while Gary [[DirtyCoward abandons Sachi and the guild to die in a dungeon]]. Despite this, [[MirrorCharacter Kirito still sees Sachi reflected on Silica when they first meet]].
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Her former guildmates clearly favored [[MsFanservice Rosalia]] over her, and didn't blink when the latter tried to skin Silica's beloved pet, or when she left the guild because of this.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She endlessly dotes on her feathered friend Pina, and when teleported to Floria, she instantly gets distracted with the wildlife, stopping for a second to stare at some ladybugs and sniff some flowers. She draws the line at carnivorous plants, though.
* GirlishPigtails: Her hair is tied in pigtails and is as girly as her canon counterpart.
* AGirlAndHerX: She used to be this with Pina before the latter's passing.
* GoodCounterpart: To [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Kirito]]. They're both SAO players who see a loved one (Pina and Sachi respectively) die tragically during a fight, [[YankTheDogsChain and then see the hope of reviving them taken from them as well]]. Furthermore, they both share the quirk of being [[MotorMouth overly talkative]] to the point of being annoying. While they spend most of their shared screentime being [[{{Foil}} polar opposites in terms of personality]], TheStinger of Episode 4 implies [[StartOfDarkness she might be going down the same path]] ''he'' went through years before SAO.
* HeadPet: Pina is introduced sitting on her head.
* HeroicBSOD: Has a brutal one in the form of a rampage when Pina gets KilledOffForReal at the end of Episode 4.
* HeroicSacrifice: Pina takes a lethal blow to the back by a killer gorilla that was meant for her. It's even more pronounced in this version, as they're unable to revive her afterwards.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Silica points to the day of her birth as when her life started going wrong.
-->'''Silica:''' Well, I guess it all started when I was born. My mom was a bit of a drinker, and nine months sober? That was just not in the cards...
* HonorBeforeReason: Leaving her guild behind after they suggested killing her pet for leather pants was certainly honorable, but, as she soon discovers, it's not the most pragmatic thing to do when you're a low-level player in a death game. Sure enough, Pina ends up dead anyway, and she would've soon followed if not for Kirito. She does this again later with Kirito himself after witnessing his brutal behavior, but here it's far more understandable considering how [[PsychopathicManchild unhinged]] her companion was.
* {{Hypocrite}}: She leaves Kirito after he snaps and kills Rosalia for pressing his BerserkButton, angry at him for his lack of remorse, only to go on a brutal rampage herself after Pina is dead, [[EveryoneHasStandards one that shocks even Kirito]], with the presence of blood during TheStinger implying someone was killed or maimed.
* IndieGame: A FreezeFrameBonus in Episode 12 on Kirito's Twitter feed shows her responding to a bad review of a game she made.
* KidSidekick: While the quest to rescue Pina is mostly for ''her'' sake, she serves as this to Kirito in Episode 4.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Her first impression of Kirito includes BishieSparkles and [[SomethingAboutARose roses]], leaving her starstruck. However, after going on a quest together and [[PsychopathicManchild getting to know him]], her feelings for him subside, so by the end of the episode she just wants to get away from him.
* MamaBear: Rosalia asking her to skin Pina so that she can have leather pants prompts her to abandon the guild after [[YouMonster calling her a monster]].
* TheMedic: Downplayed. Pina can restore tiny slivers of Silica's HP during battle. Sadly, she can't heal herself.
* MirrorCharacter: It's clear she reminds Kirito of [[TheLostLenore Sachi]]. Aside from being small and kind-hearted female players with NPC companions (Gary, Charlie and Derrick for Sachi, Pina for Silica) who call him out on his jerkassery at least once, they both possess an unfortunate short-sightedness that ends in tragedy (Sachi gets herself killed after entrusting many of her essential items to [[ArtificialStupidity her NPCs]], while Silica gets Pina killed by leaving her guild after an argument with its leader Rosalia).
* MotorMouth: As Kirito soon learns, asking her "What's wrong?" after witnessing her cry is not the best idea, [[LiteralMinded as she will proceed to tell you everything bad that happened in her life since she was born.]]
* NiceGirl: While she has her limits [[MamaBear (especially concerning Pina's safety)]], she's still nothing but kind to Kirito, and rejects his friendship offer as politely as she can, even taking the time to thank him for helping her even if he didn't do it for her.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Due to her MotorMouth, she's bound to let some things slip, such as her knowledge of Kirito crying himself to sleep the night prior to their quest.
* PasteEater: She made a habit out of eating purple crayons when she was four because the blue ones were too tart according to her.
* PluckyGirl: She's courageous to a fault, and has the cheerful demeanor to boot.
* ThePollyanna: ZigZagged. Considering the circumstances, she's optimistic to a fault while on her misadventure with Kirito, and always gets back up after being knocked down. However, this all was because she's positive Pina will be saved for sure. [[DeathByAdaptation She wasn't]], and Silica was ''not'' happy about it.
-->'''Silica:''' [[TemptingFate "I suppose it'll all be worth it to have Pina back."]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: You wouldn't think so, but underneath her innocent crimson eyes there's a hidden beast who is capable of traumatising ''Kirito himself''.
* RedIsViolent: She has red eyes and a red outfit, and while she's usually quite lovely, she's downright ''vicious'' when she snaps.
* RescueRomance: Subverted. She falls in love with Kirito immediately after meeting him when he saves her, due to his KnightInShiningArmour pose, but it quickly goes out the window thanks to his insufferable attitude.
* SenselessSacrifice: Lampshaded by Silica regarding Pina's death.
-->'''Silica''': Do you think you could hold them off for a second? ''[A second later, Pina gets struck protecting her]'' Well, I didn't mean a ''literal'' second. But you couldn't know that.
* ShoutOut: Pina calls her a [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim "Dovahkiin"]] and she thought Pina [[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} was going to evolve when the dragon starts glowing]].
* ShoulderSizedDragon: Pina, which helps her status as a HeadPet.
* ShadowArchetype: Pina is this to Yui, another ArtificialIntelligence whose human companions grew attached to, and who sacrificed herself to save them from an enemy. In Pina's case, despite a very long quest to find an item to revive her, Kirito and Silica were ultimately too late to save her, and Pina's item expired before Silica could save her. With Yui, however, Kirito managed to improvise and used his admin privileges to download her data into an item on his [=NerveGear=], thus saving her life before her code was deleted. TheReveal in Episode 13 that Yui never truly "died" and was instead pranking Kirito and Asuna somewhat muddies this.
* ShaggyDogStory: Pina's item expires [[YankTheDogsChain just as Silica was reviving her]], rendering the latter's TraumaCongaLine completely fruitless.
* UndyingLoyalty: Silica is willing to abandon her guild and go off by herself for Pina's sake, and the latter rewards her by saving her life from the gorillas at the cost of her own.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Only Silica seems to see Pina as a life worth saving, with Kirito feeling NoSympathy for her predicament and Rosalia trying to exploit it to win herself a pair of leather pants.
* YankTheDogsChain: [[spoiler:After it seems like she's ''finally'' going to revive Pina, the game laughs in her face and tells her the dragon's revival item had expired, followed by said item exploding in front of her for good measure.]]
* YouMonster: Says this verbatim to Rosalia, and later again to Kirito, albeit in a nicer way.
* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: She did ''not'' take the fact that despite all the hell she and Kirito went through throughout Episode 4, [[spoiler:they were still too late to [[ShaggyDogStory revive Pina]]]]. TheStinger shows Kirito standing there [[HeroicBSOD utterly gobsmacked]] with claw marks across his face and ears still ringing from her scream of rage, sitting on his knees as smoke, fire, air-raid sirens, and chaos roar around him.
-->'''Kirito:''' ''[thinking]'' ...She took that well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lizbeth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knuckle_3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Sir, either tell me your order or I'll assume it's like a knuckle...sandwich with...like a sword...? In it...?"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corrinne "[=Megami33=]" Sudberg\\\

A friend of Asuna's and a master blacksmith. Lizbeth hides away in her shop due to an incident in her past, but a misadventure with Kirito puts an end to that. After Kirito catches her passing off easily breakable weapons as high-quality ones, he blackmails her into helping him find the rare mineral to craft the best sword she can make.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: Implied to be the case for Asuna, who is reminded of the reason why they ''don't'' hang out regularly when Lizbeth tells her that she wants her to live in her closet.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Here, she has a much more sad background than her canon counterpart. There's also the fact that [[spoiler:Asuna burned her shop down by the end of her debut episode, meaning her OnlyFriend at this point has turned on her]]. Although she later becomes friends with [[spoiler:Tiffany and Kirito]].
* AdaptationalDumbass: {{Downplayed}}. Her introduction presents her as more overtly kooky than her original counterpart, embarrassing Asuna. However, once [[AdaptationalJerkass Kirito]] enters the equation, she suddenly starts looking more mature in comparison, and her abrasive streak towards him is much less unwarranted than in canon.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: Abridged Lizbeth is an {{Hikikomori}} who prefers to stay in her shop. She also has to be {{blackmail}}ed into accompanying Kirito on the quest for the rare mineral, as opposed to her canon self who insisted on going against Kirito's better judgement.
* AffectionateNickname: Asuna always calls her "Liz", while Kirito sometimes calls her "Pinky".
* AmbiguouslyBi: She clearly longs for male attention, but her interactions with Asuna imply that she was infatuated with her as well; [[spoiler:before she burned down her shop, that is]].
* AutobotsRockOut: Kayaba tends to play appropriate music whenever possible. Shows how impressed he is with her smithing skills that he chooses the kind of pulse-pounding Hard Rock you get from the ''Guilty Gear'' soundtrack (along with it being appropriate in the backdrop of the final fight of ''Gurren Lagann'', which is shown as an in-universe Fighting Game, which she balances along with the rhythm game, and the game of ''Space Invaders'').
* BelligerentSexualTension: Has a one-sided version of this during her adventure with Kirito, as she's been holed in her shop for so long that she falls for any boy she sleeps next to (even if he's an asshole). Luckily, [[{{Yandere}} with some ''persuasion'' from Asuna]] and Kirito's own issues, she gets over it.
* BettyAndVeronica: She was the "Betty" to Asuna's "Veronica" before she got over Kirito.
* BreakTheCutie: Twice, once when her entire guild was killed off, and the second time when Kirito cemented her legacy with literal dragon shit [[spoiler:(or so she thinks)]]. And then [[spoiler:Asuna burns down her shop]] by the end of the episode.
* BrickJoke:
** At the end of episode 7 [[{{Yandere}} Asuna]] burns her shop down for talking to Kirito, and in episode 9 she's carrying a box of things she managed to recover from her ruined shop, then [[TheDreaded Asuna]] shows up where she insists she wasn't talking to Kirito and promptly flees by jumping out the window.
** In episode 7, she talks about the Lizbeth Quality Guarantee right before Kirito casually breaks her best sword as a test. After blackmailing her into making him the best sword in the game, said sword shatters in the climactic battle against Kayaba in episode 11. [[FunWithSubtitles The subtitle reads]] "Lizbeth Quality Guarantee".
* ChivalrousPervert: "Trying to impress some master swordsman? Eh? Get him to plant his enchanted sword in your cave of wonders? Do battle with the ''fearsome dragon'' within?" [[note]]By "Dragon" she means ''Chlamydia''.[[/note]]
* CreepyGood: She's a sweetheart overall, but her dreams to keep Asuna in her closet "like an adorable boogeyman" are rather worrying to say the least, as is her insistence on hearing details on her only friend's love life.
* CryLaughing: By the time [[{{Jerkass}} Kirito]] is done with her, she ends up doing this.
* CloudCuckoolander: Has shades of this at first, which are implied to be due to isolation, but she soon becomes the saner one between her, Asuna, and Kirito.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Has rose hair and rose eyes.
* CuteClumsyGirl: As Kirito can attest to, she's absolutely hopeless in a fight, but she makes up for it with her enthusiasm and kindness. {{Deconstructed}} when it comes to her guild, as her eagerness to visit the dungeon paired with her lack of situational awareness got her entire team of friends killed.
* DamselScrappy: InUniverse. Kirito is not amused at having to jump into a pit to rescue her.
-->'''Kirito:''' Damn it, Liz. You had ONE job!
* DeadpanSnarker: While she needs to workshop some of her digs, she's just as snarky as her canon counterpart.
* DistaffCounterpart: She could be seen as this to Klein, another [[VitriolicBestBuds Vitriolic Best Bud]] of Kirito. Both of them are optimistic, sensitive, polite, and snarky low-level players who start off as victims of Kirito's taunts but who gradually bond with him despite their opposing personalities. Kirito's insistent use of Klein's [[BallsGag humiliating name tag]] is also akin to [[ToiletHumor his choice of appellation for Lizbeth's sword.]] Fittingly, after Kirito completes his HeelFaceTurn in Episode 11, he puts an end to both jokes almost simultaneously, although Lizbeth is sadly not present to witness it.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Not ''her'' (unless you count "Keanu", [[WrongNameOutburst "Sachi"]] or "Pinky"), but her best sword "[[OverlyLongName The Piece of Shit... DRAGON Shit that is! LOL Trademark Lizbeth]]". Subverted later when it's revealed Kirito was just trolling her with that name, and that he didn't actually go through with it.
* ExposedToTheElements: Downplayed. She wears her blacksmithing attire in the mountain, exposing her legs to the freezing cold. Kirito lampshades the stupidity of this decision.
-->'''Lizbeth:''' [[AskAStupidQuestion Then why aren't you cold, smartass?]]\\
'''Kirito:''' Well, you see, I equipped this great new mountaineering item called PANTS! [[DeadpanSnarker Really, it's astounding what science can do these days.]]
* ExtremeDoormat: Justified, as not only is Kirito a much better player than her, but he's also blackmailing her into crafting the perfect sword for him, so Lizbeth has little to do but follow him around and hide as he fights the dragon.
* FatalFlaw: Her tendency to get lost in her emotions. Her critical thinking and self-awareness is often overshadowed when she's very excited or in love, and due to the cruel world of [[DeadlyGame Sword Art Online]] not giving her any second chances, these errors in judgement tend to cost her a lot.
** Her original guild is killed when she runs off on her own due to being unable to contain her excitement at the sight of a very valuable ore, a mistake which she repeats during her mission with Kirito when she sees the crystal field and when Kirito is fighting the dragon.
** Furthermore, after falling in love with Kirito and earning [[{{Yandere}} Asuna]]'s ire, she forgets about her warnings not to talk to him when Kirito approaches her again, which ends with Asuna burning down her shop as revenge.
* FireForgedFriends: While she's gotten over her sudden feelings for him, she and Kirito seem to have become VitriolicBestBuds after their little misadventure in Episode 7.
* {{Foil}}:
** She and Kirito are both self-imposed loners who share the same backstory of seeing their guild die and [[SurvivorsGuilt blaming themselves for it]], but Kirito dealt with his trauma by doubling down on his SmugSuper ways and becoming an even bigger {{Jerkass}} to everyone out of fear that he'll go through that pain again if he warms up to them, while Lizbeth became a StepfordSmiler who simply relegated herself to working 24-7 at her blacksmithing shop as a coping mechanism, sharing news of the world with her treasured OnlyFriend Asuna. Interestingly enough, Kirito starts off in bitter terms with Asuna, but eventually falls in love with her, while Lizbeth goes from being obsessed with Asuna to running away when she's in the same room as her.
** She and Silica share some similarities as optimistic and spirited [[PluckyGirl Plucky Girls]] who both had a misadventure with Kirito, during which they saw him at his weakest point after unwittingly triggering his TraumaButton. However, the main difference between them can be traced back to their changing relationship with the boy; Silica, [[LoveAtFirstSight initially attracted to Kirito]] due to him [[RescueRomance rescuing her]], eventually starts to resent him following their mission to save Pina. Her interest wanes to the point that she turns down his invitation for more shared adventures. Liz, on the other hand, started off hating Kirito's guts due to him breaking her finest sword, but gradually started developing genuine feelings for him after their mission. Furthermore, Silica had to beg Kirito to help her in her mission, only to end up regretting her decision, while Liz had to be dragged kicking and screaming into Kirito's quest for the metal, but ended up genuinely enjoying her time with him, even ''thanking'' him for pressuring her into leaving.
** Also to Sachi, another sensitive low-level player whom Kirito ends up warming up to despite his initial abrasiveness towards her. They both also conveniently choose the same bridge to cry under while they're having a bad time, and are also approached by Kirito over their problems, only for him to arguably make things worse for everyone. The key difference between them is the way they cope with being perceived as TheMillstone; Sachi becomes a dispirited runaway out of fear that she'll get her friends killed, while Lizbeth becomes a StepfordSmiler and a {{Hikikomori}} out of remorse over getting her friends killed.
* TheGadfly: Not as good as Kirito, but still applies. Becomes more pronounced in Episode 9.
* GoodCounterpart: To her (former) best friend [[SociopathicHero Asuna]]: They're both snarky SAO players with poor social skills and an obsessive streak who at one point crossed paths with Kirito and fell in love with him despite his smug and antagonistic demeanor. However, Lizbeth is a genuinely kind-hearted girl who can be a bit clingy and InnocentlyInsensitive at worst due to her social anxiety and SurvivorsGuilt, while Asuna is an entitled {{Yandere}} who manipulates people into liking her and who is really just as messed up as Kirito. In regards to their relationship with the boy, Lizbeth eventually got over him after she realized how much of an asshole he was (and after Asuna threatened to kill her), while Asuna became internally obsessed with him due to being the only one who stuck with her despite knowing her true nature.
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: {{Downplayed}}. She didn't completely lose her mind like Kirito did, but the self-imposed isolation that she subjected herself to out of guilt took a heavy toll on her mental stability, making her quite socially anxious.
* {{Hikikomori}}: She rarely leaves her shop. It took Kirito blackmailing her and Asuna threatening her to get her to leave.
* HumiliationConga: Basically all of episode 7 was this for her.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Due to being a recluse, her social skills are quite lacking. She has no idea of how creepy she comes across to Asuna on occasion, and spills her entire backstory unto Kirito without realizing that she is accidentally triggering Kirito's TraumaButton, which drives him to tears. However, she's still genuinely pure in her intentions, unlike [[{{Troll}} Kirito]] and [[FalseFriend Asuna]] themselves.
* ItsAllMyFault: Comes close to saying this word for word in regards to the death of her guild, but Kirito stops her short of doing so.
* TheLoad: During their quest, Kirito treats her like an NPC due to her lack of proficiency in combat.
-->'''Kirito:''' I hate escort missions.
* TheMillstone: While it isn't really her fault (Kirito essentially roped her into the mission), she causes most of Episode 7's problems, such [[TooDumbToLive as running off to find diamonds when in an active boss room]], accidentally distracting Kirito and getting him scorched by the dragon ''twice'', and blowing her cover to cheer for him when she thought the dragon was already defeated when it wasn't.
* MoralityPet: {{Downplayed}}. Asuna seemed to genuinely regard her as a friend, albeit not one worth potentially losing Kirito for. When she learns that Lizbeth has a crush on him, she lets her off with a warning because she's her friend. Even though Asuna later destroys her shop and leaves her homeless after she's seen with Kirito again, she still doesn't kill her like she said she would.
* MyGreatestFailure: The reason she became a shut-in was because she ran headlong into a trap that got her guild killed.
* NamedWeapon: She has two known ones; "Lizbeth's Masterpiece" and "The Piece of Shit... DRAGON Shit that is! LOL Trademark Lizbeth" (the latter courtesy of Kirito). Subverted with the latter as it's later revealed he didn't actually went through with the name.
* NiceGirl: While a bit socially awkward, Liz is a kind PluckyGirl who takes her HumiliationConga in stride.
* NonActionGuy: Gender Flipped. In a WorldOfActionGirls, Lizbeth is the only main character to never wield a sword in combat, despite running a shop filled with them. The only time she gets physical with someone is when she grabs Kirito by the collar after he breaks her best sword.
* OnlyFriend: Asuna is her only friend... until after TheStinger of episode 7, where Asuna goes full on {{yandere}} and burns down her shop. This changes by episode 9, as she becomes VitriolicBestBuds with Kirito and Tiffany.
* ThePollyanna:
** Even getting trapped in a pit with [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Kirito]] as her only companion doesn't sour her mood.
--->'''Lizbeth:''' You know, all things considered, this was actually a pretty fun day.\\
'''Kirito:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Uh huh? And how do you figure that?]]
** In Episode 9, while she's clearly upset about Asuna leaving her homeless, she's still cracking jokes and playfully teasing Kirito, only bringing up the subject once asked directly.
* ProneToTears: Not that she doesn't have a good reason to cry, but Kirito notes that she can get very weepy very easily.
* RoseHairedSweetie: She has pink hair and is one of the kindest characters in the series.
* SoleSurvivor: Her entire guild got killed off in a similar situation to the Black Cats. Her reaction to Kirito telling her she can't just run ahead, immediately flashing back to the picture of her former guild, suggests she feels immense guilt over what happened to them. His later sarcastic comment that she didn't manage to get them killed being a ground-breaking achievement just has her quietly note that it probably is.
* StepfordSmiler: It's implied her plucky attitude is a coping mechanism to deal with her SurvivorsGuilt.
* ThrowTheDogABone: After the TraumaCongaLine that was Episode 7 for her, Kirito reveals that he didn't actually make the poop joke regarding her sword. Of course, she won't find out until he tells her after he frees them both from SAO.
* UltimateBlacksmith: She's so good at ''SAO''[='s=] blacksmithing mechanic that she [[BrokeTheRatingScale breaks the game's scoring system]] when forging Kirito's new sword, and Kayaba sets the sequence to "Big Blast Sonic".
* VitriolicBestBuds: After getting over her feelings for him, she and Kirito remain friends, while remaining fully aware of how much of an asshole he is. She herself partakes in playful ribbing after his NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech goes public.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Lizbeth (understandably) breaks off ties with Asuna after the latter threatens to kill her and burned down her weapons shop. And her next appearance, while Lizbeth is playfully ribbing Kirito, she ends up running away in fear when she hears that Asuna is about to return.
* YankTheDogsChain:
** At the end of Episode 7, it looks like Kirito might share a heartwarming moment with her... until he ruins it by revealing he's essentially made her and her blacksmithing into a dragon poop joke [[spoiler:though it turns out he only said that to mess with her and didn't actually go through with it]]. And then Asuna burns her shop down.
** Episode 9 seems to put the final nail in the coffin when it's revealed she had managed to rescue a sizable portion of stuff from her destroyed shop, only to drop it in fear after Asuna shows up.
* YouNeedToGetLaid:
** In the opening of episode 7, Lizbeth starts asking invasive questions about Asuna's sex life due to her own lack of action and wanting to live vicariously through her.
** This seems to be the reason for her BelligerentSexualTension with Kirito, as she falls for him the moment he does something nice for her. She gets over it after his [[{{Jerkass}} jerkassery]] is reaffirmed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yui]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abridged_yui.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I know you only kept me around as a pawn for your mind games. Although, I do admit... I did enjoy being your pawn..."'']]
->'''Voiced By:''' Jane "redasatomato" Redd\\\

A mysterious girl who shows up during Kirito and Asuna's "honeymoon" and ends up being adopted by them as part of their game of matrimonial chicken. She reveals herself to be a psychologist AI created by Kayaba to tend to the players of the game but was locked away for being incredibly unstable. She became curious with Kirito and Asuna's dysfunctional-yet-happy relationship and inserted herself to find out how such a thing is possible, eventually considering herself their actual daughter.\\\
She returns in Season 2, turning herself into a pixie FairyCompanion to help Kirito rescue Asuna from Sugou.
----

[[index]]
* [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedLeafa Suguha Kirigaya / Leafa]]
[[/index]]

[[folder:Shinichi Nagata / Recon]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abridgednagata.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: ''"So, where are you guys off to? Going on a que... ''(ahem)''\\
You guys going on a mission?''"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Spencer "[=BuddyVA=]" Downs\\\

A Sylph player who quests with Leafa in ''[=ALfheim=] Online'', and [[FriendsWithBenefits "quests"]] with Suguha in real life. He is usually the target of bullying by Leafa and Prince Cazmer, but tries to help out his princess nonetheless.

* AdaptationalAchillesHeel: His malfunctioning [=NerveGear=]. It occasionally pulses the fear center of his brain, triggering several hallucinations and occasionally ''paralyzing'' him. It becomes quite the hindrance during his covert mission in Episode 16.
* AdaptationalBadass: During his espionage mission, the original Recon blew his cover due to his own lack of stealth. Here, he kept himself hidden for far longer and only got discovered because his [=NerveGear=] misfired, something he had no control over.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the original series, Recon was extremely clingy with Leafa, but out of sincere, if immature love. Here, he's extremely nice, to the point where even [[{{Jerkass}} Kirito]] doesn't even try to mock or belittle him in any way. His more creepy tendencies are also completely phased out, while his naivety is increased.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: The [[LovesMyAlterEgo ship tease between Leafa and Kirito in the original series]] was moved to Recon and Leafa instead in the Abridged version.
* AffectionateNickname: "Nutter Butter". While [[DoubleEntendre it can be taken the wrong way]], it's the best you can get from [[{{Tsundere}} Suguha]].
* ApologizesALot: Mostly out of fear that someone will hit him if he doesn't retract.
* BadBadActing: When confronted with Kirito, his "threat" to the Spriggan is so wooden you could make household furniture out of it.
* BlatantLies: In Episode 16, if the shot of his corpse is any indication, he did ''not'', in fact, "fight bravely".
* BodyguardCrush: He's Leafa's guardian (or "fuck-boy"), and he has a crush on her that she secretly reciprocates.
* ButtMonkey: Poor guy gets treated like crap by Leafa, and also got the vice treatment by Cazmer once. His AdaptationalAchillesHeel doesn't help matters ''at all''.
* CalmingTea: He often deals with his panic attacks by pouring himself some tea.
* TheConfidant: The only person whom Suguha keeps in touch with both in real life and in ''[=ALfheim=]'', and as a result the only one who knows of her identity as Princess Leafa. However, he's not a shining example as he keeps accidentally addressing her by her screen name in real life when under pressure, much to her anger.
* CovertPervert: He agreed to a "sewer handy" from [[{{Tsundere}} Leafa]] once. [[BlatantLies "It was for a quest"]] not whistanding.
* CrazyJealousGuy: Averted. Despite his feelings for Suguha/Leafa, he has no issue with her hanging out with Kirito at all. Episode 15 shows he's more annoyed at being ditched by her causing her storyline fiance to torture him and he trusts Kirito to a degree that confuses him.
* TheCutie: A sweet and kind-hearted boy with an adorable crush on his princess.
* DoggedNiceGuy: He does whatever Suguha/Leafa tells him to because he's attracted to her. The attraction doesn't seem to be one-sided either; despite Suguha hitting him with the butt of her kendo stick when Shinichi asks her on an actual date in Episode 15, she also tells him to meet her in the janitor's closet for some implied sex. Suguha/Leafa also mentions that she "sucked him off one time", but insisted that it was for a quest. Finally, Yui notes that ''both'' of their heart rates [[MySensorsIndicateYouWanttoTapThat increased by 22% when near each other]]. Further complicating things is that Suguha is a MasterOfTheMixedMessage, abusing Shinichi/Recon one minute, then giving him sexual favors the next. As such, Shinichi/Recon is constantly nervous around Suguha, in part because he's attracted to her and in part because it's impossible to know where he stands with her.
* DumbIsGood: He's not ''dumb'', just very naive, but he truly is a pure and selfless boy.
* EmbarrassingNickname: His number is saved as "Nutter Butter" in Suguha's phone. [[AffectionateNickname Interpret it as]] [[DoubleEntendre you will]].
* ExtremeDoormat: As befitting for a princess' "fuckboy", he stands by Leafa/Suguha despite how horribly she treats him.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Leafa ''does'' like him, but doesn't want to show it. Kirito says that he is "too pure for this world," but that's the extent of it. Cazmer certainly doesn't have a problem torturing or even killing him in-game if he becomes too much of a nuisance.
* FriendsWithBenefits: Light on the "friends," and more emphasis on the "benefits."
-->'''Suguha:''' You and I are barely friends! ''Recon'' is Princess Leafa's ''fuckboy.'' Got it? Don't confuse the game with real life, you perv! [[HypocriticalHumor Now meet me in the supply closet after practice,]] I've got another ''quest'' for you.
* {{Foil}}: He's to Leafa what [[MoralityPet Sachi]] was to Kirito.
** They're both cute and ineffectual players with an AdaptationalAchillesHeel (bad internet and a faulty [=NerveGear=] respectively) who represent exactly what Kirito and Leafa respectively hate the most (Sachi is TheMillstone of her guild due to her lag, while Recon [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide is an avid enjoyer of fairy games.]]) but who somehow managed to insert themselves in the SociopathicHero's lives and become their personal MoralityPet. The difference between them can be traced down to their personalities; Sachi was a pessimistic loner with self-esteem issues who hates being in SAO, while Recon is The TokenWholesome teammate who loves playing ALO, sometimes even mistaking it for real life.
** They were both [[ExtremeDoormat very submissive]] to their leaders, but Sachi was very perceptive and didn't hesitate [[PrecisionFStrike to call Kirito an asshole]] when he became too unbearable. Recon, on the other hand, is too scared of Suguha to call her out on her abuse and is a borderline SycophanticServant.
** When facing death, Sachi [[GoOutWithASmile simply smiled]], happy to be finally relieved of [[AndIMustScream her horrible life situation]]. Recon, on the other hand, [[FaceDeathWithDespair tried to run off screaming]] after being caught before getting shot in the ass by the salamanders, [[DeathIsCheap despite death not being permanent in ALO]].
* GagPenis: {{Implied}}. When Kirito and Yui are teasing Leafa about her apparent feelings for Recon and the latter points out their increase in heart rates when they interacted as evidence, she retorts that maybe she's scared of him because he has a "[[AccidentalInnuendo big knife]]", causing the two to crack up. It should be noted though that she doesn't deny their assumption upon realizing how ThatCameOutWrong, instead telling them to shut up before flying ahead with a LuminescentBlush.
* GoshDangItToHeck: He doesn't try to swear once (barring a small "frak" during his introduction), not even outside ALO. He also refers to Leafa's blowjob as a "sewer handy".
* GroinAttack: "He used the vice, Kirigaya. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to Music/{{Cascada}} again."
* HeroWorshipper: Episode 15 shows that Shinichi would like to meet Kirito due to his fame as the Hero of Aincrad.
* HiddenDepths: Suguha is rather impressed with his stealthiness as a spy, managing to capture Cazmer's entire conversation without blowing his cover despite being a more cowardly player. He only gets caught after his broken [=NerveGear=] misfires and shocks him.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter:
** He's easily scammed by [[AbusiveParents the parents]] of a deceased SAO player who sold their damaged [=NerveGear=] for $100 more than the new ones were worth. When informed of this, he tries to justify their actions by saying that they were probably in mourning and didn't have time to process the price.
** {{Subverted}} in later episodes, where he's shown to be more perceptive than Leafa herself, as he quickly picks up on the fact that Leafa was trying to shoo him away by sending him to spy on Cazmer, and also rationalizes the latter's behavior as him being mad that Leafa wasn't playing along with the wedding storyline instead of him being up to any wrongdoing ([[AccidentalTruth even though it later turned out he actually was]]).
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Or as Kirito puts it:
-->'''Kirito:''' You are too pure for [[CrapsackWorld this world]].
* {{Invisibility}}: Uses a cloak of invisibility to spy on Cazmer and the salamanders. Unfortunately, this doesn't help you much when your broken [=NerveGear=] triggers a loud shriek from you.
* MoralityPet: held in high regard by both [[{{Jerkass}} Kirito]] and [[AristocratsAreEvil Leafa]], while definitely being the type of person they would both relentlessly emotionally terrorize under normal circumstances.
* NervousWreck: After learning of Cazmer's "betrayal", he completely loses it and spends hours frantically trying to reach Suguha. He has to pour himself some tea to calm down.
* NiceGuy: The most wholesome [=ALfheim=] player ''by far'', and arguably the nicest character of ''the entire series'' as well, owing to being of the few to not receive the AdaptationalJerkass treatment, being ''even nicer'' than his original counterpart. Despite the fact that his [=NerveGear=] was bought second-hand for $100 more than a new one, and that he had to clean the previous user's brain out of it, he doesn't once criticize the sellers' heartlessness, but instead [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter chooses to assume it was due to grief.]] Additionally, upon [[AristocratsAreEvil Leafa]] describing a certain act she did with him, ostensibly in pursuit of a quest, Kirito goes so far as to call him "too precious for this world."
* OnlyFriend: With hints of ShipTease thrown in for good measure. He's the only person of [=ALfhem=] that Suguha actually gives a shit about, and he's also presumably the only person nice enough to stand her IRL as well.
* ThePollyanna: He takes his ButtMonkey status in stride, and seems to be the only ALO player whose enjoyment of the game hasn't been ruined by Sakuya and Eugene's race war.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: He doesn't have many interactions with anyone outside of his princess.
* TheScapegoat: Cazmer blames him for the wedding storytelling falling apart, [[GroinAttack and uses the vice on him]].
* ShipTease: It's suggested multiple times that he and Leafa are attracted to each other but Leafa refuses to act on her side of it because [[ClosetGeek she doesn't want to be outed for enjoying the fantasy genre]].
* ShotInTheAss: By the salamanders after blowing his cover. ''Three times''.
* ShrinkingViolet: In Episode 15, when asking Suguha out on a date, he acts shy and withdrawn.
* SpearCounterpart: To Silica. They're the smallest members of the main cast but have the biggest heart. They're also ThePollyanna to their companion's antics, whom they have crushes on (although Silica got over Kirito during Episode 4) and are some of the few characters to take their {{Jerkass}} demeanor in stride. While Kirito never hit Silica like Suguha did Nagata, they both had their traumatic experiences met with a similar LackOfEmpathy (Kirito shrugged off Silica's grievances with her deceased virtual pet, while Suguha couldn't care less about Recon's torture at the hands of Cazmer).
* SupernaturalFearInducer: On the receiving end of this due to a faulty [=NerveGear=], which occasionally "pulses the fear center of his brain" and sends him into shrieking fits where he hallucinates [[Manga/AssassinationClassroom tentacle monsters in classrooms]].
* SuperGullible: See HorribleJudgeOfCharacter above.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Leafa apparently baked him cupcakes once, not to mention her [[UnusualEuphemism "sewer handy"]].
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: Despite being around the same age, Leafa dwarves him.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He's the only Sylph player who isn't a complete {{Jerkass}}. Barring an awkward introduction, he also appears unaffected by his people's FantasticRacism for the Spriggans and warms up to Kirito rather quickly.
* UndignifiedDeath: After awkwardly blowing his cover, he gets shot in the ass by the salamanders, with mayo being thrown in for good measure. Luckily, DeathIsCheap.
-->'''Recon:''' I just need you to know... [[BlatantLies I fought bravely.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: He caters to Suguha/Leafa's every whim, and is extremely protective of her, to the point of calling her 96 times to warn her about Cazmer's assassination attempt.
* WrongNameOutburst: A variation. He accidentally calls Suguha by her ALO name while in real life, much to her embarrassment.

[[center: [- [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridged Main Page]] | '''Major Characters''' ([[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedKirito Kazuto Kirigaya]], [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedAsuna Asuna Yuuki]], [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedLeafa Suguha Kirigaya]]) | [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedSeasonOneCharacters Introduced in Season 1]] ([[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedKayaba Kayaba Akihiko]]) | [[Characters/SwordArtOnlineAbridgedSeasonTwoCharacters Introduced in Season 2]] -] ]]